Mold under snap rings?

[aorrick]

I have been getting some mold under the snap rings on some of my kegs. I go through a pretty standard keg cleaning cycle, but we mostly use serving tanks, so our kegging and keg cleaning tends to be low volume and we only clean once every 3 weeks or so. I know the O-Ring on the spear prevents anything from getting to the beer, but is there an effective way to deal with this problem aside from pulling the spears and cleaning/sanitizing the area by hand?

Thx.

[gabewilson50]

I have been getting some mold under the snap rings on some of my kegs. I go through a pretty standard keg cleaning cycle, but we mostly use serving tanks, so our kegging and keg cleaning tends to be low volume and we only clean once every 3 weeks or so. I know the O-Ring on the spear prevents anything from getting to the beer, but is there an effective way to deal with this problem aside from pulling the spears and cleaning/sanitizing the area by hand?

Thx.

A splash of iodophor solution after each time you clean or fill the keg into the top part of the spear and then capping it will help prevent any mold from getting established, plus it'll prevent any other microbio from settling onto the connection and it will help you see any leaks after you've cleaned and pressurized the keg. This only works with American Sanke connections, though, as the German kegs have a flat top and won't hold any liquid.

[Moonlight]

I have never heard of this.
Even spraying down thoroughly should rid the pocket of enough beer to support mold growth. Even leaving the freshly-filled kegs upside down for a few minutes could drain out all the mold-sustaining beer. Sterilizing the pocket is a temporary fix if beer is still hanging out in there. Eventually beer in a place like that will go nasty.
Perhaps the O rings are past their prime and oozing a bit. I would explore this as the most likely culprit.