[flbrewer]

I've always cleaned my new and used kegs the following way which used a minimal amount of CO2 to push a little bit of fluid through the diptube, beer line, and and tap;

-Hot soak w. PBW (followed by a quick flush through the lines and tap)

-Rinse out the keg with clean water (another quick flush of this water through the lines)

-Sanitizer in the keg (another flush)

I've seen some of the cleaning kits online that include a hand pump spray bottle. Does anyone use these? I'm wondering if it's more trouble than it's worth since I'm really only using a small amount of gas.

[AmandaK]

I made our own hand pump thing out of a garden sprayer years ago.

It is particularly helpful when using a jockey box or if you aren't near your gas manifold for whatever reason.

[Stevie]

I made our own hand pump thing out of a garden sprayer years ago.

It is particularly helpful when using a jockey box or if you aren't near your gas manifold for whatever reason.

Same. Future project is to build pump system to recirc. Can be done with a cheapo pond pump.

[kgs]

I made our own hand pump thing out of a garden sprayer years ago.

It is particularly helpful when using a jockey box or if you aren't near your gas manifold for whatever reason.

I saw this online and thought it looked a lot like a garden sprayer. I bet it could be easily built from a $10 one-gal sprayer + parts.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Beer-Line-Cleaning-2-GO_p_1501.html

[Stevie]

I made this type. Hardest part was finding keg post that fit the brass fitting. That required me to dig through a bin full of posts at my LHBS.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=226497

[rob_f]

I modified a garden sprayer to a flare fitting and use a male flare union to connect to my draft lines.  Then I got a Mark's Keg Washer and use that for longer circulation of cleaner.  It's not recommended to push alkaline cleaners with CO2 as the carbonic acid will act to neutralize some the alkalinity of the cleaner.

[flbrewer]

I made this type. Hardest part was finding keg post that fit the brass fitting. That required me to dig through a bin full of posts at my LHBS.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=226497

This looks so easy, even I could do it! The original post mentions a "Firestone Liquid Post"...I wonder if I could just use a corny keg post...that way I can use my existing ball lock disconnects.

[Stevie]

The specific post has to do with what threading will fit the brass adaptor.

[flbrewer]

The specific post has to do with what threading will fit the brass adaptor.

Wow, that's a long thread! Thanks.

[JT]

I modified a garden sprayer to a flare fitting and use a male flare union to connect to my draft lines.  Then I got a Mark's Keg Washer and use that for longer circulation of cleaner.  It's not recommended to push alkaline cleaners with CO2 as the carbonic acid will act to neutralize some the alkalinity of the cleaner.

Exact same process for me. 

[JT]

This is what the brass fitting looks like on a small pump.  Connets to faucet line.  The pump goes in a bucket with a gallon or 2 of PBW cleaner.  Recirc through the lines pouring out the faucet back into the bucket.  Rinse with warm water recirc, follow up with sanitizer if you want. 

[kgs]

I made this type. Hardest part was finding keg post that fit the brass fitting. That required me to dig through a bin full of posts at my LHBS.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=226497

This looks so easy, even I could do it! The original post mentions a "Firestone Liquid Post"...I wonder if I could just use a corny keg post...that way I can use my existing ball lock disconnects.

Seems to me you could use a 1/4 barb (or a FIP) x 3/8 Flare nut, short hunk of beer line, + MFL to the disconnect. Might be a little more flexible and would be cheap to do.

[Bob357]

The small garden sprayer setup work well. To clean & rinse the dip tube without removing, use a piece of beer line with liquid out fittings on both ends. Connect one end to the post on the sprayer setup and the other to the out post of the keg. This line will also come in handy to transfer beer between kegs.