Smelly reconditioned keg

[twilbrew247]

Got my 2nd corny keg. Bought reconditioned because first one was and it worked nicely. I opened it up yesterday and it smelled like root beer. Will PBW fix this?

 

[E-Mursed]

Used cornies always had something in them before you get ahold of them

Some Oxy or PBW and a hot soak....you'll be in business.

 

[allenH]

Just as E-MURSED said, hot water and PBW soak with a good rinse followed with Starsan and I can no longer smell the Dr Pepper that was in mine.

 

[OntarioBeerKegs]

For some reason Root Beer is the worst case scenario for a used keg. Some folks are so sensitive they need to change everything with a gasket on it, including the relief valve. Other folks never even notice it had root beer. The second most common smell folks comment on is a generic soda smell, that is usually just the cleaner residue.

 

[zachattack]

Second the PBW/Oxi soak, also I'd replace all the o-rings since it's cheap insurance and they can retain smell. I wouldn't go as far as the relief valve gasket, just post, dip tube, lid. You can buy them in bulk, check out the McMaster Carr o-ring thread in the equipment section.

 

[krazydave]

I bought a root beer keg also. I don't even think I needed to soak it in PBW to get it out. Once I pulled the fittings off and gave it a good rinse, the smell was already 95% gone. By the time I'd finished scrubbing, sanitizing and replacing all the main seals, you'd never know. Except for maybe the fact that mine has "ROOT" painted on the side of it.

 

[KegconnectionLLC]

Root beer is harder to get rid of than other soda's, but a good soaking in Brew Clean or PBW will usually eliminate any taste issues. If you replace the five Orings and soak you will definitely eliminate any issues. I have kegged my beer on many occasions in a keg that used to have root beer (root beer sticker still on the keg) and I have never had any taste issues after cleaning the keg. I agree with another post that say's that the cleaning solution left in the bottom also can smell like soda after awhile. You should always rinse and sanitize a keg before kegging. Even it you have cleaned it recently. Rinsing with plain water and then putting a gallon or so of Star San in the keg and then gently "swirling" it around to coat all surfaces for about 60 to 90 seconds is what I do.

 

[BigFuglyBrewer]

I got a half used bag of Bbrite cleanser with mine and it smells kinda sodaish maybe just the acidity of the solution smells like soda to us since phosphoric acid in most commercial sodas. and like was mentioned before if a soak doesn't fix it changing the gaskets will.

 

[JRems]

Also swap the gas and liquid poppet.Even the root beer flavor is hard to remove from the rubber on the poppet. The gas poppet shouldn't have a smell.

 

[OntarioBeerKegs]

Also swap the gas and liquid poppet.Even the root beer flavor is hard to remove from the rubber on the poppet. The gas poppet shouldn't have a smell.

This was my point. Some folks are so sensitive they claim can still smell it on the tiniest o-rings left behind. I have warrantied out kegs for root beer "taint".

 

[homebrewbeliever]

I got a half used bag of Bbrite cleanser with mine and it smells kinda sodaish maybe just the acidity of the solution smells like soda to us since phosphoric acid in most commercial sodas. and like was mentioned before if a soak doesn't fix it changing the gaskets will.

I had heard this a couple of times, but I didn't believe it. However, I just got a few soda kegs, cleaned them very thoroughly with PBW, changed the gaskets, and then sanitized them with StarSan and let them sit for a few days. When I went to fill the keg with beer, guess what?? They smelled like soda. I remembered that it might be the sanitizer, so I rinsed them with hot water and the smell was totally gone. This is good info to keep in mind!