Clean beer lines without a kit?

[ashopis]

Hey there,

I just built a keezer and am going to clean the lines before the first use. Can I just put BLC into an empty corny, hook it to my CO2 tank and pump the BLC through the lines and faucets? Or is it better to get one of those kits with the hand pump?

Thanks

 

[jaymosbeershack]

Hey there,

I just built a keezer and am going to clean the lines before the first use. Can I just put BLC into an empty corny, hook it to my CO2 tank and pump the BLC through the lines and faucets? Or is it better to get one of those kits with the hand pump?

Thanks

This is how i clean my lines. I use hot Onestep and just run about a gallon through the line after i kick a keg. I also take the faucets apart for a soak every couple of months.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Hey there,

I just built a keezer and am going to clean the lines before the first use. Can I just put BLC into an empty corny, hook it to my CO2 tank and pump the BLC through the lines and faucets? Or is it better to get one of those kits with the hand pump?

Thanks

You can absolutely do that. It's better than the handpump thing by far.

The *best* method for cleaning lines uses a proper pump and reservoir and recirculates through the the lines continuously.

Many bars and taprooms do it as you're describing. There are special kegs with corny-type lids and multiple sanke valves specifically designed to clean multiple lines simultaneously, exactly as you describe. Push through lines with CO2, pack em, let em soak, then rinse.

Just make sure you let the lines soak.

And also be very, sure that you get all that BLC out of that keg and the lines before you use it again, especially if you're using a caustic BLC (which I probably wouldn't bother with some of the non-caustic options). Ingesting caustic is very very very bad.

 

[ashopis]

Thanks jaymosbeershack and Qhrumphf. I'm off to clean.