Had my first clogged dip tube...

[TravelingLight]

This is only my second kegged beer. Second homebrew, really, since I went straight to kegging. I just kegged this thing about two weeks ago. I've been burning through it so I wanted to bottle some to have in the fridge and give to a few people that have been wanting to try it. Hooked up the beer gun, bottled nine 12 oz bottles. Went fine. Now I currently only have like maybe 4 pints left in the keg.

Went to pour after I got everything hooked back up and pressurized and a quick shot came out then nothing. Popped off the ball lock on the liquid out and hop pellet debris everywhere. So I took off the liquid out post and the poppet and cleaned it all out real well, sprayed it down with starsan and popped it back on. Pressurized, pulled the tap handle, one drip then clogged again.

My next step, I believe, is to pull the whole dip tube out. I'm assuming that even though I cleaned out the keg post and the poppet, there was obviously more gunk in the tube that just shot back up into the keg post after I cleaned out the previous crap. Any other thoughts? Since there's seriously maybe only 4 pints left, and one or more may be all trubby-trub and hops, I'm considering hooking the beer gun back up and just bottling the rest.

P.S. One keg and one tap is NEVER enough. I can't believe I've burned through this beer so quickly. Already shopping for a freezer to build a keezer. Ahhhhhh want MOAR!

 

[cshamilton]

You can hook the CO2 up to the beer side, turn off the gas, remove the whole connection to the gas side. Disconnect the liquid side and connect the gas tubing to your liquid disconnect. Blast the CO2 for a sec and it will clear out the dip tube. Then reconnect things properly. Let it settle so that the debris doesn't reclog things. When you kick the keg clean the dip tube well.

DON'T switch the connects - you might get them stuck, only switch the gas tubing.

 

[TravelingLight]

You can hook the CO2 up to the beer side, turn off the gas, remove the whole connection to the gas side. Disconnect the liquid side and connect the gas tubing to your liquid disconnect. Blast the CO2 for a sec and it will clear out the dip tube. Then reconnect things properly. Let it settle so that the debris doesn't reclog things. When you kick the keg clean the dip tube well.

DON'T switch the connects - you might get them stuck, only switch the gas tubing.

So I'm clear, you're saying to leave the actual ball lock liquid QD on the liquid out, but just remove the beverage line from the barb and instead hook up the gas line to the barb on the liquid out QD?

I wondered about that because I've seen other people suggest blasting out with the gas. But they never mentioned the BLQDs. I kind of figured those were "one way only" thus necessitating doing it the way you mentioned.

 

[scootchu]

I have had this happen and just blew CO2 back through the Liquid side using a liquid coupler and a CO2 line, much like force carbing.

 

[Natdavis777]

+1 on Co2 through the liquid side port. I have only had one clogged line, but all I did to clear it was to swap my gas QD with a liquid QD on the tank, then blast the liquid out side of the keg with some Co2.

 

[TravelingLight]

I have had this happen and just blew CO2 back through the Liquid side using a liquid coupler and a CO2 line, much like force carbing.

+1 on Co2 through the liquid side port. I have only had one clogged line, but all I did to clear it was to swap my gas QD with a liquid QD on the tank, then blast the liquid out side of the keg with some Co2.

So y'all are saying you just pop the gas QD off the gas post and put it on the liquid out post and blast it?

 

[Natdavis777]

Yes. Take your black QD (liquid) and put it on your source Co2 tubing (where your Grey QD is) and pop that on your Liquid Out post of your keg.

You could do this without swapping the QDs, but it could be a PITA to get the Gas QD off the Liquid post

 

[cshamilton]

Remove liquid QD and hook the CO2 up to it (I remove the gas QD just to be safe). Connect CO2 to liquid side and turn on the gas for a second. Then remove and connect properly.

 

[dierythmus]

Another option:

I brew a lot of super hoppy IPAs, and was having constant dip tube clogging. I used the methods people mentioned above, and it worked fine. Although a more permanent solution was actually cutting about 1/4" off of the bottom of the dip tube with a pipe cutter. Took 2 seconds, and I've never had to worry about it again. Sometimes I'll end up with a little extra beer/trub at the bottom of the keg, but it was totally worth it IMHO.

 

[TravelingLight]

Another option:

I brew a lot of super hoppy IPAs, and was having constant dip tube clogging. I used the methods people mentioned above, and it worked fine. Although a more permanent solution was actually cutting about 1/4" off of the bottom of the dip tube with a pipe cutter. Took 2 seconds, and I've never had to worry about it again. Sometimes I'll end up with a little extra beer/trub at the bottom of the keg, but it was totally worth it IMHO.

I've seen other people doing this and have given it serious thought. Have you noticed ANY drawbacks or disadvantages to this? Other than it leaving some (very little I would imagine with only removing a quarter inch) beer left in the barrel?

 

[mhurst111]

I've seen other people doing this and have given it serious thought. Have you noticed ANY drawbacks or disadvantages to this? Other than it leaving some (very little I would imagine with only removing a quarter inch) beer left in the barrel?

I just cut a 1/4" off a dip tube about 2 weeks ago. Have not seen any ill effects yet. I'm assuming there will be a pint or less left in the bottom of the keg compared to a full length dip tube. Before I cut it, the tap had clogged 3 times - no clogs since cutting it.

 

[TravelingLight]

I just cut a 1/4" off a dip tube about 2 weeks ago. Have not seen any ill effects yet. I'm assuming there will be a pint or less left in the bottom of the keg compared to a full length dip tube. Before I cut it, the tap had clogged 3 times - no clogs since cutting it.

Sweet. You just used a standard tube/pipe cutter?

 

[mhurst111]

Sweet. You just used a standard tube/pipe cutter?

yep, just the standard, clamp, tighten, spin, tighten, spin, repeat tube cutter. it took a little longer than you would think, since it is stainless steel, but it worked.

 

[dierythmus]

I've seen other people doing this and have given it serious thought. Have you noticed ANY drawbacks or disadvantages to this? Other than it leaving some (very little I would imagine with only removing a quarter inch) beer left in the barrel?

Zero! I would recommend it to anyone who has had trouble with clogging dip tubes. I'm the least handy person in the world, and it took me two minutes.