Clean Sanke 1/4 keg with PBW, but don't have the stem/valve

[timsch]

I need to clean my Sanke 1/4 keg with PBW, but I don't have the stem/valve that goes into it. I got it for a fermenter and discarded that a while back. (Yet another reminder to never throw anything away). I have had a couple of bad batches of brew in a row that I'm fairly positive were due to poor sanitation. I just made the switch from bucket fermentation to this SS setup, so am learning hard lessons.

I made up some DIY PBW, but am wondering how to use it. I've read about soaks, but without this stem/valve, I don't have a way to seal it that I know of for soaking it upside down for getting the caked on krausen. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[gnef]

are you opposed to building a pump based cleaner? I made one for just such situations, using a sump pump and a section of copper pipe to direct the flow vertically up. I put it in a bucket and fill with hot water and cleaner, and just let it circulate through.

 

[timsch]

No, not opposed to that at all. I even have a spare sump pump, although it may be a bit overkill power-wise. How long do you leave yours on for cleaning, and what size pump do you have?

 

[gnef]

hmmmmm, I want to say 1/2 horsepower, maybe only 1/3 horsepower? I bought it on sale at harbor freight!

I usually do 10-15 minutes of circulation. Due to suds buildup, I do have to add water sometimes to prevent starving the pump.

If you already have the sump pump, that seems to be the best option to me, just get the fittings you need to be able to get a section of pipe (I went with copper, but cpvc should be fine if you don't get it too hot), get an old bucket, and you should be good to go!

 

[timsch]

Much appreciated gnef.

 

[gnef]

you are quite welcome! I just went down and checked what pump I have. It is a pacific hydrostar 3/4 hp dirty water pump with stainless housing. I don't think you need that much power, but it definitely can recirculate some solution!

 

[timsch]

Yeah, mine's a 3/4 hp unit as well. The vessels should definitely be clean. I'll have to clean and sanitize the pump well before using it for this purpose. It was previously used in a leach field....

 

[gnef]

Haha, well, that is an interesting back story!

I'd recommend just using it to recirculate hot PBW for 15-20 minutes by itself (use tubing to redirect it back into your bucket if needed). I would do a couple rounds of that, then just recirculate hot water, and see if it becomes brown or dirty. If it does, keep cleaning it until it comes out clear. Then I would run some sanitizer through it for the same amount of time, hopefully it doesn't attack any seals if there are any. If you have the non-foaming version of star san, you can try using that to prevent it from sudsing up on you.

 

[timsch]

Sounds good. Take care.

 

[gnor]

Can the pump stand the hot water? I read the user guide, it says working water temp up to 90F max.

 

[timsch]

One way to find out....

They usually rate those things pretty conservatively, and that's for continuous use. Harbor Freight - good for experimenting with.

 

[hezagenius]

I ran into the same issue as you, I think. I use pony kegs for fermentation and both of mine were received with traces of beer in them. They were sealed and pressurized but the buildup on the bottom was pretty gnarly. After taking out the spear, I sprayed hot water in it, sloshed it around and emptied it. I did that several times to get the visible stuff gone. Then I put water in and got it boiling and then covered it up with a TC cap and gasket just resting on it so it could release pressure as needed. I did that a few times. Then I boiled water and clamped on the TC cap and let it sit for a few hours. Did that a few times. Then I put in PBW and soaked it. Did that a few times. After all that, the keg still smelled faintly of something. I figured that was as clean as it was going to get so I brewed with it. The batch just didn't seem quite right. I can't say for sure if it was the fermenter but when I finished cleaning it after the batch was gone, it still had that weird smell.

Long story short, I took a sump pump and put on a SS pipe and a spray ball cleaner. I make a hot tap water solution of PBW in a bucket and put the pump in it. I flip the pony keg upside down and the bucket will support it. I let that solution run through the spray ball for about 30 minutes and that smell was gone. I use the same setup for cleaning carboys, too, and it's awesome.

If you want, I can take some pictures tonight to show you the parts I use.

 

[gnor]

That's great! Looking forward to the pictures of your keg cleaner parts and setup.

 

[hezagenius]

I use this for pony kegs, corny kegs and PET carboys. Works awesome and is very simple to build. The spray ball rotates and sprays to the sides and upward so you get a nice full coverage to whatever you wash.

Pump

Spray ball (connected to 1/2" SS pipe with a compression fitting to 1/2" MPT)

Push fitting (I believe it is 1/2" MPT threaded into a 1/2" x 3/4" bushing) purchased from Lowes

Assembled

 

[FunkedOut]

...without this stem/valve, I don't have a way to seal it that I know of for soaking it upside down for getting the caked on krausen. Any suggestions? Thanks.

A 2” tri-clamp will match up to the snake opening.
You’ll need a single sided gasket like this one:
https://www.brewershardware.com/F1GASSIL.html

Here’s a cap:
https://www.brewershardware.com/2-Tri-Clover-Cap.html

And a clamp:
https://www.brewershardware.com/2-Tri-Clover-Clamp.html?category_id=277

Now you’re air tight. And you can go crazy from here.
https://www.glaciertanks.com/tank-c...MI3f61xPGA3gIVi8VkCh39aQOyEAQYASABEgJOpPD_BwE

Or check out this stuff:
https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Fermenting-Equipment-Sanke-Kegs.html

 

[hezagenius]

You can do some cool stuff when you ferment in a sanke. No worries about pressurized fermentation of transferring. Here's my fermentation assembly:

 

[gnor]

Is that dip tube diy or by Norcal Brewing Solutions?

 

[hezagenius]

@gnor
DIY, but based partly on some of the Norcal stuff. I have a filter on the bottom of the diptube and I put mini ball valves on the side posts so I can shut off gas flow for whatever reason. Those valves make purging super easy because I can hook up CO2 to one side and a blowoff to the other and just use the ball valves to control when CO2 goes in and when the blowoff goes out.

I also used to use a diptube with a 130 degree bend on the top but my concern was beer getting trapped in the bend and just sitting there getting funky. So now I use a 90 degree compression elbow. I use Delrin ferrules in my compression fittings and they seem to hold pressure. I haven't had any leaking issues yet.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Simply to soak keg w pbw fill the entire keg up to the sanke neck coupling, that will surely soak the entire keg.

As for sanitizing, if you want to go hard core, put a gallon of water in the sanke and boil it on a burner or stove top, heat and steam will clean sanitize like nobody’s business lol