anyone made a clean-in-place system for kegs, carboys, and boil kettles?

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twd000

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I have seen some of the "carboy washers" that pump water into an upside down carboy. And I saw this contraption today: http://www.wortomatic.com/php/articles.php?ID=22

But it would be nice to have to flexibility to pump PBW then StarSan into kegs and kettles too. I'm picturing a 5-gallon bucket reservoir with PBW, and one with StarSan, hooked up to a pump and hose with a CIP spray ball on the end. Then drop the spray ball into the vessel (keg/carboy neck/kettle) and spray away. I haven't figured out how to recirculate, or if I would just pump all 5 gallons of solution into the vessel then reverse the flow

here is another solution (out of stock) :http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Mark's-Keg-Washer-and-Carboy-Cleaner.html

seems like no one washes right-side-up; I guess there is a risk of spraying stuff out of the partially open lid?
 
I have been using the Mark II for a few months now and I would definitely recommend it. I had planned to build one myself, but the Mark II was only ~$20 more plus required no time to construct. I use it mainly for washing corny kegs and car boys, although I have also used it on buckets and half barrel sanke kegs with no problems. The upside down design allows Water to drain out the bottom of the vessel you are cleaning back into the reservoir so that it can be recycled
 
I have been using the Mark II for a few months now and I would definitely recommend it. I had planned to build one myself, but the Mark II was only ~$20 more plus required no time to construct. I use it mainly for washing corny kegs and car boys, although I have also used it on buckets and half barrel sanke kegs with no problems. The upside down design allows Water to drain out the bottom of the vessel you are cleaning back into the reservoir so that it can be recycled

well that's encouraging- so you priced out the individual parts to build your own and came up with $80? How much liquid do you put in the reservoir? Do you just premix a gallon of StarSan and dump it in? Is the diameter of the base enough that a 1/2 barrel keg/sanke is contained without spilling out?
 
I don't remember the exact amount but IIRC it would have been around $80. $50 for the fountain pump, $15 for carboy holder, plus bucket and pvc fittings. You can obviously do it cheaper if you have any of the parts already, but I didn't and I have other projects I would rather spend my time on.

My basic cleaning process is to do a brief rinse with hose/sink to get out majority of trub/hops. I fill the Mark II basin up with ~1-1.5 gallons of hot water and add PBW/oxyclean, place the keg/carboy on top and make sure it's centered, then plug the pump in and let it run for a while. I usually swap out the hot water and PBW solution at least once when it gets cloudy, then rinse everything and do a final cycle with hot water only. The basic process is the same if you make your own. I wouldn't use starsan because I would imagine the foam would get out of control, plus there isn't really any benefit to circulating the starsan.

For sanke kegs, all of the liquid is coming out of the hole which is only ~2" wide so there is little if any spillage. Corny kegs splash some because of the wider opening, although I've found keeping the water level higher helps this. When I clean kegs inside I usually put a towel under the washer to catch any spray.

If you haven't done so already, search youtube for "keg washer" and you'll find videos of both the Mark II and diy versions in action.
 
you've been very helpful

the starsan foaming would be a drawback. I was hoping to avoid some of the repetive work of a brew day. At the end of the day I generally have a brew kettle that needs PBW, a carboy that needs PBW and Starsan, and a corny keg that needs PBW and Starsan. I was hoping I could fill the washer with PBW and clean all 3 vessels, then switch to Starsan and sanitize the carboy and keg
 
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