Corny keg smells like mold

[CUSTOM-441]

Hey all. I picked up a used corny keg a month ago and noticed it smelled like mold/mildew and there was a small amount of beer swirling in the bottom of it. Previous owner said he hadn't used it in a couple of years. I tore the whole thing down, replaced all of the o-rings, filled it with scalding hot water, mixed in some oxiclean, dropped all the parts in the keg and let it soak for a couple days. I thoroughly rinsed it all out after, put it back together and noticed a few days later the mold/mildew smell remains. I don't really want to transfer a beer to a smelly keg. Not sure if it's related or not, but I also noticed some small areas of roughness on the inside of the keg that feels like very fine grit sandpaper. A scotch brite sponge pad doesn't smooth the rough areas out. Any suggestions?

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Did you sanitize it after cleaning it? Many brewers leave a few ounces of starsan solution in after cleaning.

 

[CUSTOM-441]

I can't remember if I did or not, but I'm thinking no. I'll give this a go tomorrow and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Harleybrew32]

try white vinegar with some warm water soak for a few hours should help take the rough stuff off, if its from oxy or pbw. then do another warm water oxi soak and then do a hot water rinse.

heres some info on beer stone https://www.morebeer.com/articles/removing_preventing_beerstone

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Yeh I’d give it another good soak all the parts and don’t forget to run a brush through the dip tube. Maybe allow it to completely dry before reassembling and then put a few ounces of starsan in and shake it around.

 

[Sebastian Weetabix]

You might want to seriously. Consider replacing the pick up tube.
If the mold has gotten into the tube, you probably won’t be able to get it clean.
Just sayin.

 

[Harleybrew32]

also barkeepers friend can help or citric acid to repassivate.

also replace all the orings

 

[day_trippr]

^eh?^ Dip tubes are stainless. They can definitely be cleaned one way or the other.
I was going to ask if the OP has scrubbed out the dip tube with (wait for it) a keg dip tube cleaning brush...

Cheers!

 

[CUSTOM-441]

Thanks for the replies! I plan on cleaning the whole thing out again with oxiclean and barkeepers friend and will make sure everything's dry before I hit it with starsan. Aside from soaking the dip tube in oxiclean I haven't cleaned it. I don't have a dip tube brush, but I will do my best to scrub at it with some pipe cleaners or something.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Thanks for the replies! I plan on cleaning the whole thing out again with oxiclean and barkeepers friend and will make sure everything's dry before I hit it with starsan. Aside from soaking the dip tube in oxiclean I haven't cleaned it. I don't have a dip tube brush, but I will do my best to scrub at it with some pipe cleaners or something.

Your local pet shop could have an adequate brush in the aquarium supplies.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

of a rifle brush, one can easily find those


also consider a bleach mixture, and rinse thoroughly.

 

[ba-brewer]

I had a keg that smelled from the soda it once contained, took repeated cleaning and rinsing to get rid of the smell. Once you get it clean close it up for a day or so then smell again to be sure.

Someone posted that stainless will not hold odors, so make sure you replace all of the rubber and don't soak the old stuff in the keg while you are cleaning it.

 

[CUSTOM-441]

Update...

So, after further inspection it turns out that rough surface I felt was actually very fine, hardened mold. It was on the liquid dip tube as well, and even on the inside after I checked it out with a flashlight. I took some #0000 steel wool to the inside of the keg and voila, mirror clean with no rough moldy surfaces. Smells as it should now too, like nothing. I also double checked that I had replaced the o-rings. My only issue now is getting the same finish on the inside of the dip tube. I have an aquarium brush that would work, but no string or anything to pull it through. I have some bore snakes for my rifles that may work, although that's a last resort.

 

[CUSTOM-441]

MacGyver'd it! Made a rope out of pipe cleaners and attached to my aquarium brush. Voila - dip tube bore snake! It's all clean now. Thanks everyone for your help & input!

 

[Harleybrew32]

great to hear, I made the mistake when i started kegging and left some oxi in the keg for over a week, to my surprise instead of a clean keg i had hard white scale in the bottom of the keg. the only thing that took it out was the white vinegar and warm water soak over night. then a barkeepers paste thin coating until it dried and rinsed with hot water and still using the keg 5 years later. lesson learned
glad it cleaned up for ya
cheers

 

[camonick]

MacGyver'd it! Made a rope out of pipe cleaners and attached to my aquarium brush. Voila - dip tube bore snake! It's all clean now. Thanks everyone for your help & input

“Necessity is the mother of invention”