keg disappointment

[nolabrew85]

Any thoughts on brand new kegs v. reconditioned? I am buying another keg anyway, and kegconnection has a sale on brand new kegs. After replacing gaskets and cleaning a reconditioned keg, etc, am I just paying about twice as much to have a shiny newer looking keg by getting the new one or is there some other real value there? thoughts?

 

[Avocet]

Personally-if you have all new O-rings and seals--it's pretty much the difference between a used anvil and a new anvil.

Plus-just like chicks dig scars, dings and horseshoes in stainless steel equate to character.

And nobody every went wrong buying something at 50% off either!

 

[marty1776]

Yeah, used for sure. Need new orings/seals. These kegs will have the easiest part of their lives in our brew houses. Just remember, they probably have been sitting, with a few oz of coke in them for 20 years.

 

[BigFloyd]

Any thoughts on brand new kegs v. reconditioned? I am buying another keg anyway, and kegconnection has a sale on brand new kegs. After replacing gaskets and cleaning a reconditioned keg, etc, am I just paying about twice as much to have a shiny newer looking keg by getting the new one or is there some other real value there? thoughts?

When my kegs are in the keezer holding and dispensing "the precious", I don't see 'em.

Shiny matters not. Function is what counts.

 

[marty1776]

When my kegs are in the keezer holding and dispensing "the precious", I don't see 'em.

Shiny matters not. Function is what counts.

Yeah, mine have "property of_______syrups and vending" all over them.

 

[nolabrew85]

Yall were right about that Pepsi syrup being stuck in the kegs. I just bought am additional one and the lid gasket reeked of Pepsi and so did the inside of the keg. And this keg was supposed to have been cleaned and reconditioned w all new rubber....yeah right!

 

[BreezyBrew]

The deep sockets try to go over the whole post. Oftentimes they are not deep enough. The preferred wat is the ratcheting box crescent style wrenches where its just a ring that fits over the post and ratchets. You get a better grip that way.

Ah ok. Haven't encountered that yet.

 

[shadows69]

I have 9 used soda kegs that I been running for a year and a half. I have some seals starting to go bad now. I guess its time to tear down the kegs and replace seals, etc. I never had any off flavors and I clean the lines and kegs out every 3 months or so on co2. I would think an off flavor comes from the dip tube maybe old syrup or mold stuck in there.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Ah ok. Haven't encountered that yet.

Personally though, I just use either channel locks, vice grips, or an adjustable crescent wrench to get it started and unscrew the rest of the way by hand. At least on my kegs. Haven't hit a keg yet that was cross threaded or nasty to the point that I would think of putting WD-40 or Liquid Wrench on it.

 

[vbwolpert]

Keep kegging. I have never bottled a beer to condition. And I never will fill right from the keg with a beer gun and be done. Nothernbrewer has a good video page on keg cleaning, or there is a few on youtube.

 

[LibertyHillBrewery]

Thanks, man. I think I say **** a keg. Everyone said it is less trouble. But idly has been more for me.

yup! Trouble! Junk! Cut your losses and give the damn thing away to the first guy who offers to pay shipping, so how much to ship to 03242? Ha!! i have about 9 kegs at the moment (and get more when i can) and love em, definitely take em apart and give a thorough cleaning, and a new o-ring kit is cheap!! once you get it figured out, you'll love using them! Happy Brewing!

 

[captain]

I hate to waste CO2 on cleaning. I just use compressed air to charge the kegs full of cleanitizer to about 100psi, then flush it all out at high pressure. Works great, and saves CO2 for the beer.

I have been thinking about using a BoreSnake .308 cleaner for cleaning the inside of the tubes. Obviously a beer-dedicated one, not one covered with lead, primer, and Hoppes! ;-). Anyone tried this?

 

[BigFloyd]

I have been thinking about using a BoreSnake .308 cleaner for cleaning the inside of the tubes. Obviously a beer-dedicated one, not one covered with lead, primer, and Hoppes! ;-). Anyone tried this?

I can't think of any reason that a BoreSnake wouldn't work well on the tube. Not sure if .308 or something smaller (like maybe .25 cal) might be the right size. I bought one of these and it works well - http://www.midwestsupplies.com/liquid-tube-brush.html

 

[nolabrew85]

So I followed everyone's advice and cleaned the hell out of keg after taking it apart and also replaced all rubber. I sanitized and flushed w CO2 according to advice and then Kegged my original recipe "tropic thunder" (single hop IPA w citra hops). I tried the first one (and then about 10,more) last night and it was delicious and perfectly carbed and absolutely no off flavor. Thanks for the help!!!

 

[DrunkleJon]

Good to hear.

 

[nolabrew85]

If it will take about 2-4 weeks to drink the keg, how often do I have to clean beer line? And if I do not have an extra keg available, what is the best/easiest way to clean the beer line between uses (on the same keg)?

 

[StoutMeister]

If it will take about 2-4 weeks to drink the keg, how often do I have to clean beer line? And if I do not have an extra keg available, what is the best/easiest way to clean the beer line between uses (on the same keg)?

Best thing to do on a single keg system is grab a garden sprayer thet you can pump up fo push cleaner through the lines. i clean after every batch blows dry. they are cheap at most home improvement stores

 

[eluterio]

If it will take about 2-4 weeks to drink the keg, how often do I have to clean beer line? And if I do not have an extra keg available, what is the best/easiest way to clean the beer line between uses (on the same keg)?

All i do when a keg blows is to rinse out the keg get crud out the about a few Tbs of pbw amd about a qt of water in. Keg. I then swish it around give a burst of co2 and clean out line with it. Rinse keg then repeat with clean water in line. Use starsan in keg run though like and good. Sounds like alot but ots really not. Every 5 batches or 6 months i take apart tap and line and do a good cleaning. I would also recommend if you have a bad batch woth off flavors to really clean keg and line right after.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I do not clean the lines all that often. I have even followed a stout with a cream ale. Was kinda funny watching the last of the stout come out then turn very light. No issues. I do clean the lines out after every 2-3 kegs though. Can either use the same keg after it blows (clean both at once) since you only have the one, or make a line cleaner from a sprayer as said above.

 

[kombat]

I hate to waste CO2 on cleaning. I just use compressed air to charge the kegs full of cleanitizer to about 100psi

Is that safe? I thought Corny kegs were only rated to around 60 psi. Isn't some kind of failsafe valve supposed to blow after that?

Are you really pressurizing your kegs to 100 psi? Isn't that excessive?

 

[Big_Cat]

Is that safe? I thought Corny kegs were only rated to around 60 psi. Isn't some kind of failsafe valve supposed to blow after that?

Are you really pressurizing your kegs to 100 psi? Isn't that excessive?

Kombat i will answer that for you...Corny kegs are rated at 130 psi

 

[Yooper]

I don't clean my lines as often as I should but I do it occasionally when a keg blows. Since I don't do it as often as I should, I use BLC to clean them and it works great.

Instead of cleaning often, I just change out the lines about every year or two. I have three taps, with 10' of line on them, so for $15 I just change out the lines.

I haven't ever changed out my gas lines, but I'm going to do that this summer sometime. I know I've had some backflow in them in the past.

 

[skullface1818]

Id agree with the people above: take it apart and clean it good (or replaces the O-rings and Gaskets)

I argue that taking it apart and putting it back together is 1/2 the fun!

 

[nolabrew85]

Ok. So it sounds like I don't have to detach the picnic tap beer line and clean it at all during the month or so that the keg is actually pouring beer. I guess I was just wondering because it does not seem like the picnic tap necessarily seal airtight, and I was wondering if stuff gets up in there. I just wanted to make sure I won't get off flavors from the beer line on the second or third weekend I drink out of it because stuff is growing in there during the week when it is not in use. But I guess the fridge is cold and the tap seals pretty well so nothing is really growing in there.

 

[DrunkleJon]

With the same keg its not so much of an issue. So long as there is nothing growing in the tap (you may want to dip the tap itself in sanitizer every now and again to prevent this) you should be ok. I personally would clean the plastic picnic taps more often than the metal shank and tap versions, but you should be good for the life of the keg. Unless you let it sit in a nasty bucket of beer water like fraternities do with BMC kegs.

 

[user 125772]

Hi all! First post here but I've read a lot of great stuff prior to posting.

Some really good info on keg cleaning but there's some other variables not mentioned:
1. Don't forget to clean beer lines

X2
beer line can make a beer smell quite foul if they develop some funk in there.

 

[Yesfan]

In the future should you decide to buy more used kegs, look to McMaster-Carr for the O rings. I got 100 O-rings for the dip tubes, 100 for the disconnects, and 10 O-rings for the lids for about the same price as those "reseal kits" that's offered.

There's a sticky in the Equipment/Sanitation section that tells you the part numbers so you get the correct O-rings for your kegs. (link)

 

[Genuine]

When I got my keg, it had a small amount of beer left at the bottom for the past 3 months. I gave that thing a full cleaning, inside and out. Took it all apart, replaced gaskets, poppets...soaked in oxyclean, scrubbed with a sponge, rinsed well and then sanitized with starsan. I will never go back to bottling - kegging is very easy and there is nothing like pulling a pint of your own homebrew from the kegerator.

Give that keg a full cleaning and I'm sure you'll be much better off.

 

[nolabrew85]

I tried putting the following in a different post, but got no responses, so since it is on basically the same subject, I am reposting it here to see what I can get:

I need new beer line and do not feel like making a special trip across town to the LHBS. Lowe's and Home Depot are near my house. Can I just get beer line there? Is it just standard clear PVC tubing? thanks.

 

[Dolomieu]

you can get tubing there. i do think its vinyl. just look and make sure it's food grade or food safe. I got two of my lines from my lhbs and one from lowes. there isn't and difference that i can tell.