How often to clean

[NJbeerfan55]

Hi Eberyone.


New to kegerators. I have one line and don’t drink from it often but have had a keg (lager) on for about a month. How often would you recommend to clean the line? Would 6 weeks be ok? Also how often will the beer in the keg last. Need to drink more often

Thank you.

 

[VikeMan]

How often would you recommend to clean the line? Would 6 weeks be ok?

I'd recommend cleaning the beer line and faucet at every keg change. 6 weeks should be no problem.

 

[fluketamer]

i clean my lines with new beer - lol

 

[NJbeerfan55]

Thanks. I bought a 1/4 keg and haven’t been drinking all that much lately. So may be a while for the change…

 

[Kickass]

I’m in no way suggesting this, simply sharing my experience and process. I clean my lines and faucets once a year (before our annual Oktoberfest party). It’s a PITA, to me.

I have a 4 tap kegerator and probably drink 3-4 kegs from each tap in a year. I try to minimize oxygen exposure so I leave an empty keg connected until it’s ready to be rinsed or cleaned and filled. I’m a little loosely goosey with my keg cleaning too.

I’ve never had a noticeable negative impact to my beer with this process. It’s likely not ideal for everyone but it works well for me.

 

[hottpeper13]

I have a 4 tap unit and when there are 4 emptied kegs I put them thru a 20 min cycle on the washer. When I built the washer i put 3 "T"'s on the post- 2 for disconnects, and 1 for line cleaning. Most kegs take 2 months to empty, so about 6 times a year.

 

[YeastFeast]

Amount of time doesn’t matter to me, I always clean the line right after the keg kicks. I’ve have beers on for 3 weeks and as long as 3+ years (with a bourbon oak stout). I clean the line right after it kicks so it’s ready for the next one.

 

[beren]

I also recommend using evabarrier line. It’s dual layer and doesn’t absorb flavors like vinyl and stays cleaner.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I'm on the same boat as @Kickass . I clean my lines about once a year. I figure they are in a closed environment with beer captive in them until the next keg. I will clean them if that closed environment is compromised - faucet change/repair, QD repair, etc.

 

[beren]

If it makes you feel any better, at most I spray some starsan at the shank and let it runs out the qd and rinse the faucet. Not even every keg unless I leave it open.

 

[BongoYodeler]

I also recommend using evabarrier line. It’s dual layer and doesn’t absorb flavors like vinyl and stays cleaner.

As an added bonus popping off the evabarrier beer line takes but a second. I then unscrew my faucet and break it down, soak both the line and the faucet parts in hot water/Oxyclean while I'm cleaning the keg. Rinse, sanitize, and put it all back together into the keezer. Really doesn't take that long at all. That said, I really only do this about every third keg.

 

[Kickass]

I figure they are in a closed environment with beer captive in them until the next keg.

That’s how I look at it. I consider flushing previous beer with new beer as good as a cleaning cycle.

 

[redrocker652002]

My process and in no way am I an expert is: Once the keg has kicked I tend to leave it pressurized and hooked up to the line. jI try and plan it so that I can do multiple items and not feel I am wasting it by only cleaning the keg. When I am ready to clean it I usually have a fermenter of beer at the ready, or close to. I hook up the keg to my DIY bucket washer with, as somebody said, two lines for the in and out of the keg. I put about 4 gallons of water into the bucket where my pump goes and add about 8 spoons full, the spoons in the container, of alkaline brewery wash and let it run for about 20 to 30 mins. I then take the fill the keg up with the cleaner solution and bring it inside and run that thru my kegerator lines and tap. I usually run it twice just in case, but once for sure. I then rinse the keg, and run clean warm water thru the lines and faucet. Upon kegging day, I fill the keg with a solution of Starsan and water and pump that thru my kegerator lines and faucet once or twice to get them sanitized. That has been my process for the last two or three years and it seems to be working for me.

 

[YeastFeast]

I don't take anything apart, I use a small pump (with a ball lock attached) and a 2 gallon bucket with liquid line cleaner and circulate for 10-15 min. Super easy.