A spot to talk general homebrew
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timsheppard
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by timsheppard » Thu May 15, 2014 9:35 pm
Hey,
New Brewer. Looking for different ways to clean my taps and lines. I have a stubborn tap that i'm not so anxious to take apart.
I'm open to anything. Both with common ways and some that someone may have discovered on their own.
Glad to be part of the forum!
Tim

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mr x
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by mr x » Thu May 15, 2014 9:41 pm
Welcome.
Hot caustic cleans lines and taps well.
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At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the
absolute letter.

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mattvincent24
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by mattvincent24 » Thu May 15, 2014 9:54 pm
Where do you get your "hot caustic"? And how so you use it?
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RubberToe
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by RubberToe » Thu May 15, 2014 9:55 pm
Put some warm / hot oxyclean solution / no name oxyclean / PWB solution in a keg and run it through the line. Let it sit for a while, run it through some more, repeat. Flush with water. Run sanitiser through it. Drink beer from a clean line.
There's also a product called Beer Line Cleaner (BLC) but I've never used it. I just do the oxy / starsan thing.
-Rob
Electric Brewery Build
On tap at RubberToe's:
Sometimes on a Sunday Belgian Dubbel, Oaked Old Ale, Ordinary Bitter
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AllanMar
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by AllanMar » Thu May 15, 2014 9:55 pm
Hot caustic is probably the best, but this is what I use:
Warm PBW then rinse.
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Keith
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by Keith » Thu May 15, 2014 10:39 pm
I clean my lines when I clean my kegs. Boiling pbw, followed by starsan. I'll clean them all at the same time. Once every 6 months Stanley gets torn down and all parts are boiled.
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LeafMan66_67
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by LeafMan66_67 » Thu May 15, 2014 10:40 pm
I run hot / warm PBW through taps and lines with a small pump for 20 minutes. The flush with water and star san.
"He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato
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mr x
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by mr x » Fri May 16, 2014 6:43 am
Caustic is sodium hydroxide. I have a local source, but I'm sure it's available retail somewhere. It's lye iirc. I also have blc which works great. I think you are supposed to acid clean once in a while as well.
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At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the
absolute letter.

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CartoonCod
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by CartoonCod » Fri May 16, 2014 12:44 pm
Keith wrote:I clean my lines when I clean my kegs. Boiling pbw, followed by starsan. I'll clean them all at the same time. Once every 6 months Stanley gets torn down and all parts are boiled.
Are you sure boiling pbw is still as effective as warm pbw? Everything I seen regarding pbw has always mentioned using it warm.
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bluenose
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by bluenose » Fri May 16, 2014 12:51 pm
I picked up a drill powered utility pump from Canadian tire for less than $20... but now I'm wondering if there's any harm using my brewing pump
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Keith
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by Keith » Fri May 16, 2014 1:26 pm
CartoonCod wrote:Keith wrote:I clean my lines when I clean my kegs. Boiling pbw, followed by starsan. I'll clean them all at the same time. Once every 6 months Stanley gets torn down and all parts are boiled.
Are you sure boiling pbw is still as effective as warm pbw? Everything I seen regarding pbw has always mentioned using it warm.
Honestly I'm not sure on that. I just use boiling water for the first round of sterilization, and to help loosen anything in the lines if there is anything there. All my lines are rinsed and sanitized every time I have to rotate kegs. I keep hearing of line infections and well I don't want one. lol
Brewer, Owner & Operator @ Ol' Biddy's Brew House

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dexter
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by dexter » Fri May 16, 2014 1:43 pm
On the jamil show I think the guy who sells PBW said warm was best, warm being so descriptive, but warm was what I think he said.
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Swine
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by Swine » Fri May 16, 2014 2:44 pm
AllanMar wrote:Hot caustic is probably the best, but this is what I use:
Warm PBW then rinse.
What adapter do you have for the output of the sprayer to the input of the gas post? I have had the sprayer purchased for some time with this same thought in mind... Just haven't gotten to it yet.
Thanks,
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LeafMan66_67
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by LeafMan66_67 » Fri May 16, 2014 2:56 pm
dexter wrote:On the jamil show I think the guy who sells PBW said warm was best, warm being so descriptive, but warm was what I think he said.
I thought I read somewhere about the "warm" being just as a precaution against thermal shock to a glass fermenter.
"He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato
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AllanMar
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by AllanMar » Fri May 16, 2014 3:01 pm
I had a sheet that came in the box with one of the jugs, i believe it recommended 130-150 but it also says "Wide temperature range" on the jug.
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Swine
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by Swine » Fri May 16, 2014 4:13 pm
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Bluefin 774
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by Bluefin 774 » Tue Jun 24, 2014 12:15 pm
I bought this bottle and the 1/4 FFL part. I didn' t realize I did not have all the parts to complete the build. I am guessing I need to buy a beer post and poppet to finish this so I can clean my beer lines with this setup. Is this what I need ?
Last edited by
Bluefin 774 on Wed Oct 28, 2015 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Take care, Bluefin.
Tap # 1: Apple Cider
Tap # 2: Kolsch
Fermenting: Bluefin's Hefeweisen
Fermenting:
Up Next: ?
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Bluefin 774
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by Bluefin 774 » Wed Jul 02, 2014 6:34 pm
Bluefin 774 wrote:
I bought this bottle and the 1/4 FFL part. I didn' t realize I did not have all the parts to complete the build. I am guessinhg I need to buy a beer post and poppet to finish this so I can clean my beer lines with this setup. Is this what I need ?
Do I need the beer out post ?
Thanks for the help.
Take care, Bluefin.
Tap # 1: Apple Cider
Tap # 2: Kolsch
Fermenting: Bluefin's Hefeweisen
Fermenting:
Up Next: ?
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AllanMar
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by AllanMar » Wed Jul 02, 2014 6:35 pm
Yes and a poppet as you suspect.
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Bluefin 774
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by Bluefin 774 » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:56 am
Thanks for the help, I have to order some stuff this week. New Perlicks for my kegs.
Take care, Bluefin.
Tap # 1: Apple Cider
Tap # 2: Kolsch
Fermenting: Bluefin's Hefeweisen
Fermenting:
Up Next: ?
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saosborne
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by saosborne » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:21 pm
I use an old 2 liter bottle with a carbonation cap and a threaded gas connection. all my lines use theaded connectors, when the time comes to clean i fill the bottle with oxyclean, open the tap, squeeze the bottle until it flows out the tap, leave it sit rinse, and sanitize the same way. works great
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saosborne
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by saosborne » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:23 pm
forgot to mention i remove the beer line connectors and thead the gas line one on but thats probably self explanatory
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Bluefin 774
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by Bluefin 774 » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:05 pm
That sounds like a good way to clean the taps as well. Thanks for another idea.
Take care, Bluefin.
Tap # 1: Apple Cider
Tap # 2: Kolsch
Fermenting: Bluefin's Hefeweisen
Fermenting:
Up Next: ?
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Bluefin 774
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by Bluefin 774 » Wed Oct 28, 2015 10:16 pm
AllanMar wrote:Hot caustic is probably the best, but this is what I use:
Warm PBW then rinse.
Been meaning to post about this sooner. I bought all the same parts. Used teflon tape on the threads and hand screwed the fittings onto the plastic jug nozzle. I removed the plastic nozzle and put it in my bench vise. After a few gentle taps with a rubber mallet it was set well. I have used this to clean my lines with no leaks or problems at all.
The info that is freely shared here is what makes this forum so good. thanks for the help gang.

Take care, Bluefin.
Tap # 1: Apple Cider
Tap # 2: Kolsch
Fermenting: Bluefin's Hefeweisen
Fermenting:
Up Next: ?
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