Fast Firkin Cleaning

[Woolsocks]

Anyone figured out how to quickly clean a firkin?

My process so far is remove bung and keystone, rinse out with hose as best I can, fill with caustic, let it soak for a few hours or overnight if possible, dump caustic, rinse a lot, sanitize. Takes a while.

Maybe there's a way to put some kind of spray head in to at least speed up the rinse or something?

[Buckley]

I modified an extra sink. attached a large barb fitting where the drain was. at the other end of the hose a barbed tri clap for a pump in. on the pump out side I clamp a brew hose to the edge of the sink. then a 18" stainless tri clamp pipe with an elbow turned up. that gets a small pray ball clamped on. I have a metal stool with a whole cut for the shaft the spray ball to fit through and above by a few inches.
I fill sink with caustic. After I remove the bung and keystone put the firkin on bung side down, obviously for the spray ball =), run it for 2-5 minutes. set aside. later I run hot water in bursts. then a sanitize, usually proxi-acidic.
Probably not the best way, but it makes my cleaning go by faster and I trust it more that just soaking.

[NYSBrewer]

A modified keg spear works great. If you have a keg washer. Remove a spear from a keg, then crimp or weld the end to seal it. Poke holes throughout the spear. Attach the spear to the coupler fitting on your keg washer. Set your firkin on the washer so the keystone points down to the chemical resevoir. Insert the spear into the bunghole and begin the wash cycle. Make sure the spear is in all the way so you dont get sprayed with hot caustic, you can even attach a plastic bung all the wat to the top of the spear so it fits into the hole, keeping you from getting sprayed. Cycle the caustic through 2-3 times. Then rinse with water in the same manner.

[BrewinLou]

We do very similar to what Buckley does. I am viaing for a 3 sinker and 3 small pumps. Right now I do a 3 min 170 hot rinse, 5 min caustic, rinse with a hose, put in the small bung, 3 min sanitize with dioxychlor. If it gets through that is is clean sanitary dirt, mine are spotless after that. Purge with CO2 and fill.

[Guest]

there's a few UK manufacturers you could either go to or get ideas from -

http://www.pbcbreweryinstallations.com/ - fairly cheap, but practical

http://www.johnsonbrewing.com/ - more expensive, but auto & very well-built

a cheap & simple solution finding favour over here is a diesel-powered steam generator, hooked up to some sort of spray-head (ideally a spinning one, or you have to stand there spinning the effing cask!)

They seem to work fine, but you might need to think about beerstone after a while, I guess.
good luck,
MikeMcG

https://www.betwixt.co.uk