Cleaning the beer lines...

[ddayton217]

So I need to clean my lines in my kegerator. I saw the hand pump kits at BeverageFactory and heard about the ball lifters etc..what do I need to clean the lines and is there a cheaper way or is this the best economical way to do this..thanks...

[corkybstewart]

Take a spare corny, put a couple of gallons of very hot water and some cleaner or sanitizer, hook it up, and pump it through your taps. If you don't use no rinse beer line cleaner, repeat the process with clean hot water and you're good to go. You don't need extra equipment to do this.
Once in a while you'll need to dissasemble your faucets and thoroughly clean them.

[ddayton217]

I dont have a spare keg..just the one that Im using now.... :( I dont use the corny kegs at all..just the commercial ones

[corkybstewart]

I guess you'll need the hand pump thing unless somebody here knows of a better way.

[ddayton217]

I dont have a spare keg..just the one that Im using now.... :( I dont use the corny kegs at all..just the commercial ones

[MeridianFC]

You need the hand pump thing and I'd recommend getting the biggest one they've got, usually 2qt.

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/line-cleaning-pid-CK-1200.html

Further if you've got the cash I'd get two, one for the cleaner and one for the water to flush the system. I got one of the 1qt. jobs and I have to keep filling it up and then rinsing it out, filling it with water to do the flush (even though I use the no rinse stuff you need to run some clean water through) and it's kind of a pain in the ass.

There are some pressurized systems you can buy but I don't know if they're worth the money:

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/line-cleaning-pid-M5-801147-CK.html

[toneyc]

I just take mine all apart and soak them in a bucket of cleaner (PBW) for a little while then a hot water rinse.

:)
Toney.

[brewmonkey]

AVOID HOT WATER! This can cause the lines to expand and create problems with pouring your beer down the road.

A line cleaning regimine that I used, on my long (200'+ and short draws 5'+) is to flush the line of beer using cold water. I would then follow that with a PBW wash with warm water and allow it to soak in the line for about 15-20 minutes.

I would then flush the PBW with warm water and follow that with an acid wash, usually acid #6 from Five Star Chemicals and again allow it to soak in the line for about 10-15 minutes and follow that with a warm water rinse.

I would always follow my final rinse with a sani which would be allowed to have enough time to work based on the contact time of the particular product you are using. Of course follow that with your beer and ensure you have it all out of the line before serving your beer.

This is a very basic cleaning and should be done about once a month. You will be surprised at what will come out of the line when you follow thatPDW with water. The first rinse will generally be murky dark crap that you will only wonder where it came from. Seeing it come out though will make you feel better when you are done knowing your beer is being served through clean lines.

Check out morebeer.com for the acid you will need. It should not be that bad price wise and you will not need a ton of it for the size run you have. A liter bottle or so should last you for close to a year of cleaning IMHO.

Whatever you do just avoid the hot water through your lines. It will expand them, even just 1/16" will cause your beer to foam up and you will be scratching your head trying to figure it out.

[psychodad]

Originally posted by MeridianFC There are some pressurized systems you can buy but I don't know if they're worth the money:

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/line-cleaning-pid-M5-801147-CK.html [/B]

That is what I have although I orded from beveragefactory.com and paid more for the same thing if I( recall. I've found what works best is to draw a large mug of beer first, uncouple the keg, attach the cleaning bottle, run some cleaner through the lines and faucet, then let it sit with the cleaner in the lines for 10-15 minutes (drink the large mug of beer during this time). Run another tank full of clear, cold water through and you're done.

[brrman]

I had a major problem with foaming on my last batch (stout). I even posted here about it at one point. I cleaned my lines with BBrite, but apparently that wasn't what I needed to use because the foam stuck around. I found that I still had to keep 20+ psi to keep bubbles from forming in the lines.

I ordered BLC from NB and used it last night to clean all my lines and faucets. AMAZING results. Now 12 psi and a perfect pour on a 7 ft beer line.

Why not get a cheap hand transfer pump and modify it for like 15 bucks. Might be worth a try.