Question for brand new kegs and cleaning/sanitizing for first use

[Rev2010]

Outside of first cleaning the lines which I know how to do and have the line cleaning pump and fluid: I plan on kegging one of my beers for the first time two weeks from this weekend. I have brand new italian made 5G homebrew kegs and was wondering what I should do to clean/sanitize them before first use. I've searched online but most of what I've come across are full breakdowns of the keg removing each part. Was just wondering, for brand new kegs how I should start since they haven't been used. So, in my reading with infantile knowledge of such things I figured I would clean the kegs out with Oxyclean, then rinse them thoroughly. Then I would fill them with 5G of water and add StarSan and let them santize. Then my guess would be to connect the keg to gas and liquid lines and flush the sanitizer through the lines till it empties then fill the keg with the beer and connect it up to pressurize?

I guess my main question is on new kegs do I really need to take apart the entire keg to clean the liquid and gas ports or is what is mentioned above ok? Also, is there a method to clean/sanitize this all out without wasting CO2 or does that then require a full disassembly of the keg? Again this is for brand new kegs. I know for kegs in use for some time it's definitely wiser to take to apart for a full cleaning. Just trying to get this last bit of info so I'll be prepped for when I do my first kegging


Rev.

 

[Will-D]

I would do a full break down, if for nothing else than to familiarize yourself with the whole set up. Also, no telling what kind of machining residue could be hiding out somewhere. I like to fill with PBW and hot water, let sit for a couple of hours, shaking the keg a few times, then push some PBW thru my beer lines, then siphon out the rest of the PBW into another keg or bucket. After rinsing with hot water I do the same with StarSan.

 

[Rev2010]

Just had an idea. Rather than use CO2 to push sanitizer from inside the keg through the lines and out of the faucet, couldn't I simply do it in reverse like for line cleaning? Meaning, open the keg lid so there's no pressure at all inside, hook up the liquid (beer out) coupler, then use the siphon pump beer line cleaner filled with sanitizer and push it through from the faucet. Is there any reason it wouldn't flow into the keg? Then once that is done, just looking to mainly sanitize the liquid out post, fill the keg halfway with water/sanitizer, seal it up, slosh it around for a while, then drain? Also, would the liquid coupler connect to the gas in so I could sanitize that post too?


Rev.

 

[Rev2010]

Anyone have any input on the above? ^^^

 

[govner1]

I'm not sure that would give you a sufficient cleaning of any oils or other manufacturing residues on the inside of the keg.
I have a Marks Keg Washer but most often just soak w/ B-Brite & hot water the puns it through one of my kegerator lines and taps. Then rinse well w/ clean hit water and rinse through the beer line again. Last a good rinse w/StarSan. If you're going to store I'd put a little bit of pressure in the keg just to keep anything out.
Don't forget to push down on the poppet on the beer side to drain it, too.


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[Rev2010]

I do plan on cleaning the keg out first with oxyclean. Just was checking if I could indeed run sanitizer pushed from the faucet into the keg using the line cleaning pump. I'm a total kegging noob, so just checking mostly to make sure liquid will flow the opposite way into the keg as long as it's open with no pressure.


Rev.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Throw some CO2 at it , to push all your cleaning and sanitizing solutions.

You ar gonna' put some CO2 on on there anyway to leak check everything before you introduce your precious beer........Aren't you?.........

 

[Rev2010]

Searching around online I actually did find someone's brew blog where he switched to exactly what I was asking. He said he felt like he was wasting co2.i figured I'd leak check when I tapped up and added pressure. I dunno, maybe for the first time I'll push the sanitizer through with co2, just don't want to have to waste co2 doing this in the long term.

Rev.