How do you clean your Floating dip tube and how often?

[kydan47]

Started using a floating dip tube recently and wonder what everyone does for cleaning it and the keg? Remove it every time? Recirculate & clean in place? Suggestions? Thnx in advance. Kentucky Dan

 

[odie]

No experience with floating tubes but for my kegs I do a total break down and clean every time.

 

[pvpeacock]

I either remove it when rinsing the keg or take the post off and run hot water through it most of the time. Every 2-3 cleanings, I will remove the posts, rinse the gas in and floating dip tube with hot water, keg lube all the o-rings and reassemble the keg. Then I half fill the keg with PBW and hot water to soak overnight flipping it upside down and right side up periodically, so every part of the keg gets soaked. Then I rinse it all with fresh water.

I notice that the rubber tubing on my older floating dip tubes is getting discolored, so at some point soon, I plan to buy replacement tubing.

P.S. Anyone know the size of the silicone tubing (ID & OD)?

 

[Barbarossa]

I remove it and soak it in the keg with the OxiClean along with the dip tube. I also remove the ball lock posts and soak them as well in a separate bowl.

 

[NTBeer]

P.S. Anyone know the size of the silicone tubing (ID & OD)?

6 mm ID, 8mm OD.

 

[GratefulBear]

I remove the ball lock posts but leave the floating dip tubes in place while soaking kegs. If the kegs are on a level surface and you fill up to the very top (maybe spray some water directly in the open posts too) then the tubes will fill up too. I run water down the tube to rinse while rinsing the rest of the keg. When it comes to sanitizing I get a little more advanced. I re-assemble the keg with all the cleaned components and then sanitize my kegs "in series" using a custom keg jumper that has a liquid disconnect on one end a gas disconnect on the other.

I fill the first keg about 1/3 with sanitizer, shake, and hook it up on the liquid side. Keg 2 (receiving keg) is hooked up to the jumper on the gas side. Pressurize keg 1 and occasionally pull the pressure relief on keg 2 so liquid will flow. When the solution is all in keg 2, remove the jumper, shake keg 2 and then repeat the process for your next keg (keg 2 becomes pushing keg, keg 3 becomes receiving keg). Doing it this way, anywhere that touches beer should get sanitized including the interior of the gas fittings. If you want to be 100% then you have to spray a little with your jumper into keg 1 gas post when you get done with the rest.

 

[Bramling Cross]

The move to floating dip tubes prompted me to go the immersion pump/CIP route. It does an impressive job and it does it with very little effort.

I wish I had done this years ago.

 

[kydan47]

Wow! Thnx Bear, Cross! I was considering using my quick carb pump to recirculate cleaner & sanitize. Appreciate the insightfUlt feedback!

Dan F.

I remove the ball lock posts but leave the floating dip tubes in place while soaking kegs. If the kegs are on a level surface and you fill up to the very top (maybe spray some water directly in the open posts too) then the tubes will fill up too. I run water down the tube to rinse while rinsing the rest of the keg. When it comes to sanitizing I get a little more advanced. I re-assemble the keg with all the cleaned components and then sanitize my kegs "in series" using a custom keg jumper that has a liquid disconnect on one end a gas disconnect on the other.

I fill the first keg about 1/3 with sanitizer, shake, and hook it up on the liquid side. Keg 2 (receiving keg) is hooked up to the jumper on the gas side. Pressurize keg 1 and occasionally pull the pressure relief on keg 2 so liquid will flow. When the solution is all in keg 2, remove the jumper, shake keg 2 and then repeat the process for your next keg (keg 2 becomes pushing keg, keg 3 becomes receiving keg). Doing it this way, anywhere that touches beer should get sanitized including the interior of the gas fittings. If you want to be 100% then you have to spray a little with your jumper into keg 1 gas post when you get done with the rest.