Rehab old corney kegs?

[tonymark]

I have several 5 gallon corney kegs. Some of the have sit dormant for 10+ years. A few set outdoors for 6+ years (with funky beer residue). Some were half full of a bad batch of beer that was never thrown out.

What is the best way to rehab the funkiest kegs? I was going to clean the disassembled kegs with caustic. Can the valves, poppet, and o-rings handle caustic or should I use another cleaner/strategy for those?

 

[deadpool76]

I'd change every o-rings and the poppets, just to be safe (and it's not really expensive). The rest should have no problems since it's all stainless.

 

[tonymark]

I have some replacement tube and post o-rings. Where is the best deal on poppets (reasonable shipping also)? The kegs are Firestone pin-lock.

Do you think I could soak the poppets in caustic for a few minutes just to get by for kegging my first 10 gal batch tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[Golddiggie]

Check the poppets out. If they're nasty, just replace them with new ones. I'd give the kegs a good hit with hot PBW solution (mix up about 1.5oz per gallon of hot water) and let it soak for a few hours. Shake it up in the kegs initially, and then after about 20-30 minutes of soaking. Put enough to go over the fill level of what was sitting in the kegs.

I agree with replacing all the o-rings too. You can also run the hot PBW solution through the liquid tube, and use a brush inside it (to get any really nasty stuff out).

IF PBW won't get the kegs cleaned, with a bit of brush work, then you could try some citric acid solution. I've used that to remove oxidization from metal before. Mix that up hot too.

For parts, I'd check with Keg Connection first... Without knowing where you are located, shipping could be pretty fast (rates are typically very reasonable).