Alternative to Bulky Corny for Pumping Sanitizer, PBW Through Beer Line?

[Clint Yeastwood]

Today I put a keg of lager in the keezer. To sanitize the beer line and faucet, I hooked up a keg full of sanitizing solution and used CO2 to pump solution through it until it ran clear. This seems like a great idea to me. It's very easy and quick.

I am not really interested in dragging a 5-gallon keg full of solution to the kitchen every time I do this. I see Morebeer has a 64-ounce ball lock keg which would be perfect, but I'm not paying $80 for a tiny keg I will never use for anything but cleaning.

I guess I can use one of my super-cheap 5-gallon converted Coke kegs and leave a quart or so of fluid in it to keep it light, but is there a better answer? I don't want some pathetic plastic squeeze bottle. I want something I can pop on and off in 10 seconds, like a Corny.

 

[Knightshade]

I have a bug sprayer I picked up at harbor freight that I use for a variety of beer related stuff. Cut off the end and replaced it with a plastic keg post.

Carbonation and Line Cleaning Ball Lock Quick Disconnect (QD) Cap - Red Plastic | MoreBeer

Convert a PET soda bottle into a pressurizable growler with this plastic ball lock cap. Also works great for cleaning draft lines quickly and easily.

www.morebeer.com

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

That may be a better investment. Thanks. I am getting a pair of those anyway, because they make rinsing a Bucket Blaster easier.

I use one of these Harbor Freight jobs for spraying Star San. Really nice unless you drop it. Then the handle shatters.

https://www.harborfreight.com/05-gallon-multi-purpose-sprayer-56167.html

 

[Bobby_M]

I started using a diaphragm pump to push it in a continuous loop for a while.

 

[day_trippr]

DIY Beer Line Cleaner

I wanted to make a small beer line cleaner for my kegerator. Up to this point, I have been cleaning my beer lines by using an extra cornelius keg that I fill with cleaner, pressurize, run, empty, rinse, pressurize, run... you get the picture. I wanted something smaller and lighter that I...

www.homebrewtalk.com

I built a pair of them, one for cleaner the other for rinse water. Then I discovered it was a sub-optimal solution for cleaning six faucets from QDs to spouts so I bought a cleaning manifold and a bucket pump and put a drain manifold together out of PVC bits and clean and rinse out the faucets, lines, and QDs, in parallel in about 20 minutes.

I keep the pumps around for one-off needs but otherwise they don't get much use...

Cheers!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I haven't thought about what to do when they get really nasty. I was thinking maybe new tubing. Right now, I'm just sanitizing. This stuff is pretty new.

 

[day_trippr]

Have faith! If you're into the whole homebrew thing I expect you will strive to never let your dispensing system get "nasty". In nearly 20 years I've never let things get to where there were regrets...

Cheers!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I should be able to plumb something onto the Bucket Blaster if I really need to shoot PBW through everything, but I'm nowhere near that stage.

 

[Knightshade]

I’ve been using a spray bottle from Home Depot for chemical based stuff for Star San. It is at least two years old and still going strong.

I used my bug sprayer (2.5G) and an aquarium/pond pump for cleaning my kegerator lines.

1: Bug Sprayer - Tap water
2: Aquarium pump pushing BLC all the way through and recycling back to bucket for 20-30minutes.
3: BS again with Tap water*
4: BS again with Star San*
5: BS with RO water and leave it in line. When new keg is ready, I’ll flush with star San, then connect keg.

*If I’m busy doing other stuff and don’t feel like sitting there, I’ll hook up pump and just cycle it.

 

[Junker Jörg]

Get one of the fermzilla ball lock caps. It screws onto a pop bottle or a spray bottle. Fill it with starsan/pbw/oxi. Then you can put your disconnect right on it. Open the tap and squeeze. $7 or so.

 

[rootAndBoom]

I've been using this one, similar to above. Transfers the squeeze part of the operation away from the bottle:

Ball Lock Line Cleaning Kit w/ Mini Party Pump | MoreBeer

This simple pump kit is a great way to clean your draft lines when you don't want to waste CO2 or mix up a full batch of line cleaner. The PCO tee...

www.morebeer.com

 

[Bassman2003]

Yes to the Kegland Ball lock cleaning kit. Great little cheap tool that helps you keep things clean on a regular basis. I have been guilty of not cleaning keg lines very often. with this setup I plan on doing it at least every time I finish a keg. With a couple of 2 liter bottles or Dollar Store spray bottles, you can keep BLC, Star-san and water all ready to just be screwed in and put to work.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I have a ball lock cap I got to keep pop from going dead, but what I like about using CO2 is that you can run stuff through the system fast.

 

[Junker Jörg]

i suppose you could add this into the equation. Then you’re not having to deal with a keg. Carbonation Ball Lock Quick Disconnect (QD) Cap Tee Fitting | MoreBeer

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

That looks perfect.

 

[Bayou Fatma Brewer]

I take my empty 5 gallon Corny Keg and clean it out. Then put about a gallon of pre-mixed Star San or Beer line cleaner in it. I seal the top and take my air compressor and put about 20 psi in it thru the Gas inlet and quickly disconnect it. Now I have a lightweight pressurized keg with cleaner or sanitizer. Then I run it thru my beer line and faucet using the kegs liquid line out. I will turn off the tap faucet and let it sit sometimes for 20 minutes. saves on CO2. (But you do need an air compressor). then I do the same with hot water to rinse the lines out. Very easy and quick. (Works for me). Cheers !

 

[Bayou Fatma Brewer]

I take my empty 5 gallon Corny Keg and clean it out. Then put about a gallon of pre-mixed Star San or Beer line cleaner in it. I seal the top and take my air compressor and put about 20 psi in it thru the Gas inlet and quickly disconnect it. Now I have a lightweight pressurized keg with cleaner or sanitizer. Then I run it thru my beer line and faucet using the kegs liquid line out. I will turn off the tap faucet and let it sit sometimes for 20 minutes. saves on CO2. (But you do need an air compressor). then I do the same with hot water to rinse the lines out. This also helps clean and sanitize the Kegs dip tube too. No need to buy more equipment by using what you already have. P2P…Very easy and quick. (Works for me). Cheers !
sorry bout the double post. Tried to delete it.

 

[day_trippr]

So, pretty much ignore the title of the thread then?

 

[Junker Jörg]

There’s a small post on the underside of

i suppose you could add this into the equation. Then you’re not having to deal with a keg. Carbonation Ball Lock Quick Disconnect (QD) Cap Tee Fitting | MoreBeer

there’s a post on the underside of the cap you could take a small piece of tubing, 3/8 was a little loose still, and put it in there so it would draw from the bottom. That way you don’t need turn it upside down and don’t have to worry about anything backing into the gas line (not sure that it would, but good insurance)

 

[sibelman]

Like others, I use a "bug spray" pump with a barb-to-ball lock adaptor to push beer line cleaner through my lines. I chose this "bleach-friendly" one from HomeDepot ("safe for use with bleach and other harsh chemicals"), hoping it would survive line cleaner better than the regular pumps. So far, so good.

In addition, before and after the line cleaner, I blast hot tap water from my nearby sink through the line and faucet with a short garden hose and GHT-to-ball lock adaptor. The pre-rinsing allows me to re-use the line cleaner solution quite a few times -- that stuff ain't cheap.

 

[Yesfan]

My old setup, I used to have a small sump pump in a 2 gallon kettle of PBW/BLC that I would recirculate through the beer lines/taps, then rinse/sanitize with starsan. I ordered some duotight tees/elbows and evabarrier beer line to make a cheap manifold setup so I can go back to this.

 

[OleBrewing]

i dont bother with sanitizer for the keg lines in the cold environment. I use hot water and oxy clean in pin lock keg. rigged up my air compressor with for gas and blast the lines because why waste co2. once clean i will just leave the lines full of oxi clean and run it out when a keg is tapped usually the first pours are sediment any way.

 

[SanPancho]

two small buckets. submersible pump.

done and done.

 

[odie]

but I'm not paying $80 for a tiny keg I will never use for anything but cleaning.

That's what I bought my 1.6gal keg for.

but now I also use it on camping trips.

so never say "never"