[Stevie]

Martin lives on the edge.

[69franx]

And that seems like a scary edge

[AmandaK]

I'm with Martin in that I don't think that BLC gets the really caked on stuff out of lines. I had our LHBS guy order me a bottle of Penetrate. (Same manufacturer) Love that stuff. Protip though: wear gloves when using that stuff.

[Stevie]

Amanda, do you keep a pump pre-mixed along with a second pump for rinse?

[brewsumore]

Do you care to share what product and water to product ratio?  I'm curious if you use a hardware store product or order pure lye, or other approach.  Thanks!

Since I'm only using the lye as an equipment rinse, I'm not concerned with it being food grade. On top of that, the potential for hazardous impurities in this type of chemical is not high. I use the typical hardware store product. Red Devil is the brand currently on my shelf.

I do not mix the solution to any set strength. I just dip my finger tip in the solution and rub my fingers together. If the solution feels slippery, its strong enough. It's slippery since the solution is turning the fats and oils in my skin into soap. Needless to say, I wash it off my fingers IMMEDIATELY.

Thanks for the usage tip - and I do mean just the tip of my finger!  I'll grab some lye at the hardware store to add to my arsenal!

Here's another tip for general consumption - if you want to GOOGLE the product Penetrate mentioned by Amanda, use the string "Penetrate beer line cleaner" and NOT "red devil penetrate".