Cleaning a serving sanke - my .02

Ok - I am going to add my .02 here -

I have been using Sankes to serve in and ferment now for about 8 months. What I have been doing is taking the tube out if it is a serving keg, then putting them on my "bucket pump cleaner" which has 1/3hp pump in it and a 1/2" outlet on top - then putting using a healthy dose of PBW at 120-140*F and letting it do it's magic for up to a few hours (yes I am that anal about it) - while turning it a qtr turn every half hour. This seems to have been working. It works wonders because I get about 2gal which sits in the bottom of it making it more sturdy on the bucket (but I usually prop it up with a chair just in case) but it really gets the top part of my keg clean as it soaks and moves the water around too.

Was thinking about getting a spray head that everyone has been talking about but this process (the hours spent) has been starting to wear on me - as I am doing more beer. I have two fermentation chambers and have three 15.5 sanke kegs, four 7.75 serving kegs, and two 1/6 kegs, which leaves me room to clean them as I ferment in one or two.

Let me break it down in detail (see first pic of me cleaning a 7.75 serving keg using the above method)
1 - PBW TAP water clean around 120-140*F - about 1.5 - 2 hours of cleaning
2 - Hot Rinses in TAP water at the same temp - I do 3 or 4 rinses and roll it around hard on the rug in my garage on its side - upside down swirls, right side swirls too - for around 15-20 min each time - ~1 hr
3 - Cold FILTERED water rinse 15 min - same as above
4 - StarSan in FILTERED water rinse - 15 min same as above
5 - Drain and let it sit on the blue carboy drainer for a few hours
Total Time - as I have actually timed this is ~4-5 hours - just for one keg (thankfully I can do things while I wait)

While I have had good luck with this so far - it is just too much time and energy for me - imho. And so now I am embarking on a new project - similar to MarcB where he made a commercial style keg inverted cleaner - a two tank job and a AC-5B-MD pump with hot PBW from heat stick.

While he and others talk about using a March ac5 or better pump - I just don't think spending $395-600 for a pump is going to make sense to me - again just my humble opinion based on my budget right now.

I bought the 1/2" keg tailpieces from Micromatic last week and did a test this weekend and will follow up with more pics and vids as I do them. My test was to take my basic 1/3hp pump in a bucket and shoot the water through the 1/2" tube up into a 1/2" tube which then was received by the 1/2" tailpiece in the coupler and sent through the coupler into the tube and out. See pic below. The idea was to understand how far the water was thrown into the air. The idea was if that worked I could then use the pump to channel it into the inverted keg with it's coupler/tap attached and set this system up using two 1/3hp pumps (superior sumps) in two different buckets for the clean and rinse methods using my two burners and my boil and HLT as reservoirs.

My problem was I couldn't get the water to travel up as far as I liked. This week I intend on getting the Sabco (https://www.brewmagic.com/product/wash-head-tap/) wash head tap to see if this helps with the throughput into the tube. Then making a 3/4" pipe from the pump to a 3/4" tube and then into the inverted keg.

Does anyone know the actual clearance from the tube and the bottom of the keg? This would help me greatly.
EDIT: it looks as if it is around 7/8" based on measuring.

more as I do this...

Here is the first vid I took - I will take more this week as I do them...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xaepms545lbpvt7/VID_20150109_163119_126.mp4?dl=0

Here is test 2.

I soldered a 3/4" copper tube with a 1/2" NPT connector at the top and put a morebeer stainless disconnect on it. The whole line of the pump is now 3/4". Then it connects to a 3/4" vinyl tube then connected it to the coupler directly with no tailpiece - just tube to the line in and clamped down...

check these vids and pics out...

close up:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/08aqovmmzc1gdl9/Test 2 close up.mp4?dl=0

close up Measured:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8590mc1n3ztmxdt/Test 2 close up Measured.mp4?dl=0

pic - close up with good view of the top of the spout height:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t6gcd8opwlbyw3a/Test 2 close up 0 00 06-11.jpg?dl=0

test #3

Tonight I got a chance to actually put a 15.5g keg upside down on my brewstand - leveled it off with an actual level - then put 5 gallons of 130*F filtered water into a bucket and pushed it into the dirty from serving only keg using the system from test #2: 1/3hp sump pump, 3/4" pvc piping to a 1/2" morebeer ss quick disconnect, then through a 3/4" ID tube right onto the beer line output of a standard blue handle keg coupler, and a 1/2"" tailpiece from the gas in line as the exit to a 1/2" tube and down into a bucket - no check valves in either holes btw - see attached pic

When I put the water into the bucket the tube already had air in it - when I turned on the pump the water then took off into this thing and sounded almost close to what the keg sounds like in my bucket cleaner except for the "chinging" of water as it hits the bottom hard. I could tell it was hitting all of the bottom of the keg because I had my hand on the bottom of it when I turned it on. I had a small amount of time to put my hands all around the keg and all of the sides of it had turned really hot except for a shaft of colder, albeit warm (probably due to the ss heat transfer of the wall near it) - this means that I will have to turn the keg a bit while I clean it -

What I didn't think about or expect was the gush of air that came back down when I turned the pump off. The air came through the beer tubing and hit the pump and came out in the form of bubbles in the pump bucket - not sure if this hurt it or not - it probably is not good for it for sure. The air that was in the tube to begin with was pushed into the keg with no where to go and because it was hot it probably added a little bit to the pressure created by the pump. That pressure then pushed its way back down into the bucket - THIS is why they sell the wash head pump with the shutoff valves I think - but more importantly - it is why having a manifold is so important. This way you can stop the pump, close the shut off valve or ball valve on the manifold at the same time to stop this back flow of pressure from hurting the pump.

After this test tonight - I grabbed the tube remover tool and took the tube out - then turned the keg upside down onto a bucket to see how much water actually drained out of it - it dripped about a tablespoon and a half of water out. Not bad - but if that was the final rinse of SaniClean - a 1.5 tablespoons could alter the taste profile of the next beer to enter the keg - this is again why a manifold with a co2 purge is so important.

I can see this "pro-like" system of cleaning an inverted keg being just a bit more efficient when it comes to the water and inefficient for the co2 portion of it. This is probably much easier for a pro - as they will have an inline water filter, and a co2 generator or huge tanks.

As I clean them now - I use about 5 gallons of hot tap water for pbw - then a little less than full keg of tap water for the 4 rinses (this depends on the keg I am cleaning 15.5 or 7.75g). After that I rinse with filtered water twice - 2 full brita pitchers to be exact - then about a gallon of StarSan - and no co2. This is where the air from a compressor is going to help a bit. The only problem there is finding the exact air filter system to use - the one I think can do it is at least a 4 or 5 stage filter (oil filter, moisture control, then 5 micron, then 3 micron particle filters to capture the dust from the moisture filter) which retail at about $300 min (ebay and the like). I didn't see a filter on the one MarcB used so I can only assume that he bought a small cheap compressor and never filled it with oil which will be pretty hard on it but replaceable. Otherwise oil can leak from the compressor and get into the kegs which is what I hear from the manufacturers.

So here is my manifold sketch so far (before this test) - I might need to tweak it a bit more after testing it. I just hope the flow from the pump through the 1/2" NPT ball valves is enough! We shall soon see... more soon.

Here is my Test 4 flow chart as it is tonight. I have ordered all these parts and now just have to wait for them to arrive. Still haven't ordered the 3/4 or 1 hp sump pump for the non-pbw/filtered water - due to a possible fail in any of these tests and that I might have to buck up and buy the AC5. We will see...

In the mean time I will be testing my 1/2" 3 way valve as an interim test - but I have a strong feeling that it will fail given the size of the aperture in the middle of these things... I originally bought it about a year ago for my brew pump as a primer/CFC flow unit. It has been sitting on my shelf since then as I just didn't need it yet.

Ok - so yesterday I had a chance to test the 1/2" 3 way valve in a loop to the keg using the same configuration I had above with the valve in place. It came up about 3/4" to 7/8" up and out. Just as I thought... this is just not enough oomph for the job.
Take a look:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ixn1cszkz73vx4h/Test3a.jpg?dl=0

Now all I have to do it wait on the new pieces to this thing and I will continue...

So today I tested my tap water lines as they poured through the tube. Success!!
I got the water to jet up and out about 1.75" - 2" - an almost double to what I basically need... excellent news for sure.

Here is what I did for that test: (see first pic which is what the Draft Quality Manual shows on page 11)
I hooked up my water hose from a hose bib attached to my house which ends in a 1/2" morebeer ss quick disconnect, then attached it to my 1/2" NPT 3 way T flow valve which has a 1/2" morebeer ss quick disconnect to it. Then out of the valve it travels through a 3/4" ID 7/8" OD reinforced vinyl tube and then into the sanke coupler directly. Once it hits the keg coupler - it travels through the coupler out the beer line hole, through the keg tube valve, and into the 1" tube.

Take a look at the second pic which shows how far the water was thrown out of the tube.

manifold made today 1-25-14

test of tap water 1.75"- 2" out of top
test of pump water .875"-1" out of top
Not bad - more testing to come next week... busy week ahead for my business.

Not sure I follow completely, but your pump flow seems really slow. It would never run a spray ball.

I use 1/3 hp but I don't use a sanke stem, but rather 1/2" od cpvc tubing. It shoots out the top forcefully, hits the top of the keg and comes down the sides.

If it's taking you 5 hours to clean a keg. I would consider either pre-soaking the kegs, or reducing the pipe diameter. Perhaps place the stem in the bucket and clean the kegs without the stem in them.

I'm a little late to the party here so excuse me for that but...

I also ferment in sanke kegs and I clean them with a sump pump in a bucket. PBW solution at 180F for 30 minutes and it's done! Rinse with hot water. Easy!

I got my sump pump from Harbour Freight for about 50.00

Sorry guys - I mislabeled the title on this thread... my bad.

My pump seems slow because it is going through a lot of nooks and crannies of the sanke keg spear then coming out the end of the inverted 1" tube. I am measuring the outflows of this to help me solve the right formula for creating an inverted serving keg (tube in) cleaner here: hence the TBD in the last two of my posts. This process of cleaning a serving keg is just starting to wear on me a bit. First I have to remove the tube using a Keg Spear removal tool, then clean the spear and the keg separately and then rise them, then clean the cholrine/chloramines off them using filtered water to prevent pitting and scarring of the ss, then sanitize them, then put them back in sanitized, and then get the removal tool out again and reattach the metal ring into the top (which is taking me forever to get it to sit right sometimes) - all in all about 4-5 hours of work. MOSTLY because I am cleaning them for longer due to the temps that I choose to work in 120-140F.

I clean my keg fermenters/carboys the same way you do - with a 1/2" post in the top of a pvc tube leading to my 1/3 hp pump which sits in a bucket of PBW. It works like a champ and it is relatively easy to do - when you don't have a keg spear in it. This is the first pic I threw up there above to let you guys know this.

IF you guys are using your pumps at 180F - you really need to be aware (if you are not already that is) that they are NOT rated for that kind of temp - my Superior utility pump is rated for 120F tops - BUT I talked with them today and one of their guys sent me an email on how to extend the life of the pump by changing out the vegetable oil which they run on about 4-5 times a year. Please see this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/superior-pumps-they-have-vegetable-oil-them-513080/

I am also just trying to "get the kegs out of the kitchen" according to my SWMBO who sighs every time she sees me in there doing this. I have so many serving kegs now that she feels that I am in there all the time filling them up.

If all goes well - I will have documented a complete build of a cheaper inverted keg cleaner. More as it comes...

Ok - I had a just a little time today to test this manifold as I was able to secure it to an old board with ss clamps around it holding it to the board. Then I just used some vice clamps to hold the board to the rig and I was off.

Testing the first in line valve 3/4" passthrough: 7/8-1" = success
Testing the second in line 3/4" passthrough: 7/8-1" = success
Testing the third in line 1/2" passthrough: 3/4" - I am calling this a success because I will have tap water running through there at 19psi.
Testing of the co2 intake valve and the pressure from it - it works but I need to test in on the whole tube in keg to be sure. It is going to use A LOT of co2... need to figure out how much oil will actually leak into this manifold when using my air compressor... ah yes - another test for another day.

Here are some vids and a photo for you:

3/4" 3 way 2nd in line valve in manifold
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lqjglbwjaqdf83t/Manifold test valve 2.mp4?dl=0

3/4" 3 way 2nd in line valve in manifold - this is TAP water @ 19psi
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k26j84sieazkqe5/Tap Water test manifold.mp4?dl=0

1/2" 3 way 3rd in line valve in manifold - this test is under my 1/3hp pump
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ldvax0v5sa0g3s0/half inch 3way test.mp4?dl=0


Parts List:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0f7crk0oflonci6/Parts.pdf?dl=0

Ok - I found some time at the end of a long week...

I have done my first cleaning of a SERVING keg - wow - this is SOOOO much easier it is not even funny. All I do is sit there and turn valves open and closed for about an hour. Now I am typing this as the keg is drying out after the SaniClean (not StarSan) rinse... this is incredible!

How I came to this idea:
I saw MarcB setup his incredible keg cleaner which was so shiny and new it made me want to do it - but my budget is just not his. Instead I took his cue when he said "someone could set this up for cheaper" and that was all I needed...

I found some time when my family was away for the day so I crawled under my house and installed a 3/4" copper outlet with ball valve to the back of my house from my house hot water line which has a natural gas water heater on it. This was a great idea but wow it took a long time to get all the crap out of the lines - I used a little too much flux - but it was water soluble so it just took a few months =;>. Finally a few weeks ago I stopped smelling flux in the line so it was finally time to set this thing up.

As I was waiting for the lines to clear of flux it became clear to me that the bucket/1/3hp pump system was just taking too long and it was too hard on my back (ski accident years ago = L5 pain in my spine) to get a serving keg clean. Every time I was in the kitchen I became a target for my wife to get in my face about it. As you can quickly tell - she is NOT happy with my brewing of beer as it takes time away from the family. Don't get me wrong - I want to spend time with them - I just love brewing beer too. Why can't I have both?

This idea makes working with this stuff A LOT more safe when the kids are with me in the back yard as there is no reason to open the pail of PBW or SaniClean and no need to take it off the setup. What is most important though is that I hope it saves me lots of time too. Tonight's test verified that for sure.

I am just not done with the final tests - one of which is to open the keg and see how it looks and smells...

This weekend my aim is to finish this thing up and take some more videos and put them up here so you can all get a look at this thing in motion.

I just wanted take a moment to say thank you to MarcB and all the others up here on this forum who helped me come to this idea, as well as the guys from FrankenBrew in CO and his incredibly easy video to watch on YouTube.

Here are my steps to cleaning a SERVING keg via a manifold:

1 - Put the keg coupler on it, making sure you have your intake line to the beer line and the gas line has the drain/return to bucket hose on it as well.

2 - Sit the keg on the stand - upside down of course - and engage the lever, which drains almost all of whatever is in there out and down the drain

3 - Run the Hot Tap Water by engaging the 1/2" 3 Way appropriately - this line has plenty of enough pressure to it so be careful when running it - don't over do it and rupture the keg. This takes all the rest of the main used material out of the keg. A few minutes should be enough - or do it a few times in 30 second intervals

4 - Make sure the Drain/Return hose is now in the PBW bucket - engage the lever on the first 3 way valve - then start the pump at the same time you throw the Main Engage lever - this starts the PBW wash. As I did this for the first time tonight, I am really careful about the amount of pressure building up in this thing, so I did 8 wash sessions of 2 min each then waited for the pressure to die down by exiting the return tube. I also turn the keg around in a circle as I am on a small incline due to the water runoff level of the concrete. After these sessions - I blew CO2 into the keg to help remove any leftover PBW in the keg. I used 20psi and had all the manifolds open - then Engaged my CO2 ball valve and then engaged a portion of the Main Engage lever.

5 - Redirect Drain/Hose to drain - Rinse with Hot Tap water by putting 1st and second 3 way ball valves into the correct position to flow through them directly - Engage the 1/2" Ball Valve to flow from hose through manifold - I did about 6 rinse sessions at 45 seconds each - moving the keg in a circle each time too.

6 - Rinse with Cold Tap Water - by putting 1st 3 way ball valve into the correct position to flow through them directly - Engage the second 3/4" Ball Valve to flow from hose through manifold - I did about 3 rinse sessions at 45 seconds each - moving the keg in a circle each time also.

7 - Slide the 2nd bucket into position - Redirect Drain/Return Hose to second bucket and pump - fill with Filtered Water and SaniClean and use the other pump than the PBW pump - both of mine at 1/3hp - Engage 1st 3/4" ball valve to flow from pump to manifold at the same time you open the Main Engage Lever - this begins the sterilization portion of the clean - I did 10 sessions at a 45 seconds each.

8 - Blow the CO2 up into the keg to get all the remaining SaniClean out of the keg - leave the drain open - remove the quick disconnect on the To Keg line and dump the SaniClean - now it dries over the course of an hour

Your done.

A couple of questions came to me tonight:
1- could you use the same pump for PBW and SaniClean - or said another way - does PBW float on the SaniClean or does it get mixed into the solution.
2 - can I use the Acid #5 from FiveStars in my thermoplastic pump or not? Anyone have an idea of what this will do the the orings?

Anyone have better ideas for this manifold than I do??
Please let me know - this thing is by no means done and I intend on tweaking it as I go...

Here is the final manifold pic:

I lost the light tonight so the videos I took just didn't come out - hopefully I will get some more time this weekend to show you more but here are some vids of what I do have for you:

PBW rinse:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/94lioonowvu6a2r/Step 4 PBW Rinse.mp4?dl=0

Hot Tap Water rinse:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mu6f75hqh2093co/Step 5 Hot Water Rinse.mp4?dl=0

Holy shiznit - the PBW for almost a year and the new SaniClean rinse have just torn through the painted or powder coated steel on the pump and rusted it out. Strong argument for taking the handle off this thing. The good thing is that the washer underneath is is stainless because I took some BK to it and it is pretty clean now. EDIT: So after a conversation with Superior Pumps today again - they assured me that I can take off the handle with no harm to the pump at all. I did so and replaced it with two washers each side to mimic the thickness of the handle itself and then screwed the new stainless parts back into it.
Take a look:

Kinda makes you wonder what else isn't fit for human consumption with these pumps. I don't know if I'm any better off, but I do the rinse and sanitize without the pump.

grathan said:

Kinda makes you wonder what else isn't fit for human consumption with these pumps. I don't know if I'm any better off, but I do the rinse and sanitize without the pump.

Click to expand...

Yes indeed - I agreed with that up to a few weeks ago - that is until I contacted the company directly and got to one of their higher ups who told me not to worry about any oil leaking out of these things. They run on vegetable oil - no s#!t. That surprised the hell out of me. He said the product was designed, in one example, for a large Koi pond. Any oil leaks there would just kill the Koi which are pretty damned expensive.

After a quick run to Home Depot today - I have replaced almost all the screws with exact replicas to make damn sure that they are Stainless Steel. I have also removed the handle which is that powder coated or painted - hard to tell - metal two finger black handle you saw on the first two pics above. I have also rubbed the whole thing down with arm and hammer baking soda which is a great plastic cleaner to just to remove all traces of rust and cr@p that could still be on it.

testing to continue this week...

So I had a chance to talk with Superior Pumps today and they mentioned that they don't think running Acid#5 should be an issue. They mentioned that they test their pumps in vinegar which has a PH of 1 also similar to the Acid#5.

I sent them the MSDS for the acid today and they are going to take a closer look. More as it comes...

Although glacial acetic acid may have a pH of 1 (don't remember if that's right, definitely not vinegar, though) not all acids are the same and react differently with various materials.

Acid #5 contains a mix of phosphoric and nitric acid, both of which are stronger than acetic acid, with nitric acid, a strong acid, being especially aggressive.

If you know what materials the pump is made from you can check chemical compatibility here:
http://www.coleparmer.com/Chemical-Resistance

Thank you for that site - this will help in my homework for a while =;>

Bart at Superior pump is the "knowledge guy" at the firm so when he gets back on the 9th I might have my answer from them - until then - I will hunt their "thermoplastic" blend down... I just have no idea of what plasticizers they used to form it so I will be guessing until I hear from them.

They asked me to wash it down as soon as I have done my rinse - this might be a tip off...

Ok - I just got off the phone with Five Star and they are saying that 90% of their clients are doing an Acid #6 wash, then burst rinse, then SaniClean wash nowadays. Acid Wash #6 has a detergent effect to it and is made for a co2 environment too - which is what I am doing. Apparently this is also cheaper than doing what I have been talking about...

There are others still using a PBW wash, rinse, then Acid#5, rinse, then SaniClean method. Or even just a PBW, rinse, SaniClean method as a base line and doing an Acid#5 wash every 6 months.

Interesting - my only concern is that the PH of Acid #6 is 2.1 at .5% of the whole and 1.8 at 1% of the whole on their tech sheet. So depending on what level I use this at and for how long I use it could change the effect on their "thermoplastic".

I just have no idea what their "thermoplastic" exactly is yet... so until I get a chance to talk to Bart and actually understand what this stuff is - this question is moot.

More as it comes...

So I found a little time this weekend, due mostly to the rain, to do a 7.75g keg clean - and I timed it. I timed it from totally bare backyard, the setup, cleaning and then back to a bare backyard. It took at total of 1hr 45 min... and I even took a few breaks too. Not bad at all if I do say so myself. =;>

This time I let the SaniClean dry by letting the open keg coupler sit inverted for a few hours afterwards. Not drop of liquid left this time after this wait. This seems to be the method of choice. If I end up going this way...

My only concern is that of the SaniClean and the need for a final rinse before I put beer in this thing. From what I am reading (http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-content/uploads/SanicleanTech2.pdf) - the SaniClean is not a final rinse sanitizer and needs to be rinsed before use the next time. Which makes it a great CIP agent - unlike the foamy SaniStar that we all use. I was hoping that it was just a two step process and done. However, upon doing more homework - that just doesn't seem to be the case with this acid though. I am contacting FiveStarChemical again tomorrow to get some help on this subject. With Phosphoric Acid being a part of this cleaner - it seems to me that this may not be the best method for cleaning a Serving keg.

Anyone want to chime in here? I feel like I am lone voice in a large open field... anyone want to come out of the woods? =;>

That is really slick. Nice build and well documented but boy that is a lot of work. Just made me glad I ferment in my 10 gallon cornies

Thanks Bobby - I appreciate the nod.

I just really enjoy using Sankes as a fermenter and serving keg. I also love this hobby and want to things the right way - so I am not afraid of the work it has taken me to get to this point.

Ok - I have talked with FiveStarChemical today and it seems that while their tech sheets read differently - StarSan and SaniClean are very similar. It is just that they have taken the time and money to make StarSan an EPA approved sanitizer.

They are telling me that there will be no change to the taste in the beer and that I can use SaniClean the same way that I use StarSan now.

Now I can settle on SaniClean as my sanitizer and will hopefully talk with Superior Pumps this week sometime and work out how the Acid #6 will work with these pumps...

Ok - good news and bad -

The good news is that the thermoplastic is rated for this kind of acid and won't have any breakdown or slough off. Excellent.

The BAD news is that there is an Aluminium plate - that's right - even after they said all the parts were "all stainless steel" - on top of the impeller holding the motor housing together. ****!!! At least they owned up to it. A "Thank you for being honest" goes out to Bart at Superior Pumps who has been great to work with on this one.

FiveStars says "absolutely no soft metals" - this means no aluminium, copper, or brass of any kind.

There goes using Acid #6 to re-passivate the stainless and to also do my cleaning all in one fell swoop. SO FRUSTRATING!!!!

So it looks like it is going to stay PBW and SaniClean then for now until I can figure out a way to replace that damn plate with stainless.

I have a cousin and a friend who are a stainless metal fabricators so getting done shouldn't be out of the question for me - it will just have to make sense cost wise though.

For you guys/gals - this is the end of the road for using Acid#6 with a Superior pump. When you spend less than $500 bucks for a non-stainless head pump this is what we are stuck with. Sorry it came to this just at the end.

And for what it's worth - PBW (or Oxyclean) and SaniClean is not a bad method and is still quite good. So I should be happy that I have created a faster, cleaner way to clean a serving keg. I should also note that this is for a SERVING KEG only. I still use the currently in style bucket/utility pump straight up shooting method for my Sanke Fermenters just like I clean carboys which I did yesterday with my pumps. I cleaned 2 2.5g cornies, and two glass carboys in 6.5 hours. It just takes soooo much water to do this though...

Ok - I thought I would share a little bit of information that I obtained from Five Stars when they sent me their Guide. Wow - this thing is like the bible of cleaning a brewery.

Chemical Procedures
- Burst Rinse or rinse tanks with potable water (automatic CIP = rinse for 30sec, wait 30sec, rinse 30sec, etc.. for 5 min)
- Fill tank with enough water to produce a steady supply to the CIP pump. Cavitation will cause poor performance and foaming issues.
- Wash vessel with 1%-2% alkali cleaner (PBW) at temp range of 100*-160* F for 20-30 minutes. Concentration and temp will depend on type of CIP in place or pump
- Burst Rinse for 5 minutes with potable water immediately - DO NOT let alkali cleaner (PBW) dry on hot metal surfaces.
- Drain solution and Rinse vessel with nitric/phosphoric acid blend (I am going to use acid #5) at room temp for 15 minutes.
- Allow to air dry - this will have multiple effects such as neutralizing any remaining alkali, passivating of stainless, and prevention of bacterial growth
- If immediate sanitation is NOT required, allow tank to air dry after acid rinse. Leaving vessel in acid condition will prevent bacteria growth.
- If immediate sanitation is required, rinse vessel with water, then sanitize with low-foaming acid anionic (saniclean), drain and allow to air dry

So, is said aluminum plate removable?

I'm guessin' so, since you said you have access to some stainless fabricators.

Drop me a line if ya' can't figger something out on the plate swap.

Stealthcruiser said:

So, is said aluminum plate removable?

I'm guessin' so, since you said you have access to some stainless fabricators.

Drop me a line if ya' can't figger something out on the plate swap.

Click to expand...

That sounds good to me. I may take you up on it. Thank you!

It is removable and has two neoprene seals behind it to keep the veg oil in it.
Tomorrow Bart at Superior is going to the inventory area to see if he has any plates he can send me first, if not i am going to disassemble mine then make a copy of it.

More from the Five Star guide on cleaning a Keg

- Rinse out keg thoroughly with hot water to remove excess soils
- Wash with non-caustic (pbw) at 1% concentration from 2-5 min at 130*F
- Rinse with hot water
- Rinse with sanitizer (I chose saniclean due to low foaming) - acid anionic at 1oz per 3 gallons of water for one minute will create 200ppm solution providing excellent residual value

I take it from this that I was waaay over-doing my cleaning cycles - I can save even more time it seems now

They also have lots more information on how to specifically clean different areas of the brewery too - like Brew House, Fermenter, Cellar... if you want to see more just let me know.

Update:

I have talked with Bart - he does not have an extra part (aluminium base manifold) laying around. He is going to wait until a pump comes back to them that cannot be used again. Looks like I have to buy a new one or wait - grumble...

Good news is I think I have a way to get this part made - more on that as it comes. Ordering the stainless parts for the acid wash this week. I can use them for PBW and the SaniClean method while I wait.

I have spent the time I have been waiting for this part to figure out a new way to wash my boil keggle and upcoming mash keggle quickly too by just adding a simple stainless bowl which will cover the cutout opening and allow the pbw/saniclean (and hopefully acid #5) to simply just drop back into the bucket. sounds simple enough to me. more on this as it comes.

Finally got a chance to take a video of me cleaning a full keg. It was far too large for me to put up on my dropbox page so instead I put it up on youtube. This way I have gotten to the right part of the video so you can take it in faster...

Steps 1 - clean out old beer - hot tap water rinse
http://youtu.be/YIUFSsy4c2Y?t=44s

Step 2 - PBW wash - hot tap water
http://youtu.be/YIUFSsy4c2Y?t=3m25s

Step 3 - hot tap water rinse
http://youtu.be/YIUFSsy4c2Y?t=20m54s

Step 4 - cold tap water rinse
http://youtu.be/YIUFSsy4c2Y?t=32m54s

Step 5 - SaniClean rinse with carbon filtered water
http://youtu.be/YIUFSsy4c2Y?t=40m51s

or here it is in it's entirety of 47 min:

http://youtu.be/YIUFSsy4c2Y

Enjoy!

Hey Maierhof! I'm interested in your build here. Your testing was extensive! I can't seem to follow the link to your drop box parts list link.- I get a 404 error. I'd like to build my own and could use a parts list as well as links to where you found what you needed. I'm thinking of going sanke all the way, but I need to understand cleaning and filling. This has helped a lot.

Sorry for the late reply as i just don't check these boards as much lately. Thank you!
My Dropbox acct expired so no more vids and stuff - sorry all.
if I were to do this one again and money was no object I would do it the way MarcB did it.
This method is OK but tougher since you have to take it apart and put it back together due to the threads - it is a pain in the ass.
The pic of the parts list is still up here - not sure if I did an excel of parts though.
Send me a note if you want ask me about them - then I can send you my cell phone #.

Why would you have to clean it if you are only running cleaning solution through it?

Shabazz said:

Why would you have to clean it if you are only running cleaning solution through it?

Click to expand...

Because I am an ahole on being super clean about what goes into my serving kegs...
I run tap water not purified water so it gums up in the threads pretty quickly. I only take it apart a few times a year right now...

Wowzas, thats pretty impressive. I only use 1/6th sankes, but when a keg kicks, I remove spear, quickly rinse a couple times, fill with oxyclean free and let soak over night. Shake dump and rinse a few times with cold tap water. done.

rtracer said:

Wowzas, thats pretty impressive. I only use 1/6th sankes, but when a keg kicks, I remove spear, quickly rinse a couple times, fill with oxyclean free and let soak over night. Shake dump and rinse a few times with cold tap water. done.

Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do but only soak for an hour or two

Hey all - I have updated my Dropbox account and so the pics should work again.
Also - I have finally (more like remembered) done a Parts List for you all. LINK

Ever get to utilize that stainless there, Young Man?