Cleaning kegs

[brew_cat]

I have a few sanke kegs that I want to clean without the trouble of opening them. If I take the check valves out of the coupler it seems easy enough. Anyone do this or have any tips ? I figured I'd just spray super hot water through a line in the serving port and drain out the gas port. I figure put some sanitizer in and drain. Then blow the rest out with the CO2 purge. Really no need to open them except maybe once for the initial clean.

[sneezles61]

Wouldn't you worry about the yeast that collects in them.... seems it doesnt just "spray" away... Wilco will be able to tell you... I believe thats all he uses.. Sneezles61

[WMNoob]

I'm interested in this too. I tried it with some cornys. Hooked my hot water up through the beer out QD and ran the gas port to drain. Maybe my hot water wasn't hot enough, they'd been sitting too long, or, not enough pressure but I was dissatisfied with how clean they got. Insoected them and still yeast goo in the bottom.I think maybe some recirculated Oxyclean solution? I did push sanitizer in and blew it out with CO2. Happy with that!

[hd4mark]

I think @wilcolandzaat removes the snap ring and pulls out the guts to clean his Sanke kegs. Commercial breweries have a very expensive machine that sprays caustic acid in them. If you Google it there are home brewers that have made some stuff to clean them.

Back a long time ago I used a Hoff Stevens type keg for homebrew. They actually still had a bung. I pried them out so I could spray around a little inside and after filling hammered in a new bung. It worked but I still wondered if some gunk got left behind.

Any Sanke kegs I got became brew kettles after that.

[brew_cat]

I push similar beers into kegs without cleaning all the time it's just yeast. Actually safer than opening up if you think about it, already purged
I guess if I were aging a beer but if it's done it's done. Of course unless it's Bret which I would want in the keg anyway. I have Bret keg that hasn't been cleaned in a couple years had three or four beers run through. I'm talking about when I decide to clean after every few cycles. I open them and clean now but PITA.

[wilcolandzaat]

Did remove the rings. With a special tool. A did buy. To clean use a high pressure cleaner with hot water. After that dpw cleaner. Push this true different kegs. Me clean 6 kegs everytime after powder. High pressure rinse. Than on keg day. Pdw cleaning and starsan. Proberly. Kind of overkill

[sneezles61]

Brew Cat, I can see a Red Green adventure with Sanke kegs and pressure washers in your future... Pow..... Pow.. POWER!!