Purging Keg, ran out of CO2

[Rob2010SS]

I filled a keg to the brim with sanitizer and went to push the sanitizer out through the kegerator. Because it was a full keg, I figured I had time to go work on dismantling my fermenter for cleaning. When I returned to the keg, I found that it was empty but so was my CO2 tank and therefore, there was no pressure in the keg.

I did not open the keg. My question is would you still consider that keg purged or because there's no pressure in the keg, should I go through and fill/purge again once I refill my tank?

Im on the fence about it. To me, I pushed a full keg of sanitizer out with co2 and it hasn't been opened so I would almost feel like it can still be considered purged but not sure. I don't want to waste another keg full of sanitizer and co2 if I don't have to but this keg is going to be used for a NEIPA so I want to be extra careful (which may answer my question).

 

[day_trippr]

Assuming it wasn't long (a handful of minutes) between going empty and discovery of same I'd be inclined to consider it purged...

Cheers!

 

[Rob2010SS]

Assuming it wasn't long (a handful of minutes) between going empty and discovery of same I'd be inclined to consider it purged...

Cheers!

Yeah it wasn't much longer than a few minutes. Thanks man!

 

[Gulo_gulo]

Curious why you think you need to fill a keg with sanitizer first, in order to purge it with co2?

 

[day_trippr]

It's a tried and true technique: totally fill a keg - every bit of it - with no-rinse sanitizer (I use Star San), then push all of that sanitizer out of the keg using CO2.

The [typically presumed] alternative - just flushing a keg using CO2 - would require so many cycles to even get close it's not worth doing...

Cheers!

 

[505-Brewer]

I filled a keg to the brim with sanitizer and went to push the sanitizer out through the kegerator. Because it was a full keg, I figured I had time to go work on dismantling my fermenter for cleaning. When I returned to the keg, I found that it was empty but so was my CO2 tank and therefore, there was no pressure in the keg.

I did not open the keg. My question is would you still consider that keg purged or because there's no pressure in the keg, should I go through and fill/purge again once I refill my tank?

Im on the fence about it. To me, I pushed a full keg of sanitizer out with co2 and it hasn't been opened so I would almost feel like it can still be considered purged but not sure. I don't want to waste another keg full of sanitizer and co2 if I don't have to but this keg is going to be used for a NEIPA so I want to be extra careful (which may answer my question).

Were you pushing it into a sealed vessel or a bucket. If the “out” tubing was submerged your probably ok. Would function as an airlock.