wardens355
Well-Known Member
I built a keg/carboy washer this weekend that can be used to clean my better bottles (all sizes) and 3 & 5 gallon corny kegs. I followed some similar concepts from the many posts online and made a few tweaks. I had a hard time getting the keg to stand up on the bucket lid with the disconnects on without being poorly balanced, so I spent some time at the local hardware store figuring out what to do.
Ended up getting a cleanout coupling with a larger OD female end and narrower male end. Drilled the bucket lid to fit the narrower end. Then put this fitting through the hole from under the bucket lid. Inserted the narrow end into a 5" x 4" Fernco coupling on top of the bucket lid and tightened the strap. This gave enough clearance such that the whole keg is elevated away from the lid (including the disconnects), allowing better balance.
There were issues cutting holes in the lid for tubing and disconnects, as the bucket lid would eventually break (thin strip between the main hole and tubing hole). I ended up notching out some of the bucket for the tubing and power cord.
I also had problems keeping the pump from moving around in the bucket. To keep it stable, I got a 1/2" eye bolt and opened up the eye to fit over 3/4" PVC. Installed a rubber bushing (pretty much a washer) on the interior at the bolt hole to keep liquid from dribbling out.
For the wash assembly, I wanted to be able to change the length of the long portion and remove the cap in the event that I came up with a better nozzle idea. So I made the entire upper section removable by using threaded fittings, and also used a threaded cap for the nozzle so I could swap it out or install a plug if I just wanted to operate the tubing cleaners (for beer line washing, etc). I was going to install a PVC valve, but that would have taken up too much vertical real estate.
Pieces:
"Spray nozzle" Cap:
Pump and Wash Assembly (was auto-rotated, dunno how to change it):
Close-up of Tee and Fittings:
Spray Nozzle In Action (short clip, had to turn off quickly to prevent hitting my camera):
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_eSgGK9Q94&feature=youtu.be[/ame]
Setting Up and Washing:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpSkmhSvXLA&feature=youtu.be[/ame]
If anyone is interested in what parts I used, let me know. I used a 6-gallon bucket and 1/4 HP Superior sump pump.
Ended up getting a cleanout coupling with a larger OD female end and narrower male end. Drilled the bucket lid to fit the narrower end. Then put this fitting through the hole from under the bucket lid. Inserted the narrow end into a 5" x 4" Fernco coupling on top of the bucket lid and tightened the strap. This gave enough clearance such that the whole keg is elevated away from the lid (including the disconnects), allowing better balance.
There were issues cutting holes in the lid for tubing and disconnects, as the bucket lid would eventually break (thin strip between the main hole and tubing hole). I ended up notching out some of the bucket for the tubing and power cord.
I also had problems keeping the pump from moving around in the bucket. To keep it stable, I got a 1/2" eye bolt and opened up the eye to fit over 3/4" PVC. Installed a rubber bushing (pretty much a washer) on the interior at the bolt hole to keep liquid from dribbling out.
For the wash assembly, I wanted to be able to change the length of the long portion and remove the cap in the event that I came up with a better nozzle idea. So I made the entire upper section removable by using threaded fittings, and also used a threaded cap for the nozzle so I could swap it out or install a plug if I just wanted to operate the tubing cleaners (for beer line washing, etc). I was going to install a PVC valve, but that would have taken up too much vertical real estate.
Pieces:
"Spray nozzle" Cap:
Pump and Wash Assembly (was auto-rotated, dunno how to change it):
Close-up of Tee and Fittings:
Spray Nozzle In Action (short clip, had to turn off quickly to prevent hitting my camera):
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_eSgGK9Q94&feature=youtu.be[/ame]
Setting Up and Washing:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpSkmhSvXLA&feature=youtu.be[/ame]
If anyone is interested in what parts I used, let me know. I used a 6-gallon bucket and 1/4 HP Superior sump pump.
