Using a March style pump for cleaning keg lines?

[Yesfan]

I used to use a Superior 1/4HP sump pump to run cleaner through my beer lines. It did good for about 6 years before I noticed it was leaking oil one brew day. I used it that day to recirculate ice water through my plate chiller (lucky I wasn't using it for cleaning beer lines that day) to chill my wort closer to pitching temps.

The past few months, I'd been using CO2 to push rinse/cleaner/sanitizer through the lines until I get another pump. My cousin recently got a Riptide which replaced his old Steelhead pump, whihc I now have and thought about using for line cleaning duties. The only issue I see is priming the pump, which I can deal with.

Another issue I'm concerned about is push fit connectors (aka John Guest). I don't have them, but I have been looking at them as well as going with Accuflex beer line to replace what I have. Has anyone been using this style of pump with those type of fittings? Thanks in advance.

 

[kevin58]

I just use something like this. No pump to mess with. No CO2.
https://www.austinhomebrew.com/assets/images/line-cleaning-2-go-web.jpg

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Use a simple pond pump (of course one that's never actually been used in a pond). These are inexpensive. Put cleaning solution in a 5 or 6 gallon bucket. Run a hose from the pump to the faucet line. From the faucet run a hose into another bucket or sink. Flush. Once all the main gunk is out, put the hose from the faucet into the bucket with the cleaning solution. Run, recycling, for approximately 10 minutes. Flush the lines with clean water. We're done. No need to manually pump. Work smart, not hard.

 

[IslandLizard]

So those pumps start to leak oil, huh? Damn!
It's vegetable oil from what I've read, but still...

I clean my lines with a March brew pump. There's not a lot of pressure, but plenty of flow, even with 2 19' lines in series (38' total). BevSeal Ultra 235 lines, so they're very smooth. Seems to work fine. I elevate the pump and tub about 3' to reduce head. First I prime the pump, then attach the line to the output. I'm sure it can feed 2 or 3 double sets in parallel, I just don't have that set up.

Hot/warm water => hot/warm PBW => hot/warm water => Starsan => blow out with CO2.

 

[Yesfan]

So those pumps start to leak oil, huh? Damn!
It's vegetable oil from what I've read, but still...

I clean my lines with a March brew pump. There's not a lot of pressure, but plenty of flow, even with 2 19' lines in series (38' total). BevSeal Ultra 235 lines, so they're very smooth. Seems to work fine. I elevate the pump and tub about 3' to reduce head. First I prime the pump, then attach the line to the output. I'm sure it can feed 2 or 3 double sets in parallel, I just don't have that set up.

Hot/warm water => hot/warm PBW => hot/warm water => Starsan => blow out with CO2.

Yeah. I've read a couple of posts here where others have had the same experience. One guy had to re-clean his kegs because of it. Seems they're good for about 4 years, but I had mine for about 6. Good to know about the vegetable oil. How long have you had your BevSeal Ultra lines? Is that the one with the silver anti-bacterial liner?



The Steelhead pump is more or less a freebie. I see Bobby M has some new fittings and one was a camlock to MFL fitting. Another had a camlock to ball lock. I may get both of those. I didn't see them when I made my first post.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Definitely cause for concern. I didn't know/realize the March pumps leak. By "leak" is this meant as into the flow of liquid or thru the gasket to the outside?

 

[Yesfan]

Definitely cause for concern. I didn't know/realize the March pumps leak. By "leak" is this meant as into the flow of liquid or thru the gasket to the outside?

They don't (to my knowledge). The leaking pump I was referring to was a Superior sump pump, NOT a March pump. I used one to recirculate cleaner/sanitizer.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

OK. Thanks. Good to know it's not the March pump.

 

[IslandLizard]

How long have you had your BevSeal Ultra lines? Is that the one with the silver anti-bacterial liner?

The BevSeal Ultra 235 have a PET inner liner, are oxygen impermeable, and fairly cheap at $0.35 a foot. They're stiff though, roll up in 1 foot coils. I use them with John Guest push fittings. Easy peasy.

They've been about 4 years in use. There's some very, very light staining/discoloration. They're nothing like the "beer rainbow" of BevLex 200 vinyl lines.

They are not the silver/antibacterial lines, such as those from EJ Beverage, which IMO, are total hype/overrated.

Now EVABarrier tubing is even more lucrative than the Ultra 235 lines, more flexible, and due to the thinner, 4mm ID, require shorter lengths, as short as 4 feet with perfect pours at 12 psi. Morebeer sells them too. They're easy to work with using the correct John Guest or Duotight fittings.

 

[gnef]

I use one of my chugger pumps for cleaning duty on the keg lines. I built a manifold so that I could clean them in parallel in groups of 7 at a time.

I have a small 2 gallon pot or so with a valve and camlock fitting, I set that on top of a camping stove to heat the solution. From the valve on the pot, it goes to the pump, and then from the pump into one of the faucets. The line from that faucet is connected to the manifold inside the walk-in cooler, and the rest of the manifold is connected to 6 more lines, and the output from those faucets goes back into the pot for the recirculation.

I hope that makes sense!

 

[IslandLizard]

I built a manifold so that I could clean them in parallel in groups of 7 at a time.

Such as a gas distributor, but with 7 liquid posts instead of valves?

and the output from those faucets goes back into the pot for the recirculation.

Do you have some sort of manifold or a bunch of Ts to return into one line or just return 6 lines?

 

[Yesfan]

I use one of my chugger pumps for cleaning duty on the keg lines. I built a manifold so that I could clean them in parallel in groups of 7 at a time.

I have a small 2 gallon pot or so with a valve and camlock fitting, I set that on top of a camping stove to heat the solution. From the valve on the pot, it goes to the pump, and then from the pump into one of the faucets. The line from that faucet is connected to the manifold inside the walk-in cooler, and the rest of the manifold is connected to 6 more lines, and the output from those faucets goes back into the pot for the recirculation.

I hope that makes sense!

I think I remember seeing your cleaning setup a few years back. I kept thinking you had 24 taps or something instead of 7. Your post was where I got the idea of using a spare gas distributor to hook up multiple lines.

 

[Yesfan]

The BevSeal Ultra 235 have a PET inner liner, are oxygen impermeable, and fairly cheap at $0.35 a foot. They're stiff though, roll up in 1 foot coils. I use them with John Guest push fittings. Easy peasy.

They've been about 4 years in use. There's some very, very light staining/discoloration. They're nothing like the "beer rainbow" of BevLex 200 vinyl lines.

They are not the silver/antibacterial lines, such as those from EJ Beverage, which IMO, are total hype/overrated.

Now EVABarrier tubing is even more lucrative than the Ultra 235 lines, more flexible, and due to the thinner, 4mm ID, require shorter lengths, as short as 4 feet with perfect pours at 12 psi. Morebeer sells them too. They're easy to work with using the correct John Guest or Duotight fittings.

I have these I bought a few years ago from Adventures. LINK


Just curious, what do you not like about them? I don't remember paying that price back then, but they were still not as cheap as the 235 you linked.

Whether it's 235 or the EVA, if I go with the push fit connections will I have leaking issues using my pump to recirculate cleaner? Is a March pump strong enough to pop the line out of the fittings?


Thanks guys for all the info.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, this is what I use to clean my 6-tap keezer from QDs to spouts...

This is a shot before I put the "exhaust" manifold together...

Cheers!

 

[Yesfan]

Nice! The exhaust manifold definitely makes it neater. I may have to steal that idea for mine.

Where did you get your ball lock posts for your distributor?

 

[day_trippr]

I had chicompany.net put the manifold together for me.
A lot cheaper than buying the individual posts and adapters and building it myself...

https://www.chicompany.net/misc-keg-parts-c-376_1_3/quick-disconnect-system-manifold-p-1493.html

Cheers!

 

[ba-brewer]

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/npt12tokegpostliquid.htm
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/balllockxmnpt12.htm

I have a 4 port free flow manifold built with some stainless Tees.

 

[ba-brewer]

here is my manifold

 

[Spyderbyte07]

fwiw, this is what I use to clean my 6-tap keezer from QDs to spouts...

View attachment 653802

Are you able to run BLC through that? I was thinking of something similar but I was worried the potassium hydroxide would react with the aluminum.

Thanks!

 

[day_trippr]

Well, I have - often
I reckon I'd have to open it up to see if the BLC/LLC (lately the latter as I bought 32 ounces) has been gnawing on the beam...

Cheers!

 

[gnef]

Such as a gas distributor, but with 7 liquid posts instead of valves?

Do you have some sort of manifold or a bunch of Ts to return into one line or just return 6 lines?

My manifold is much simpler since I use the bev seal ultra. I just use John Guest fittings on the manifold:

For the return, I bought a bunch of growler fillers for the 650ss faucets I have, and use those to return the solution back to the pot that is heating up the solution.

I think I remember seeing your cleaning setup a few years back. I kept thinking you had 24 taps or something instead of 7. Your post was where I got the idea of using a spare gas distributor to hook up multiple lines.

I actually have 14 taps, but it would be way too difficult to clean all 14 at once, so I break it up into two batches of 7.

My setup is very similar to what day_trippr has, but not as fancy and I actively heat and recirculate my solution.