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Home Grown keg washer set up

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  • Home Grown keg washer set up

    Okay I posted something in the classifieds a while back about how I set up to clean kegs.

    First let me say that this is a VERY basic setup. It is somewhat labor intensive but I only clean once a month or so and generally not more than 40 kegs at a time. It also probably does not do as good a job as some of the commercial systems but at roughly $0 dollars (I had all the pieces for other things) it works great.

    It is based around my transfer pump which is a 1.5 hp Thomsen. I have attached the picture so you will have to pull it up and follow along. The process is a two step thing.

    I invert my kegs on the frame of my plate and frame filter but you could use anything that will hold the keg upside down.

    All steps assume that all valves on the setup are closed

    Cleaning
    1. Connect the setup to hot water and a regulated compressor supply. I do not recommend more than about 30psi.
    2. Fill the reservoir with your cleaner of choice.
    3. Connect a keg to the coupler and invert on to your stand.
    4. Open the gas valve on the coupler to allow the keg to depressurize and drain anything out of it. At some point you can open the beer side of the coupler and use the air to pressurize the keg to speed this process up. Make sure you have the end of the gas out tube in your drain.
    5. Open the water in valve and the pump out valve (ensure your air valve is closed at this point) and use water pressure to rinse the keg.
    6. Close the water in valve and open the reservoir valve and the pump out valve. Place the gas out tube in the reservoir (watch out for splashing)
    7. Turn on your pump. You should now be circulating the cleaner through your keg. I find that the pump pushes in faster than the keg can drain.
    8. Clean for your choice of time.
    9. Close the pump out valve and the reservoir valve. open the air valve and push all the cleaner out of the keg to the reservoir. (again watch for splashing)
    10. Remove the gas line from the reservoir and place it in the drain.
    11. Open the water in and the pump out valve and rinse the keg.
    12. Close the water in and pump out valves and open the air valve to push the last of the rinse water out.
    13. Close all valves including the coupler valves as soon as the keg is drained.
    14. Decouple the keg and set aside.
    15. Repeat steps 3 - 14 until all your kegs are cleaned.

    Sanitizing

    1. Connect the setup to cold water and a regulated co2 supply. I do not recommend more than about 30psi.
    2. Fill the reservoir with your sanitizer of choice.
    3. Connect a keg to the coupler and invert on to your stand.
    4. Open the gas valve on the coupler to allow the keg to depressurize and drain anything out of it. Make sure you have the end of the gas out tube in your drain.
    5. Open the reservoir valve and the pump out valve. Open the beer valve on the coupler. Place the gas out tube in the reservoir (watch out for splashing)
    7. Turn on your pump. You should now be circulating the sanitizer through your keg. I find that the pump pushes in faster than the keg can drain.
    8. Sanitize for your choice of time.
    9. Close the pump out valve and the reservoir valve. Open the air valve and push all the sanitizer out of the keg to the reservoir. (again watch for splashing)
    10. Close the gas valve on the coupler to pressurize the keg with co2
    11. Close the air valve and the beer valve on the coupler.
    12. Decouple the keg and set aside.
    13. Repeat steps 3 - 12 until all your kegs are sanitized.

    I hope this is of use to you guys and I apologize for the delay in getting all this together.
    Attached Files
    Mike Pensinger
    General Manager/Brewmaster
    Parkway Brewing Company
    Salem, VA

  • #2
    you are the man, mike
    _______________________
    Chris Burcher, Wolf Hills
    Abingdon, VA

    Comment


    • #3
      top stuff mate

      I would simply add a third stage of purging first by filling with water and then pushing it out with CO2 before pressurizing.... but I am impressed. I am going to make one of these. Presently I clean each keg by removing the spear which is somewhat long winded.

      cheers

      Mat

      Comment


      • #4
        sorry to drag an old thread out of the archives here but had a question:

        is a 5 gallon reservoir for the various water/cleaning solutions adequate or do you need something larger in order to keep the temp up during a cleaning cycle. this would be for cleaning 1/6th bbls.

        i see a bucket is being used in the pic attached to the op, but figured i'd double check before i go with a 5gal vessel.

        thanks!

        Comment


        • #5
          I don't have any major issue with keeping the temp up because my bucket leaks so I tend to top it off on a pretty regular basis.

          Ideally I would like to get a keg and weld some fittings to allow me to put a heater and thermostat on it to maintain things better but with the volume we are doing it has worked well for me.

          R/
          Mike Pensinger
          General Manager/Brewmaster
          Parkway Brewing Company
          Salem, VA

          Comment


          • #6
            i use a pretty similar set-up, but do two at a time, and use a 1/2 bbl grant as my reservoir. My process is a bit different, and I use an acid supplemented with detergent for cleaning (rather than a caustic cleaner), but I find that my grant will stay within the appropriate temp range for the acid for about an hour to an hour and a half, and remains 'clean' enough for the same amount of time. Changing the acid every 24 kegs has become my SOP. A cheap immersion heating element in the grant can extend the life of the acid.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks for this great posting Mike! Had an idea on how to do mine but now I have a picture Cheers
              Cheers!
              ______________

              Mario Bourgeois
              www.CasselBrewery.ca
              Casselman ON Canada

              Comment


              • #8
                I made a valve setup out cpvc to do the same thing.

                Hey Mike how is the Brew Day Timer working for You?
                Last edited by roc-craven; 05-02-2013, 10:58 AM. Reason: Removed old job
                Jon Sheldon
                Owner/Brewer/Chief Floor Mopper
                Bugnutty Brewing Company
                www.bugnutty.com

                Comment


                • #9
                  Still have some weird formatting problems on the original one on my new whiz bang computer but it is indispensable!
                  Mike Pensinger
                  General Manager/Brewmaster
                  Parkway Brewing Company
                  Salem, VA

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Validating process

                    I'm just wondering if you ever take the spears out of your kegs to see if your device and procedure are doing a proper job. My experience with such keg washers is that the spears never get clean. Good commercial keg washers have a cycle that sends cleaner into the keg at a low flow rate so that it dribbles down the outside of the spear.

                    Also remember that the short cleaning cycles used by big breweries don't usually apply to craft beer because of higher protein, yeast, etc.

                    George de Piro
                    Brewmaster
                    C.H. Evans Brewing/Albany Pump Station
                    Albany, NY

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I have not removed any spears yet. I do however throttle the flow way back for part of my cycle to allow flow down the sides of the spear. I would love to have a good washer and it will happen in the future but this is what I have and what works for me right now.

                      R/
                      Mike Pensinger
                      General Manager/Brewmaster
                      Parkway Brewing Company
                      Salem, VA

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        How long does it take to run your full cleaning cycle on a keg?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Validating process

                          If you have never removed a spear to inspect the inside of your kegs, you actually don't know if your process is working for you. This isn't just nitpicking. Validating procedures ensures quality product.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            My cleaning cycle is around 3 minutes and then sanitizing is another 1 minute.

                            Listen, I know that this is less than ideal. If I had a real washer I would be using it. The reality is that this is the best I have available so I go with it. There are no other options at this time.

                            R/
                            Mike Pensinger
                            General Manager/Brewmaster
                            Parkway Brewing Company
                            Salem, VA

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by beermkr
                              My cleaning cycle is around 3 minutes and then sanitizing is another 1 minute.

                              Listen, I know that this is less than ideal. If I had a real washer I would be using it. The reality is that this is the best I have available so I go with it. There are no other options at this time.

                              R/
                              Hiya Mike,
                              I also have a homemade keg washer. I have three chemical reservoirs connected to individual pumps and feeding into a valve-manifold that connects to the inverted dirty keg. I purge with CO2. My cleaning cycle is a little over five minutes to purge, PBW, purge, Acid 5, purge, StarSan, pressurize w/ CO2 and ready to rock. I have pulled stems and this machine/process works. I also have ten years worth of keg cleaning on this machine. You CAN build your own!

                              my two cents....
                              Glacier Brewing Company
                              406-883-2595
                              info@glacierbrewing.com

                              "who said what now?"

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