keg washing/washer

[burcher]

so, dumb question, when washing kegs, must you initially purge co2 OUT of the keg using gas to ensure no co2 mixes with caustic or can this be accomplished with a water purge? Seems to me n2 or air must be used to purge co2 out but, of course, water would be cheaper.

THANKS ALL!

[beertje46]

so, dumb question, when washing kegs, must you initially purge co2 OUT of the keg using gas to ensure no co2 mixes with caustic or can this be accomplished with a water purge? Seems to me n2 or air must be used to purge co2 out but, of course, water would be cheaper.

THANKS ALL!

Our washer, IDD Mini-King, does: purge (evac. Co2), rinse with activated dioxychlor, push out with clean, compressed air, start caustic cycle...

If you have a manual machine, evac. Co2 , rinse with water, start caustic cycle.

Hope that helps.

[burcher]

indeed it does, thanks.

It is a homemade washer with lots of potential - just want to get the cycle(s) clear in my head.

[brewingnewbie]

do you think this is ok for a keg washing?

we do a 170-175F caustic wash for about 4 min., rinse and purge real well then gas up to 10-15psi with CO2 for storage.

what concentration of caustic is best for keg washers?

is it a must that we run a sanitizing cycle?

do most people store clean kegs in coolers or is room temp ok?

thanks...finally ordered some kegs and to develop some standards

[GlacierBrewing]

do you think this is ok for a keg washing?

we do a 170-175F caustic wash for about 4 min., rinse and purge real well then gas up to 10-15psi with CO2 for storage.

what concentration of caustic is best for keg washers?

is it a must that we run a sanitizing cycle?

I think you should. Don't wanna mix your beer with caustic.

do most people store clean kegs in coolers or is room temp ok?

thanks...finally ordered some kegs and to develop some standards

my keg washing process for the last 15 years has been: purge old product out of keg, five star PBW (at recommended temp) for three minutes, purge PBW, five star acid 5 (at recommended temp) for 1.5 minutes, purge, five star star san (at recommended temp) for 1.5 minutes, purge, pressurize with CO2, store at room temp. As I've said, I've used this process for quite a long time with very good results. Keep the chems at the correct temperatures, that is the key. Use the caustic (or "friendly caustic"=PBW) to remove the soils then use a sanitizer to, well, sanitize. One bad keg in the market erodes 100 good kegs!

Prost!
Dave

[Loch]

can this be accomplished with a water purge?

I start with a good hot water rinse prior to using a pbw cycle for 3-5 minutes. Finished with a good rinse and sanitized cycle, finishing purge of co2. Have done this for 10 years with no problems.

If you're really concerned about the effectiveness of cleaner, check the ph and add more pbw to the reservoir if needed.