Is cleaning C02 regulator necessary

[hlmbrwng]

I recently kegged and force-carbed a couple of sours beers. I am sterilizing (boiling) the hose and ball lock connectors that I used for these sours. I don't fully understand how pressure might allow, or not, microbes from the beer to reach the C02 regulator. Should I be sterilizing the regulator? I have a pressure canner that goes to 15 psi, but I'm not sure if one is even able to do that without destroying the regulator. I think all of the elements should be fine in that heat. I would rather not if I don't have to.
Is it unnecessary to worry about the regulator?

 

[day_trippr]

Regulators have rubber diaphragms within. Boiling would be bad juju - in fact immersion ain't great, either.
Frankly, unless your sours puked up their gas tubes all the way to the regulator, I wouldn't worry about it...

Cheers!

 

[hlmbrwng]

There was no backup from the keg into the regulator. What I was thinking is that perhaps once the pressure is equalized between the regulator and the keg, the microbes could become airborne and eventually make their way to the regulator. But since the liquid in the keg is slowly absorbing the CO2, there is always a pressure gradient between the regulator and keg. I need to go back to thermo and fluid dynamics class.

 

[Konadog]

I would think if you have check valves inline you wouldn't have anything to worry about. They only let CO2 thru when the pressure is lower on one side so they only flow one way.

 

[hlmbrwng]

I would think if you have check valves inline you wouldn't have anything to worry about. They only let CO2 thru when the pressure is lower on one side so they only flow one way.

Oh snap. Where have check valves been all my life? Looks like that'll be part of my next brewing purchase. Thanks!