SS Brewtech Keg Cleaner

[day_trippr]

Awesome - thanks very much for the follow-up
That's an amazingly small spray ball for a 1/2" fpt mount, I haven't come across one that small in my looking around.

Cheers!

 

[FunkedOut]

It’s not 1/2 npt; it’s way smaller.
Really don’t want to disassemble it to measure those threads.

 

[day_trippr]

That's ok, but good to know it's a smaller thread. That makes some sense wrt the ball size...

Cheers!

 

[Tim H]

Had to revive this thread after getting my waSSher today. Picked it up on sale during Black Friday (couldn’t justify $210). Now I’m heading back to Home Depot to return all the parts I bought for a diy cleaner. Super impressed with the pressure coming out of the CIP ball.

 

[RichardU]

I've had two of the Keg Wassher pumps fail. I am not amused.

I just noticed the pump says 12v and the power supply it came with says 24v. Can anyone confirm theirs is the same?

 

[Group W]

I've had two of the Keg Wassher pumps fail. I am not amused.

I just noticed the pump says 12v and the power supply it came with says 24v. Can anyone confirm theirs is the same?

My power supply and pump are the same (12 & 24). My pump lasted one cleaning session before failing. The epoxy seal was broken where the power wire entered the pump. Since the pump is submersible, I assumed liquid entered there and shorted the pump motor. The pump was replaced free of charge. But I didn’t use the new pump motor and instead retrofitted a Mark II external pump. It works great but needs to be primed. I just pour a little water in the pick-up hose and quickly submerge it prior to running it.

 

[RichardU]

retrofitted a Mark II external pump.

Thanks for that. I'm also planning to use an external pump. How did you attach it? Hose and clamp around the metal? Or barb into their rubbery barb adapter? Do you remember what sizes were required?

Cheers, Richard

 

[Group W]

I used a barb to barb adapter with 3’ of 1/2” silicone hose. The OD of the barb is 3/8” and fits perfectly into the blue rubber adapter.

 

[Bean]

when the first pump failed for me (PBW solution exceed 140F) I used an external pump but found I didn't have enough pressure to really maximize the efficiency of the CIP as their were other things inline. What I do now is place the washer in my MT which has a lot more clearance for hoses and power cables and use the original pump while also circulating through my HERMS coil for temp control back into the MT.

 

[Ironedge]

I have cleaned close to 40 kegs with mine and it is still going strong. To answer a question from above, I have had stuck on beer at the bottom and this cleaner makes the keg sparkle. I usually run hot PBW for 5 min, followed by a 2-3 minute rinse and 2 min sanitize. Once complete, I put the lid on and purge with CO2, leaving the keg ready for the next brew.

Cheers

 

[kitr]

Has anyone identified a replacement small pump for this unit yet? I also have the 24v power supply and a 12v pump that came with it. The pump keeps falling out (I have secured it with zip ties) but im curious if anyone has found a better option. That poor pump is screaming at me and im concerned it will fail at an inopportune time. Would love to replace it and use the current one as a backup (without going the route of a full Mark II pump!

 

[Nagorg]

https://www.ssbrewtech.com/collecti...replacement-pump-for-ftss-temp-control-system

 

[kitr]

Interesting... Didnt know they added that (I bought the cleaner when it was new and that wasnt an option). Thanks! For that amount of money though im curious if anyone went aftermarket and found a suitable replacement that either has better performance or does the same job cheaper?

Certainly a good option though!

 

[Bigs166]

so does anyone know what size threads the micro cip ball is?

 

[Gus_13]

Old thread revival. I just picked this up after last night cleaning 5 kegs by hand. I have the Mark II but it broke many years ago. I'm brewing larger batches now and will have more kegs to clean for friends so I thought the price was worth it. My friends usually pay for the ingredients for the beers and we hang out for brew days drinking and grilling so having multiple kegs to wash at a time will be much easier now.

 

[Bean]

I don't regret buying this but I wish it was better. I burn the pumps out frequently by either having my cleaning solutions too hot (not hot enough by my standards) or by continual use while cleaning multiple kegs. The rubber on the posts locking the keg in ripped almost immediately as well.

I would say it works great for sanitizing but is a huge miss in cleaning

 

[Gus_13]

I don't regret buying this but I wish it was better. I burn the pumps out frequently by either having my cleaning solutions too hot (not hot enough by my standards) or by continual use while cleaning multiple kegs. The rubber on the posts locking the keg in ripped almost immediately as well.

I would say it works great for sanitizing but is a huge miss in cleaning

How hot do you get your cleaning solution? Doesn't PBW work in not scalding hot water? At least it does for me in my kettles. I usually never go above 140F sometimes even not that hot. I know when I clean my kegs I do tap water hot and it works.

Edit: PBW says effective range is 100-160F so hopefully that won't be a problem with the pump around 130F ish.

 

[Bean]

How hot do you get your cleaning solution? Doesn't PBW work in not scalding hot water? At least it does for me in my kettles. I usually never go above 140F sometimes even not that hot. I know when I clean my kegs I do tap water hot and it works.

Edit: PBW says effective range is 100-160F so hopefully that won't be a problem with the pump around 130F ish.

Hotter the better is what I was always told, seen some professionals use it above 200f, others even boil it. I think 5 star say 130-180f for circulating or half that range for soaking. 180 isn't that ridiculous, nothing but a cup of coffee. If I go to 160 and try to clean 5 kegs, the pump will burn out.

 

[Gus_13]

Hotter the better is what I was always told, seen some professionals use it above 200f, others even boil it. I think 5 star say 130-180f for circulating or half that range for soaking. 180 isn't that ridiculous, nothing but a cup of coffee. If I go to 160 and try to clean 5 kegs, the pump will burn out.

Dang well I'm going to try around 130-140F at first and see if that works. I've heard hotter is better as well unless your using agitation and I would think the spray ball would be pretty good agitation. Hoping I have some better luck.

 

[Bean]

Dang well I'm going to try around 130-140F at first and see if that works. I've heard hotter is better as well unless your using agitation and I would think the spray ball would be pretty good agitation. Hoping I have some better luck.

Good luck! let me know how you make out.
I put the cleaner in my mashtun and circulate the PBW through my HERMS coil, I find this much easier than trying to jam it all into the bucket.

 

[Gus_13]

Good luck! let me know how you make out.
I put the cleaner in my mashtun and circulate the PBW through my HERMS coil, I find this much easier than trying to jam it all into the bucket.

That's a good idea!

 

[BBBF]

Might as well bump an old thread...

How important is the seal at the keg lid? Would this work with racetrack kegs?