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Author Topic: Kegerator best practices.  (Read 3334 times)

Offline whitey

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Kegerator best practices.
« on: September 23, 2011, 08:04:45 am »
Recently added a few taps tp my fridge, wasn't sure if there's anything I should be doing to the taps and/or lines if I go a week or two between getting brew out of them. I do not have soothers.
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Offline Tristan

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2011, 10:13:58 am »
I would recommend cleaning/sanitizing the taps/lines when you change kegs over.  A soak in oxyclean free or PBW, rinse, then running starsan through the lines/taps usually does the trick.
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2011, 10:43:33 am »
Recently added a few taps tp my fridge, wasn't sure if there's anything I should be doing to the taps and/or lines if I go a week or two between getting brew out of them. I do not have soothers.


If you are talking about going a couple of weeks between pulling pints I might recomend rigging something up where you can enlose the end of the tap spout in sanitizer. maybe tiny little buckets that hang off the tap and keep the spout end submerged. That's what I do with my picnick taps, I put the end in a little bucket of idophor but star san would work equally as well I would imagine. Not sure if it matters for me as i usually pull a pint or two nightly if I have a keg on tap.
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Offline whitey

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2011, 10:51:37 am »
So, while it's attached to the keg, even though I haven't used it I a week or so, it's ok?
 I usually fill a keg with pbw, hook to co2 feed through the lines, let it sit for a day, then run star San thru and let it sit till I hook a keg to it, run some beer off and let it go.
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Offline whitey

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2011, 10:55:31 am »

If you are talking about going a couple of weeks between pulling pints I might recomend rigging something up where you can enlose the end of the tap spout in sanitizer. maybe tiny little buckets that hang off the tap and keep the spout end submerged. That's what I do with my picnick taps, I put the end in a little bucket of idophor but star san would work equally as well I would imagine. Not sure if it matters for me as i usually pull a pint or two nightly if I have a keg on tap.

Certainly something to look at. My problem is work, I work odd hours, so the only time I really drink, is on the weekend, and even then I savor the taste over getting suitcases, so my kegs last a while.
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Offline bluesman

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2011, 11:01:47 am »
Forward sealing faucets are best for reducing bacteria. If you read the draught quality manual, it recommends cleaning the lines and faucets every two weeks with a caustic. That may sound like overkill but it's their recommendation. I clean the lines after kicking each and every keg. I also replace the lines if they look discolored even after cleaning.

http://www.kegworks.com/faqs/Draft-Beer-Quality-Manual.pdf
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Offline whitey

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2011, 12:14:35 pm »
I've been having a helluva time with these kegs, begining to wonder if it's the kegs themselves. Gonna try running pbw thru the lines at the end of each weekend, see if that makes a diffence, if not, I guess I'm gonna have to buy totally reconditioned kegs from sabco for $50 a crack.
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Offline Hokerer

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2011, 12:34:16 pm »
If you are talking about going a couple of weeks between pulling pints I might recomend rigging something up where you can enlose the end of the tap spout in sanitizer. maybe tiny little buckets that hang off the tap

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Offline narcout

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2011, 04:15:43 pm »
Recently added a few taps tp my fridge, wasn't sure if there's anything I should be doing to the taps and/or lines if I go a week or two between getting brew out of them. I do not have soothers.

You should be fine though you'll probably want to discard the first ounce or two of beer that's been sitting in the lines before you fill up a pint.

You could also grab a couple of these: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/KLEEN-PLUG-P2444.aspx
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Offline whitey

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Re: Kegerator best practices.
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2011, 08:15:15 am »
Thank you, Narcout. Those are very cool.
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