Let kegs dry after cleaning and sanitizing?

[whoaru99]

Oxycleaned, sanitized, and purged a few cornys yesterday. Each one has as much StarSan left in it as remains from typical dip tube withdraw.

Not sure how long they may sit in this state with residual StarSan.

Should I pull the lids and allow them to fully dry inside for possible long term storage?

 

[PCABrewing]

I don't use a keg without first sanitizing it, so after I finish one, I dissassemble and clean it, rinse (Hot!) then put the lid on (still wet) and about 2-3 lbs pressure. I then store it for extended periods that way.
This allows me to know the seals are good when I go to use it again.
Before use I rinse again (Hot) and sanitize with Starsan.

Works for me for twenty years or so.

 

[shoengine]

I keg wash mine with PBW, then do a rinse with Sani-clean and close it up wet and seat the gasket with 30 PSI. Before I reuse it I check the pressure, let it out and then sanitize, re-seat the seal with new keg lube, depressurize again and fill.

 

[khannon]

Looks like OP was asking about long-term storage. I don't think a little star-san would hurt, but I would store right-side up to prevent it from remaining on the caskets the whole time.
and I might make sure the pressure is left low.

 

[whoaru99]

Thought I recalled reading someone mentioned they left starsan and it got moldy.

Seems counterintuitive but?

 

[Agent]

I prefer to leave my kegs stored wet with a finger depth of saniclean sanitizer.

I have had one or two occasions where my sanitizer did appear to grow some fungus boats. However, these were stored for 4 months plus, and received a miserly splash of sanitizer in the bottom.

 

[OleBrewing]

always stored mine with a decent amount of starsan solution a couple of quarts at least. pressured them up with plain air from air compressor to 20-30 lbs. never had any problems. will be interesting to see how the two i had stored in the garden shed for several years will turn out. they are still holding pressure. usually mold mildew will generate from condensation at not actual in the sanitizer but then again i am a little heavier than what the directions state.

 

[Bassman2003]

Oxycleaned, sanitized, and purged a few cornys yesterday. Each one has as much StarSan left in it as remains from typical dip tube withdraw.

Not sure how long they may sit in this state with residual StarSan.

Should I pull the lids and allow them to fully dry inside for possible long term storage?

Just my 2 cents, if you are planning on storing for any length of time, you really only need to clean the kegs. Sanitizing and purging only need to be done right before the beer goes in. If the cleaning was successful, nothing will grow on empty stainless steel. Just keep any foreign matter out, sanitize and purge before the beer transfer. Open is fine with this approach as long as the opening does not get any heavy dust falling in etc... You are going to rinse it all away when you prep anyway. Make kegging as simple and easy as possible or it will become a burden.

 

[tracer bullet]

Funny how we all differ.

I drain a keg, then clean it - it's completely disassembled and cleaned with at least water and a dedicated sponge. Sometimes with some PBW added. Brush goes down the dip tube, all O-rings are removed, and so on to be sure I've covered all the surfaces. Then it sits on a towel a few days to dry.

Once completely dry, every single part from that keg (except the lid) gets put into the keg, and lastly the lid is put on but with no O-ring. Then I put a plastic shopping baggie over it to keep the dust out.

Reassembly at a later date, when the keg is actually needed, includes the sanitizing step, parts are in an old 3 gallon kettle w/ iodophor for a while, then assembled, then the iodophor is put inside and the keg is filled to the top with more water. Finally CO2 is attached and it's blown out, then attached to the fermenter to be filled with beer!

TLDR: Clean right after use, sanitize right before next use.

 

[Skeeter686]

So, this is an interesting thread. Now I'm reconsidering what I've been doing.

I usually clean several kegs at a time. Then either later that day or the next, I fill one with StarSan and purge with CO2 into the next keg. I continue until all the kegs have been sanitized and purged. They're pressurized and I store them with plastic bags over the tops to keep dust and such from collecting on the posts.

When I need to keg something, I grab a keg, check the pressure to ensure that it's tight and good to use, then I spray StarSan on the posts and start transferring. They were clean and sanitized when I put them away, so if they're still holding pressure, I assume they're still sanitized inside.

This seems reasonable to me because of the StarSan and the CO2 atmosphere inside the kegs. However, I've never considered the possibility of mold. I know that mold can survive in low pH environments, but I don't know if it needs oxygen. I wouldn't think that it could grow in a small puddle of StarSan with no other nutrients, but @Agent seems to indicate that it's possible. Hmmm...

 

[khannon]

So, this is an interesting thread. Now I'm reconsidering what I've been doing.

I usually clean several kegs at a time. Then either later that day or the next, I fill one with StarSan and purge with CO2 into the next keg. I continue until all the kegs have been sanitized and purged. They're pressurized and I store them with plastic bags over the tops to keep dust and such from collecting on the posts.

When I need to keg something, I grab a keg, check the pressure to ensure that it's tight and good to use, then I spray StarSan on the posts and start transferring. They were clean and sanitized when I put them away, so if they're still holding pressure, I assume they're still sanitized inside.

This seems reasonable to me because of the StarSan and the CO2 atmosphere inside the kegs. However, I've never considered the possibility of mold. I know that mold can survive in low pH environments, but I don't know if it needs oxygen. I wouldn't think that it could grow in a small puddle of StarSan with no other nutrients, but @Agent seems to indicate that it's possible. Hmmm...

This is roughly my routine as well. I have ~35 kegs at this point, most of them are still 21l sankey kegs. I tend to do a big clean every 9-12 months, so sometimes kegs sit for a while, and I have never had mold problems. I don't know what long term is though.

 

[tracer bullet]

but I don't know if it needs oxygen

Definitely does, per Google. As well as a food source and humidity or water.

 

[Bassman2003]

I think there is a lot of wiggle room here as long as the kegs are actually clean. I would not store full of Starsan, but do not see an issue with a puddle left over.

My cleaning SOP now is to dump and rinse out remaining beer, disassemble and put all parts and lid into a mesh bag. I then make up some PBW in a 5 gallon bucket, put the mesh bag in the water and turn the keg over and also put it in the bucket. So it is sitting upside down in the PBW. I think the top portion of the keg is the most important part to clean. I then put it back together and wait for brew day. On brew day I will fill full of PBW from my mash tun cleanup, then sanitize with the sanitizer from my fermenter. The keg then goes inside to be fermenter purged.

Incorporating the kegs more in brewday and fermentation saves time and PBW/sanitizer/CO2 for me.

 

[RCope]

Long term storage? You guys need to drink more, share more, and brew more! JK...I do have one non-Slimline keg that doesn't fit in my kegerator so I only use it a couple times a year when I brew for an event and get to use my garbage can kegerator. It gets the usual clean (manually with dish soap and water), fill with StarSan, CO2 purge) and sits in my lagering freezer at 10 psi. When I need it, I open it up and visually inspect it, no mold or anything else, including smells ever encountered, then fill it up with StarSan and re-purge it just in case.

I do a full disassemble, PBW soak at least once a year (or two) with all of my kegs. Never encountered an infection problem in 255 5 gallon batches. Cheers! Rick

 

[whoaru99]

Sitting in cold storage certainly would help retard growth of any nasties.

 

[Whisky River]

Thought I recalled reading someone mentioned they left starsan and it got moldy.

Sitting in cold storage certainly would help retard growth of any nasties.

I also remember several threads about people finding mold growing on the inside of the lids of their Starsan containers. I’m sure a co2 purge and cold temperatures would reduce the likelihood of something nasty growing in there but with no way to check, I would rather store them dry.

 

[wetmk]

RCope said: "...and get to use my garbage can kegerator..."

Years before I acquired my dedicated brewing refrigerators I had a garbage can fermentation chamber for lagers. In the winter I'd put the primary in a lined garbage can in the yard with my *inkbird* and .

 

[JohnDBrewer]

I clean my kegs let them air dry, then loosely assemble them and store them open. I sanitize usually right before filling the them.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I think OP has read a bunch of different processes that work so he (or she, not sure, hate to assume) can try them and see what works.

I've never had a mold issue. When a keg is emptied I run it through my keg washer ( hot PBW) which flushes the inside and both QDs. After a rinse I pump sanitizer through the beer QD and add about a quart of sanitizer, attach the lid and slosh it around, no pressure. Kegs are stored upright under the brewery sink.

Kegs in the back might be long storage ones if I'm slow at brewing. They might be there for several months as I have several five gallon kegs.

 

[redrocker652002]

I don't use a keg without first sanitizing it, so after I finish one, I dissassemble and clean it, rinse (Hot!) then put the lid on (still wet) and about 2-3 lbs pressure. I then store it for extended periods that way.
This allows me to know the seals are good when I go to use it again.
Before use I rinse again (Hot) and sanitize with Starsan.

Works for me for twenty years or so.

I second this. I do the same thing and sanitize right before filling.

 

[whoaru99]

Despite them presently being thoroughly clean, I am going to rinse out the residual StarSan with plain hot water for good measure and allow them to dry inside.

Then, I think leave lids off and cover with plastic bag.

Come use time, quick hot rinse again for good measure and sanitize/purge.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Despite them presently being thoroughly clean, I am going to rinse out the residual StarSan with plain hot water for good measure and allow them to dry inside.

Then, I think leave lids off and cover with plastic bag.

Come use time, quick hot rinse again for good measure and sanitize/purge.

I like the idea of putting a bag over them. Depending on the orientation you store them, you could loosely attach the lid so it doesn't get misplaced.

 

[Broken Crow]

You're all making me second-guess my own practice, which has worked for me so far, but.....
I have difficulty learning 'new' things so owing to brain-damage I require much repitition to lay down 'new' memories, which includes adapting to better practices. I need to constantly test myself and my practices and I've been mostly focused on sanitation and O2 exclusion, so I chose to leave my kicked kegs just sitting sealed and do my cleaning/sanitizing/purging when I need one on the assumption that a properly cleaned/sanitzed/purged keg should be able to sit and not grow anything unwanted. I know there's some sedimentation, but have familiarized myself with the stronger smell of 'old' room temp beer dregs, but I have never detected anything unwanted. (in the event I ever do find an infected keg, I have several so I can just grab another one).
In short: I just leave them sit closed until I need one and am still waiting for an infection to inform me of a problem with this practice. They come spotless every time as long as I haven't introduced any O2.

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

I clean and sanitize my kegs right before use

When I kick an old keg I just leave it sealed up with and under pressure until I'm ready to use it for my next beer.

When I'm ready to use it, I clean the inside of the keg with PBW. After the PBW rinse, I fully disassemble the posts and o rings. All the small parts, I rinse well with unsented dish soap. Then I reassemble the clean keg.

I use floating dip tubes so cleaning them is much easier than a traditional one. I replace the silicone diptube tubing with brand new tubing (or recently boiled /fully sterilized tubing) before every use.

After the keg is reassembled, I fill to the brim with saniclean solution & 3g sodium Metabisulfite (to scrub DO in sanitizer solution). I then purge the keg with CO2. I typically only keep the keg in a purged state like this for a few days at most though.

I also have cut gas dip tubes and blow just about all the residual sanitizer out the post by flipping the keg upside down and tilting it towards the gas post

 

[day_trippr]

I'm too OC to leave kicked kegs sealed up and set aside for long. Kicked kegs always go in one of my cold fridges until I'm ready to put them on the Mark II - I prefer cleaning at least pairs but will do singles if a second kick is going to be awhile. Then they get rinsed with standard Star San mix, allowed to drip dry or nearly so, then lidded and pressurized using my oil-less compressor with a dryer attachment. I check for any leaks and fix anything found then set the keg in the "ready pile".

When I go to use a keg I'll first check that it held pressure, give it another Star San rinse, then set it up for a fermentation CO2 purge along with a mate (I do 10 gallon batches). From that point the keg stays sealed until it kicks. When it's time to fill the kegs I'll inject them with an Ascorbic Acid dose (1 tsp dissolved in 30ml of water) right before I fill them, give the kegs a post-fill headspace purge just for GPs, then set them up for carbonation...

Cheers!

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

I'm too OC to leave kicked kegs sealed up and set aside for long. Kicked kegs always go in one of my cold fridges until I'm ready to put them on the Mark II

Generally my kicked kegs stay in my keezer until I'm ready for em. I never really have more than 4 kegs going at once nowadays and my keezer holds 6 kegs. An kicked keg at 35F isn't a concern for me.

I don't normally keep a kicked keg at room temp, but the inside of a kicked and previously sanitized keg would still be pretty sanitary for a few weeks or even a couple months. Assuming it's been kept sealed and under pressure

 

[PCABrewing]

I detect a theme here: As long as the keg is sealed well and sanitized before filled with the new batch, it's all good.
I too have let a kicked keg sit , a couple times out of the fridge, with no ill effect. Opened them up and they looked and smelled like beer. I do wipe the residue off the outside by the posts just to avoid enticing ants

 

[JAReeves]

Since no one else said it, "Ride em hard and put em away wet."

 

[whoaru99]

I think my definition of long term storage is quite a bit different than most of y'all. LOL.

 

[barry.hastings]

You're all making me second-guess my own practice, which has worked for me so far, but.....
I have difficulty learning 'new' things so owing to brain-damage I require much repitition to lay down 'new' memories, which includes adapting to better practices. I need to constantly test myself and my practices and I've been mostly focused on sanitation and O2 exclusion, so I chose to leave my kicked kegs just sitting sealed and do my cleaning/sanitizing/purging when I need one on the assumption that a properly cleaned/sanitzed/purged keg should be able to sit and not grow anything unwanted. I know there's some sedimentation, but have familiarized myself with the stronger smell of 'old' room temp beer dregs, but I have never detected anything unwanted. (in the event I ever do find an infected keg, I have several so I can just grab another one).
In short: I just leave them sit closed until I need one and am still waiting for an infection to inform me of a problem with this practice. They come spotless every time as long as I haven't introduced any O2.

 

[barry.hastings]

I’m w

 

[barry.hastings]

I’m with you Broken Crow . I have been using corny kegs for 40 years and have 22 kegs in my arsenal with 17 full ones permanently in my fridges and 4 or 5 on tap at all times . I don’t clean any kegs until a day or two before filling my next brew . I have had a keg sit like this for up to 8 years in temperatures often reaching 40C with no problems . As long as the keg is sealed under CO2 pressure no bugs can get in and cause mould or infection . Once kegs are thoroughly cleaned I sterilise them with boiling water just prior to filling after allowing them to cool . Cheers and beers from the land down under ..

 

[wdavis2003]

I've left a little moisture in one of my kegs before. After disassembling, soaking in PBW, sanitizing and letting air dry (not for long enough I suppose). A few months later there were a lot of nasties in there. I would let air dry for a few days before storing long term.