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cleaning hoff-stevens

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  • cleaning hoff-stevens

    I was wandering how people are cleaning thier Hoff-stevens kegs. I have a bunch of converted Hoff-stevens kegs and want to put them to use. Can I clean them on my regular keg washer and then simple change the bung. Or do they need to be cleaned through the bung hole (ha-ha-snicker-snicker). How do you clean your kegs?

    Cheers

  • #2
    Converted ones cannot effectively be cleaned on a Sanke washer. True Sanke kegs are designed to have "Cascading action" over the entire inside surface from how the pumped solution is pumped in. (The outside of the spear is another topic...) There are too many nooks and crannies in Hoffs that either would not be cleaned or would simply pool the cleaner or rinse water.
    That's why they are out of favor.

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    • #3
      Yeah - I guess that's obvious when I think about it. They wouldn't even drain right. Thanks for the smack in the head Moonlight I've got a good way to clean them through the bung hole now, but I have a few kegs that don't have removable spears. Some of the spears are even made from hard plastic tubing. Is this a problem? Would you put these into circulation? The other kegs I have were cleaned, filled and soaked overnight with PBW, and then cleaned and rinsed again. They look spotless, but I'm alittle worried about the other kegs.

      Thanks
      Tim

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      • #4
        Me Too!

        I also use the converted Hoff Stevens kegs and have a variety of spears in them. The plastic ones that can be removed can be boiled in caustic and I usually leave them in caustic over a weekend.
        As long as they have no smell after that, I use them with no problems. My kegs were used for root beer previously and I have to be really careful about reconditioning them.
        I have seen home made washers for these kegs too. Using a 55 gal poly drum as reservoir and a spray ball mounted to a stem, pokes (he he) up inside the bunghole and another line running to a sanke coupler for the spear. Hooked up to a CIP pump just like a barrel washer, it is extremely effective.

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        • #5
          "Using a 55 gal poly drum as reservoir..."
          I don't understand. Caustic is infinitely more effective when hot. How do you maintain the heat in the caustic with a poly drum? My miniking has an electric element heating the solution in a Stainless tank. Maybe I just like stainless excessively, but how about cutting up a stainless drum and mounting the threaded fittings for immersion heaters in the side. Put it on a drum dolly so you can move it around easily, and wrap it a zillion times with Foil bubble wrap or something more exotic. Add a thermometer well, so you know what is going on.
          Although it would cost more to assemble, I would expect huge time savings on wash times, and more effective cleaning...spend a bit more but save time and make more reliable beer.
          Please make sure any contraption using high pressure hot caustic is designed with safety in mind, too.

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