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  • DIY Keg Cleaner

    I dug around on the forum and set up this DIY keg washer based primarily off this thread:



    I built it completely out of PVC pipe so I can use this to learn a bit before I start over and set up something a bit more automated.
    I am a homebrewer turned pro, so I have no experience with commercial keg washers. I'm learning as I go here. This is the biggest reason for building with cheap materials at first so I can get something of a proof-of-concept before I go farther.

    The main setup is a series of three valves for the fill and drain, with each pair directly above/below them for ease of use.
    Left to right is rinse/drain, wash (PBW), and sanitize.
    I drive the whole thing with my brewery pump from CPE systems.
    There is a manifold between the pump and the keg connector that has a PVC check valve, tee with CO2 line, and a pressure gauge.

    I just ran a few kegs through today and it worked quite well. Sure beats the sump pump setup I was cleaning kegs with prior to this.
    The addition of the CO2 line and controlling everything with valves rather than disconnects, is a dream.

    The next step will be to figure out the best cycle times and rebuild with converted kegs and solenoid valves with some sort of control system.
    I'm looking at either an arduino board or a Click PLC from Automationdirect.com. I'm leaning towards the PLC because I've used them before.
    Attached Files

  • #2
    Great job!

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    • #3
      Looks good, but I think I would want a bit of stainless to support the keg and protect the plastic pipework etc for long term use.
      dick

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      • #4
        Willing to share?

        I PM'd you asking for details if you are willing to share. If its easier email me eric AT fallingdownbeer dot com

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        • #5
          A few more pictures

          Here are a few more pictures of the setup. I've run through a few dozen kegs now and it's working quite well. It's obviously not the most sturdy and definitely not designed to be durable, but it was cheap and a slight step up from what I was using.

          As mentioned before, this is more of a proof-of-concept for me and not designed to be a long-term solution. For the price of some PVC fittings and some hardware I had on-hand, it's not half bad.
          From left to right, the matching valves are rinse/drain, clean/return, and sanitizer/return.
          The output of the pump feeds into a PVC check valve and a simple ball valve (with check) and a pressure gauge. With the gauge in-line, I really need to get a liquid-filled gauge. The pump makes the gauge pulse quite a bit and it will most likely fail in short order if not replaced.

          Here's my process so far:
          Connect keg to the coupler
          Open rinse water valve, then drain valve until the rinse water runs clean
          Shut rinse water and let keg bleed down to 5 psi before closing drain
          Open cleaner valve and cleaner return valve.
          Run for 8 minutes with a few bursts of CO2 during the cycle to spray the inside of the keg (hopefully cleaning the spear as well).
          Close cleaner valve, let drain, then close cleaner return valve.
          Rinse and drain
          Run sanitizer for 30 seconds

          Having the CO2 really helps push the keg clean, if needed and it also keeps nearly all of the oxygen out of the keg, so I don't have to re-purge the kegs.

          Click image for larger version

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          Last edited by WitsEnd; 10-20-2013, 07:49 PM.

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          • #6
            Hey dude,

            Any progress on building something more permanent? If not, how're you liking your current setup?

            My partner and I are looking to build something vs. buying, too. It's nice to have nice shiny things, but when starting up, the capital just isn't there for a $10k keg washer :S

            Comment


            • #7
              <bump>

              what are the specs on your pump?

              i've read that the ideal pressure range for the washing and sanitizing process is between 60-90 PSI which would correlate to about 140-200' ft of head on the pump.

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              • #8
                Updates

                We are just over 1000 barrels total production in our three years of brewing and the same "proof of concept" keg washer is still running.

                I swapped out the PVC valves for stainless ball valves, a much needed improvement. The seals in the PVC valves started to wear and became difficult to turn. They eventually leaked. Otherwise, we are still using it as it is pictured.

                The pump is a CPE systems 3/4 hp pump. Works great for CIP on our 3 bbl tanks and running the keg cleaner.

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                • #9
                  There are a few things I'd be concerned about with this system:

                  1. Are you getting the outside of the spears clean? Good commercial systems reduce the flow rate for a specified period of time so that the cleaning solution flows gently into the spear and cascades over the outside.

                  2. I'm not sure that PVC pipe can handle the extreme pH range that it will see in keg cleaning. Aside from longevity of the pipes, you are very likely leaching nasty plastic compounds into the cleaning solution, some of which may be left in the kegs. I do know that white PVC like you have is not meant for the temperatures kegs are usually cleaned at.

                  Chemical contamination is something I really worry about when seeing how many brewers are entering the field without proper education. Just because a material is used to move one kind of liquid doesn't mean it's good for all liquids.

                  3. If you're cleaning with caustic (or any alkaline product), the CO2 will neutralize the cleaner. That's why commercial systems purge with air then re-purge with CO2 at the end of the cycle.

                  4. If you're only doing an acid wash and your beers are dirty (ie, unfiltered, high protein), you will not get good results over the long term. Acid hydrolyzes protein and turns it into a film that sticks tenaciously to stainless. That is why brewers typically clean with caustic first, then acid. Highly filtered, low-protein beers, like the average international lager, are easier to clean off of stainless surfaces.

                  5. With any keg washer, commercial or home-made, one MUST validate cleaning procedures. At the very least, take a keg apart each run and make sure it is thoroughly clean. If it isn't, adjust your procedures until you are doing the minimum amount of work to achieve the goal.
                  Last edited by George de Piro; 05-13-2016, 01:26 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by George de Piro View Post
                    There are a few things I'd be concerned about with this system:

                    1. Are you getting the outside of the spears clean? Good commercial systems reduce the flow rate for a specified period of time so that the cleaning solution flows gently into the spear and cascades over the outside.
                    We blast CO2 a few times during the cleaning cycle, which throws cleaner all over the keg and down the spear.

                    Originally posted by George de Piro View Post
                    2. I'm not sure that PVC pipe can handle the extreme pH range that it will see in keg cleaning. Aside from longevity of the pipes, you are very likely leaching nasty plastic compounds into the cleaning solution, some of which may be left in the kegs. I do know that white PVC like you have is not meant for the temperatures kegs are usually cleaned at.

                    Chemical contamination is something I really worry about when seeing how many brewers are entering the field without proper education. Just because a material is used to move one kind of liquid doesn't mean it's good for all liquids.
                    I'm not running beyond household water temps for this rig, so I'm within the recommendation for PVC. I wouldn't recommend caustic or strong acid for this type of cleaner due to the open nature of the system. I'm using PBW and Sani-Clean.

                    Originally posted by George de Piro View Post
                    3. If you're cleaning with caustic (or any alkaline product), the CO2 will neutralize the cleaner. That's why commercial systems purge with air then re-purge with CO2 at the end of the cycle.
                    Noted. Again, I wouldn't recommend using caustic.

                    Originally posted by George de Piro View Post
                    4. If you're only doing an acid wash and your beers are dirty (ie, unfiltered, high protein), you will not get good results over the long term. Acid hydrolyzes protein and turns it into a film that sticks tenaciously to stainless. That is why brewers typically clean with caustic first, then acid. Highly filtered, low-protein beers, like the average international lager, are easier to clean off of stainless surfaces.
                    PBW seems to do well for us.

                    Originally posted by George de Piro View Post
                    5. With any keg washer, commercial or home-made, one MUST validate cleaning procedures. At the very least, take a keg apart each run and make sure it is thoroughly clean. If it isn't, adjust your procedures until you are doing the minimum amount of work to achieve the goal.
                    Great advice!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi,

                      PBW is an alkaline cleaner and is neutralized by CO2. This will happen instantly if you bubble the CO2 through the PBW solution as you describe you do during keg cleaning.

                      Also, a better way to try to clean the spear is to partially close the valve or reduce the speed of the pump so that the cleaning solution cascades gently over the spear. If you have a speed controller, you could set up a spear without a keg and see what speed setting is needed to produce the cascading effect.

                      Also, PBW doesn't clean very well below 140F, 160F is better, especially with the short contact time usually seen when washing kegs.

                      I hope that helps, have fun!

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                      • #12
                        Keg Washer

                        I am setting up a small 3 bbl brewery and will be using 1/6 bbl kegs.
                        What is your cycle times?

                        Thank you

                        Don Welch

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by dwelch View Post
                          I am setting up a small 3 bbl brewery and will be using 1/6 bbl kegs.
                          What is your cycle times?

                          Thank you

                          Don Welch
                          We run PBW for 5 mins on a 1/2 bbl and 3 mins on a 1/6 bbl.

                          Sani-Clean is about 30 seconds or so.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by George de Piro View Post
                            Hi,

                            PBW is an alkaline cleaner and is neutralized by CO2. This will happen instantly if you bubble the CO2 through the PBW solution as you describe you do during keg cleaning.

                            Also, a better way to try to clean the spear is to partially close the valve or reduce the speed of the pump so that the cleaning solution cascades gently over the spear. If you have a speed controller, you could set up a spear without a keg and see what speed setting is needed to produce the cascading effect.

                            Also, PBW doesn't clean very well below 140F, 160F is better, especially with the short contact time usually seen when washing kegs.

                            I hope that helps, have fun!
                            Probably not the best, but it's worked for us over the past 4 years. We are upgrading the brewery and will have a "real" keg cleaner at the new place.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Not the exact same but on a very similar setup wrote are getting 4-5 1/2 bbl kegs cleaned per hour.

                              Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

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