First Empty Keg, Now What?

[RLinNH]

Please excuse the extreme noob question, but I gotta know.

I Just finished my first Keg. How in the heck do I clean it? Before using it, I changed all the gaskets and cleaned them out with PBW. I am assuming that is all it takes to clean them out again? Just use some PBW? Also, the liquid out lines. What's the proper way to care for them(as far as cleaning then and keeping thm sanitary)?

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

Please excuse the extreme noob question, but I gotta know.

I Just finished my first Keg. How in the heck do I clean it? Before using it, I changed all the gaskets and cleaned them out with PBW. I am assuming that is all it takes to clean them out again? Just use some PBW? Also, the liquid out lines. What's the proper way to care for them(as far as cleaning then and keeping thm sanitary)?

Technically, you are supposed to disassemble, wash then sanitize. Reassemble and re sanitize. In the real world?

I have a ball lock keg with the same size (to the eye, anyway) fittings on the in and out posts. They are not interchangeable however. And every time I disassemble to I interchange them. Lately, I've been washing out the kegs with a carboy brush. I depress the spring in the out fitting to get the water into the tube, empty and depress the spring again (I keep telling it that it is ugly ) to empty the tube. Rinse and sanitize, remembering to fill then empty the dip tube each time. I disassemble after about 5 or 6 batches, making sure to keep the out fittings on one side of the table and the in fittings on the other!

[RLinNH]

That's just it. Taking the liquid tube apart. I tried to take the Cobra head off the Clamp, and no dice. I had to use Boiling water to get it on, so I am willing to bet that it won't come off very easily. I'm thinking of cleaning out the keg, then putting about a gallon of Boiling water into the keg, hooking up to gas, and letting the water run through the lines. About once every 4-5 uses, I'll totally clean with PBW. How's this cleaning prcedure sound?

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

That's just it. Taking the liquid tube apart. I tried to take the Cobra head off the Clamp, and no dice. I had to use Boiling water to get it on, so I am willing to bet that it won't come off very easily. I'm thinking of cleaning out the keg, then putting about a gallon of Boiling water into the keg, hooking up to gas, and letting the water run through the lines. About once every 4-5 uses, I'll totally clean with PBW. How's this cleaning prcedure sound?

I have keg filled with beer line cleaner. Every week or two, I flush the cobra tap with that. It's a little bit of overkill to keep a keg full of the stuff, but that keg doesn't have a pressure relief valve and I don't like using it to keg beer. You could probably flush it with the PBW in you keg as your cleaning. That should be all you need to do to keep the beer line clean. Most beer companies clean their lines monthly or bi monthly.

[chrishw]

I fill with 3 gallons hot water and the corresponding amount of PBW. I put top back on and let sit.

after a hour or so I lay on the side and make a little of the water/PBW mix come out of each popit (making sure the lines are full) with anything I have in my pocket (usually a penny or something). Then I stand the keg upside down and let sit.

After a hour or so I then rinse with hot water, making sure to let some flow through each popit valve with a penny or something.

I usually fill it with starsan at that point- I have a jumper system to move it from keg to keg.

About once every 5-10 batches (maybe once a year) I totally break down the keg, replace gaskets if needed, do a total rebuild/cleaning. Many of my beers might sit in a keg for well over a year so this is of course kinda a guide not a rule. Some of my meads/ciders might be in the keg 3 years or so- and I tend to do a total breakdown/rebuild after a long batch like that!

[BDawg]

I don't take the cobra head off, but I disassemble everything else, soak in pbw, rinse well and sanitize with star-san before re-assembling.
If I'm going to store the keg empty, I pressurize it so that the lid and the opening remain in the same shape and well seated.

Dirk-
As far as telling the difference between your posts, if you look closely, one post has notches in the nut face, and the other one doesn't. The notched one is always the gas post. For some kegs, this post is the 12 pt nut (like the round end of a wrench). Bottom line, remember that notches == gas, solid == beer and you'll never mix them up again.

HTH-

[Mylo]

OK, call me crazy... but I am of the "gaskets are only good until you disassemble" camp - probably from working on cars. I rebuild my kegs every few years. Other than that, I do not take them apart. When my one of my keg blows, I wash it with warm PBW - and flush the dip tube by pushing it all out with pressure. Then I re-lube the main gasket and repeat the process with star san. When the star san blows, I inspect and relube the post gaskets and put it up on the shelf. I always re-sanitize just before filling.

I have kept my beers in kegs for several months without pressure or infection issues.


Mylo

[Brandt]

I also don't disassmble every time. I just push PBW through every thing with gas, rinse 4-5 times, and sanitze using a jumper from a keg I keep full of star san. Only use about 1-2 gallons for each step, making sure to slosh everything around and let it sit upside down for a while when doing the PBW step.

Disassembly, including brushing the dip tube, only happens on days when I'm bored. But then I obsess and wind up cleaning kegging equipment for 3-5 hours.