Cleaning sanke kegs

[ChefDougAU]

What is the best, affordable way to clean sanke kegs. I don't have the budget for an expensive commercial keg cleaning system.

 

[mredge73]

Best and affordable are at odds with each other...

Sounds like affordable is what you are wanting.
Buy some Oxy Clean and TSP (trisodium phosphate); mix it 3oxy:2tsp is a container.
Take apart the spear, all parts. Small parts can be cleaned individually.
Rinse keg and soak it overnight with a solution of hot water and your cleaning mix.
Rinse and put it back together, sanitize before use with a little starsan solution.

Clean in place solution requires more equipment. A modified Sanke tap, pump, valve manifold, air compressor or CO2, etc.
Check this out when you get the chance: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl6pxAV32t4[/ame]

 

[BBBF]

Best way = keg cleaning system.

Most affordable = Remove the spear and clean them like you would a carboy.

 

[getack]

I remove all the check valves from my coupler, hook a hose pipe up to the liquid out side, turn on the water full blast and invert the keg. I leave it running like this for a couple of minutes then I drain the water and fill with beer.

My reasoning is that I got it clean from the store filled with beer. After finishing the beer it's still clean inside, it just needs a rinse. So I rinse it out and that's it.

I will probably rig up something that can circulate some warm caustic solution through it. I'd prefer not needing to remove the spear every time.

 

[akthor]

There are keg washers where you remove the spear and set it upside down in the washer and it sprays water/cleaning solution up into the keg. There are both DIY ones and ones sold by homebrew sites. They run about $100.

 

[Dfitz]

I've found to properly clean a sanke keg there's an initial investment in a cleaning system whether cobbled or built as a solid process component of your system. I've also found that adding a spray ball allows me to clean many other system components such as large mash tuns, water barrels, carboys (my polyethylene carboys range up to 13 gallons) even my fastfermenter.

The reason for a CIP system is ease of use in an otherwise laborious process of sanitation. Depending on the size of your need the budget grows.