Best practices for cleaning keg and tap

[Jason McKenzie]

Hi all,
Just finished my first keg. It was the first 5G through the keg, tap and hoses.
Wondering what people do to clean everything to prep for the next 5G batch

Thank you
Jason

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

i rinse keg with hot water to remove as much junk as possible. Then soak with prob 1/2 gal hot starsan and swirl around alot, let sit for 10-20 minutes, I then break down the gas and liquid posts and soak them in starsan and brush clean. The keg then kegs scrubbed with a scrub brush and green scrubby (near top where I can reach). I then rinse really well (4-5 times) with reallly hot water and put back together. I spray starsan on/in the posts when re-assembling, them put a bit of starsan into the keg when finished and swirl it around really well.

Also I leave the PRV cracked for 20 minutes (or longer if I forget) while the keg finishes cooling as I dont want a vacuum in the keg to cause it to deform inward.

 

[bigdawg86]

Here are 3 threads that helped me... you can make a DIY line cleaner. For the kegs and line, surface clean / soak if needed, fill with starsan, charge with c02 and push the sanitizer through the lines and faucets. I had a pump already so mae a DIY keg cleaner with a CIP ball and it also circulates through the posts similar to SS Brewtechs new keg cleaner.

https://brewonabudget.com/2014/10/04/recirculatingblc/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/diy-beer-line-cleaner.226497/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/push-line-cleaner-with-air-compressor-not-co2.569807/

 

[cubalz]

I first rinse out any residue with hot water. Remove the poppets from the liquid and gas posts. Separate the o rings from the tubes and the lid and soak all of those parts in hot PBW solution. Fill the open keg completely with hot PBW solution and let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, dump out 3/4 of the PBW solution from the keg, scrub and rinse well. Scrub and rinse all small parts and replace on keg. Fill keg completely with star san solution and lock down the lid. Leave the keg filled with the solution until you are ready to load in the beer. This has been working for me for years without issue.

 

[Jason McKenzie]

Thanks for the quick replies!

 

[brew703]

What about the faucets? how often should those be taken apart and cleaned?

 

[MaryB]

I add a gallon of BLC solution to the bottom of the keg I use for cleaning solution(it has a bad lid and won't seal tight, tried a diff lid same issue... it is way out of round) then I use an air compressor(has an oil/water filter on it) to pump that through the gas in post of the keg I am cleaning. Once all the solution is in that keg I put the lid on and set it on its side and roll it around for 10 minutes. I move the air compressor to the gas in on that keg and use a liquid line to gas line pump it to the next keg or just a liquid line to a hose to my sink. Or I ump it through my taps to clean them(I catch it with a 1 gallon jug). Repeat with starsan and good to go.

If I am putting the same beer on tap as the last keg and I cleaned within the last 2-3 kegs I do not bother cleaning lines/faucet. I just flush the last dregs out by pulling a pint and call it good! Faucets only need cleaning if I swap beer styles(or had a style that is soured), otherwise they are under CO2 and won't grow stuff very fast. Every 3-4 keg clean is fine and that is just flushing BLC through them. I disassemble maybe every 3 months or so...

 

[STMF]

I now use a pump kegwasher but before I had that I did the following:

* Rinse out the dirty stuff
* Use warm water PBW solution and shake that around.
* Pour a few liter(quarts) of boiling water, close and swirl it around. Empty it out, some through the gas out, some through the beer out.
* Fill completly with StarSan solution.
* Put it under a little C02 preassure and empty it through the beer out
* When "emtpy", turn it around and emtpy the last bit of StarSan through the release valve.

Now I have a oxygen free, clean, sanitised keg to fill with beer.