Showering with your Kegs?

[maxamuus]

Anyone do it? Got a pickle here. Just started brewing this year and it was April. So all my brewing career i just took the kegs out in the backyard and took the hose to them to clean them and scrub them clean.

Now the backyard has snow. Thinking i could clean them in the kitchen with the spray nozzle but that thing tends to get water everwhere. Could wash them in the upstairs tub but it doesnt spray at all so thinking that isnt all that great.

Best idea i have had is take my kegs to the shower with me. Little oxyclean, scrubbrush and get all the pieces and parts on the keg clean.

So am i off my rocker to be thinking of taking my kegs to shower with me?

 

[IrregularPulse]

Why don't you take this opportunity (and finally a good reason) to repair the kitchen sink nozzle that sprays everywhere? I Clean my kegs in the kitchen sink with the sprayer and it's great. Only thing better would be a dedicated shop sink. [dream] ahh the future....[/dream]

 

[kanzimonson]

I think it's a fine idea. The hippie inside me wants to remind you not to run the water the entire time.

(Is anybody else distressed at how much water is required in brewing?)

 

[Frankfurtvr4]

I do it. (shower and clean my keg at the same time.)

 

[IrregularPulse]

(Is anybody else distressed at how much water is required in brewing?)

No. Everytime I brew I just poop in the neighbors yard for week to avoid flushing the toilet. I figure that makes up for the water used.

 

[FatherJack]

I think it's a fine idea. The hippie inside me wants to remind you not to run the water the entire time.

(Is anybody else distressed at how much water is required in brewing?)

Not really. My wallet minds a bit, but I value the delicious beer more.

In terms of saving the planet, since residential water usage only accounts for a mere 1% of water usage, I could care less.:fro:

 

[devilishprune]

Now if you combine cleaning your keg, taking a shower, and drinking a beer at the same time, you are really saving water!

 

[broadbill]

How about cobbing together a hose attachement for your shower and then washing your kegs that way? You could probaby do the same with your sink if you wanted although you wouldn't have the big basin to catch splashes.

You can still get naked to wash them, but that step is optional!

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I had a four pack of NASTY kegs come arrive in the winter, and SWMBO was out of town.

So, I put the kegs in the bathtub filled with hot oxy water and scrubbed away.

There was a LOT of nasty black bits left when I drained the black waste water, but it rinsed out just fine.

Don't do it when the wife is around, and clean up after yourself.

 

[Frankfurtvr4]

I have a walk-in shower so it is pretty easy for me. I wash my junk then grab a plastic chair and throw it in the shower next to the keg down a couple of glasses and scrub my kegs. Good times, good times.

 

[EddieWess]

I'll soak and scrub my carboys, buckets and kegs in the bathtub but will rinse them with the hand held in the shower.

 

[ebeer]

Build yourself a keg cleaner. They're cheap, take little room to store, use way less water, and do all the work for you. I've been meaning to take pictures of mine (I'll try to do so and repost).

Mine is a keg bucket filled with warm water and PBW. I cheap sump pump is thrown in that has a PVC upright tube with an end cap that I drilled with small holes for a cheap sprayer. I added a PVC 't' and connected some bev line and connector. Connect to the keg's line out to clean the dip tube, turn the keg upside down on the sprayer, and plug in the pump. Warm PBW water sprayed at pressure will cut through anything in 15-20 minutes.

I let my dirty kegs sit for weeks, even months, then during a brew day I set up the cleaner and rotate them in and out while brewing. I'm sure many have the same set up, I've seen references to them here and lots of guys in my club have built their own versions.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I have an old pond pump from my early days of brewing. I'd like to see your cleaner.

 

[ebeer]

OK, hope this isn't a thread hijack...well it's still on topic of cleaning I suppose, just not in the shower And excuse the pics, they're from my iPhone 3g...so good as it gets. I'll try to update my website to include instructions and better resolution pics.

Here are the parts:
1/6HP pump I got on CL for $12.50
Various PVC tubing lengths and couplers
PVC 4-way splitter, with center drilled out by hole saw
PVC end cap, with small holes drilled to create el cheapo spray nozzle
Hardware to attach bev line and ball lock
Plastic keg bucket

Close up of the 4-way with center hole drilled, and the end cap with "jets"

Close up of the coupler and hose barb to bev line

Here's the assembly on the pump. The 4 way slides up and down the vertical PVC tube with end cap jet. The gray PVC extensions from the 4-way rest on the outside of the bucket, and because the 4 way slides up and down, they come to rest on the edges of the bucket whatever size or volume.

Here's the whole assembly in the keg bucket

And here's the assembly with ball lock connected and keg resting on the grey extensions - the jets spray the inside bottom of the keg and PBW water runs down the side while the ball lock forces PBW water through the dip tube

All in all this works really well and it takes almost no effort to clean a bunch of kegs while multi-tasking. Even better, after clean, fill the bucket with sanitizer and run a cycle.

 

[steinsato]

I always clean my kegs in the tub. I don't "shower" with them, but I do clean them in the tub.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I try to help my wife clean her kegs in the shower as often as I can.

 

[akthor]

Take them to the DIY carwash.

 

[ratfarmer]

Next think you'll end up doing is adding a garbage disposal to your shower like Kramer did in an episode of Seinfeld.

 

[j1laskey]

Elaine :"This salad is delicious"

Kramer: "Thanks, I prepared it as I bathed"

 

[zanemoseley]

(Is anybody else distressed at how much water is required in brewing?)

You realize that all the water you use will be returned quickly to mother earth right? Hell we're drinking water dinosaurs pissed out millions of years ago. Plus we're melting glaciers at the speed of light so there's more water out there. Sounds like your either more worried about paying for the water or the environmental impact of processing water for use.

I usually use 4-5,000 gallons of water in a month. Last month it was dry and I had just put down new grass seed on my 2 acre lot. I ran 2 large sprinklers a lot and used 40,000 gallons. Good thing my water's cheap. Sound like you could have live 2 years on this lol.

 

[devilishprune]

Next think you'll end up doing is adding a garbage disposal to your shower like Kramer did in an episode of Seinfeld.

I can see this gaining traction in the homebrew community. The first time I brewed I dumped all the trub and stuff into my bathtub drain only to have it clog up on me. I learned my lesson real fast.

 

[edkittley]

I came across this thread a while back. I have one lid set up for Carboys and another lid set up for corny kegs.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/keg-carboy-washer-158415/

 

[Gregscsu]

Puts new meaning to NO PANTS BREWING

 

[ksbrain]

I still can't get over it's snowing there already. It was over 70 degrees here in CT the past few days.

 

[Wilsons]

I think it's a fine idea. The hippie inside me wants to remind you not to run the water the entire time.

(Is anybody else distressed at how much water is required in brewing?)

Are you serious?

 

[RonRock]

I use a large cooler. Fill with hot water and Oxyclean, submerge keg, cover and let it clean itself. If really bad leave it overnight. The cooler holds the heat for a long time helping the Oxy. You could find one of those large tubs that would be cheaper. But the cooler works great.

I also use it for overflow while I'm brewing. have a hose connected to the drain and let it flow when I want to empty.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

(Is anybody else distressed at how much water is required in brewing?)

Not a bit. I figure when the Zombie Apocalypse comes, beer will be important because the water supplies will be screwed.