do you have to run sanitizer through the dip tube?

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bkov

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is it neccesory to run sanitizer through the dip tube on kegs? or is just more a good idea?
 
I flush them with hot water and sanitizer before kegging. Makes sense to me as you can't see what is up there. Plus, I've had hop chunkies get stuck in them too.
 
shouldent it fill itself with sanitizer just when you fill the keg all the way with water?
 
I usually put ~2-2.5 gallons of starsan solution in my keg and then tip it back and forth end to end. I figure it's getting up in the tube.
 
I use a two-step approach. Hot water and OxyClean soak, then run some of that solution through the lines. Followed by a StarSan solution that gets sloshed around the interior surfaces and then run through the lines.

Doesn't take much CO2 to pressurize the keg and you can reuse and store the StarSan solution. I have a Corny of StarSan expressly for that purpose.
 
I use a two-step approach. Hot water and OxyClean soak, then run some of that solution through the lines. Followed by a StarSan solution that gets sloshed around the interior surfaces and then run through the lines.

Doesn't take much CO2 to pressurize the keg and you can reuse and store the StarSan solution. I have a Corny of StarSan expressly for that purpose.

Do you store StarSan in the corny with no problems? No damage to the cornie?
 
I always fill the dip tube, the gas tube and the pressure relief valve.

After cleaning I'll put 1-2 cups of sanitizer in the keg. I then put a bit of Co2 pressure on it and use any handy object to push down the poppet on the dip tube, some sanitizer will squirt out. Then I hold it upside down with one arm and do the same for the gas side, letting just a bit of sanitizer out, then pull the relief valve to let a little out. Doesn't take more than 30 seconds to do all of it.

I also leave those 2 cups of sanitizer (Star-san) in the keg and then I can slosh it around again and dump it out right before I put beer in the keg.
 
I use a two-step approach. Hot water and OxyClean soak, then run some of that solution through the lines. Followed by a StarSan solution that gets sloshed around the interior surfaces and then run through the lines.

Doesn't take much CO2 to pressurize the keg and you can reuse and store the StarSan solution. I have a Corny of StarSan expressly for that purpose.

I do my oxiclean and hot water rinse after kicking a keg, then store it and sanitize before racking the next beer into it.
 
is it neccesory to run sanitizer through the dip tube on kegs? or is just more a good idea?

I am new to it, but after cleaning, I have been sloshing the sanitzer around (and letting it sit upside down), then dispensing some sanitizer through a picnic tap. I think this is hitting the diptube pretty good.

I use plain air from a compressor to pressurize the keg for pushing the sanitizer, in order to save the CO2.
 
I am new to it, but after cleaning, I have been sloshing the sanitzer around (and letting it sit upside down), then dispensing some sanitizer through a picnic tap. I think this is hitting the diptube pretty good.

+1 to this method.

PBW for a night, a good soak-n-shake of StarSan, then charge and drain via picnic tap. I usually drain into an old fermenting bucket and keep it for later use when possible.
 
I do PBW first to clean...then Starsan to sanitize. I use Iodophor every third or fourth time I use a keg just to keep the bugs on their heels.

I put about 2 gal. PBW solution in and let it sit...flush a little through the dip tube...then remove the lid and invert the whole thing in a bucket so it also cleans the outside/posts while inverted. After some practice you can do the invert-in-bucket maneuver without spilling a drop.

Then a very thorough rinse.

Then fill with 2 gal. Starsan solution and seal with some CO2 pressure. Let sit...invert and let sit...then run most of the Starsan out of a picnic tap (or back-to-back if I'm doing a closed transfer).

Then rinse...lol...NOT!;)

After I've run the Starsan out of the tap and into a bucket...I keep the keg sealed with remaining Starsan while use the bucket Starsan to sanitize the siphon or whatever tools I need.
 
I always fill the dip tube, the gas tube and the pressure relief valve.

After cleaning I'll put 1-2 cups of sanitizer in the keg. I then put a bit of Co2 pressure on it and use any handy object to push down the poppet on the dip tube, some sanitizer will squirt out. Then I hold it upside down with one arm and do the same for the gas side, letting just a bit of sanitizer out, then pull the relief valve to let a little out. Doesn't take more than 30 seconds to do all of it.

I also leave those 2 cups of sanitizer (Star-san) in the keg and then I can slosh it around again and dump it out right before I put beer in the keg.

:off: i cant help it but whenever i read your posts i cant help but imagine them in V's voice and it makes me laugh every time.
 
I have a bucket that I use to sanitize everything on brew day and that includes the keg. I just pour the liquid in there, close it and and slosh it around for a while. I am sure some gets up the dip tube.
 
I spritz the stuff down the tubes prior to adding a cup of the solution to the keg, closing it up, and shaking the holy hell out of it.

If the keg ain't full of foam when I've finished. I didn't do it right.

"Viva la Fome'!"

**If somehow I have managed to curse your third cousins, second grandmothers, born again brother in my attempt at wit, my sincerest aplogies.
 
I use two kegs...

1) after cleaning and rinsing both Kegs I put about 1 gallon of starsan solution in keg A
2) Then I hook the OUT/A to IN/B and push sanitizer through.
3) Then I hook the OUT/B to IN/A and push sanitizer through.
4) A little slosh around and dump out A
5) Fill A or B (or both :) with beer.
 
I use two kegs...

1) after cleaning and rinsing both Kegs I put about 1 gallon of starsan solution in keg A
2) Then I hook the OUT/A to IN/B and push sanitizer through.
3) Then I hook the OUT/B to IN/A and push sanitizer through.
4) A little slosh around and dump out A
5) Fill A or B (or both :) with beer.

By "dump out", do you mean take the lid off and dump, or use CO2 to push it through? I prefer the latter, since it will help displace oxygen from the keg prior to filling with beer, since CO2 is heavier than air.
 
I fill up my kegs with 2.5 gallons of sanitizer a few days before using. Then hit it with serving pressure. Right before I rack, I connect a spare picnic tap and flush a cup or two of starsan through. Then I pour the sanitizer into the next available keg. I usually reuse starsan in this manner 4-5 times, sometimes going into a carboy on brewday, or into my tupperware container for sanitizing airlocks, racking canes, etc.
 
I've been getting the crud off with hot water and a sponge, and then spraying down with starsan from a spraybottle, and then leaving it until I need it - I do spray starsan through the dip tubes.
 
Do you store StarSan in the corny with no problems? No damage to the cornie?

I've been storing StarSan in the same corny for two years. (Not the same solution obviously, but it's all that keg is used for.) No issues.

I sanitize kegs now by running the liquid out of the StarSan keg to the liquid out on the target keg, and pressurizing the StarSan keg. After there's a good amount in the target keg, I disconnect it, give it a good shake, and dump it out. Simple.

When I blow a keg I wash it with several gallons of hot water, hot Sun Oxygen Cleaner solution, and more hot water in succession and push all that through the tap lines. Before I use the keg again I take the posts off to make sure there are no bits of stuff stuck in the poppets.
 
i found you can just turn the keg upside down when full then press in the out post for a second so alittle comes out
 
Yeah, but there's no reason to mix up 5 gallons of sanitizer. I use maybe a 1/2 gallon, pressurize and hit the out poppet for 5 seconds. Invert the keg, pull the pressure release for 1 sec. Hit the gas poppet for a second. Now sanitizer has hit all the key nooks. Remove the lid, dump the sanitizer into a bowl and put the lid in there until you need it.
 
I usually just dismantle the keg, soak the whole shebang with Iodophor and perhaps Oxyclean if it's nasty, and set the dip tube in the keg full of cleanser, inverting it after 10-15 minutes. Pull my picnic tap apart and unscrew my QD via MFL connection to soak the lines, and I'm set. I usually only do a full dismantle if I'm changing brews. For my Apfelwein kegs, I just fill it with sanitizer, then invert it in a bucket to get the outside of the QDs, then refill. I'll do a full dismantle every 2-3 batches.
 
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