Given Kegs - They Stink and Have Brwon Stuff Inside!

[brew-in]

Hi,

So I have been given 4 ball lock kegs. Over all they are in good shape. Two of them were still under pressure.

However, they smell musty inside, have a few ounces of clear liquid in the bottom, and brown floating stuff in the liquid.

How best to "save" them?

Cleaning and sanitizing for sure. How do you make sure you have cleaned/sanitized the drip tube adequately? Tuff to see inside there...

Replacing seals is cheap. so that is sorta a no brainier....

What else should I consider doing?

Thanks

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

I once got a keg with Chinese writing on the outside and a bunch of sand and gravel and nasty water inside! Dont sweat it, fill it with REALLY hot water and PBW and soak for as long as a day, rinse with the same temp or hotter water then see how it is. worst case I was able to get my arm inside and scrub around with a non-abrasive scrubbing pad.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

oh for the dip tube I took them apart, did similar HOT PBW soaks, then assembled the keg again and ran all the hot PBW from the keg out the tube by filling with my air compressor. worked well for me.

 

[JB_Brewing2]

First, make sure to soak everything in PBW per the instructions. You can purchase a dip tube brush at your LHBS or get a small caliber cleaning rod for guns. The cleaning rod should be fitted with a slotted end to which you can attach a small piece of cloth to run back and forth through the tubes. Then sanitize.

 

[b-boy]

PBW will take care of just about anything. I also use a toilet brush (new, not used) to scrub out the inside. I'd do multiple soaks, followed by a lot of rinsing in very hot water. Especially if you don't know where these things have been.

 

[RocketBrewer]

I recently acquired some new kegs that were in need of a good cleaning. This is what I did...
1) rinse as best you can.
2) Mix up at least 5 gal. of a strong solution of PBW or OxyClean in hot water.
3) Pick the worst one to start with, fill to the brim, depress poppet valves to be sure they fill with cleaner, cap it and let it sit for a couple days. I use a jumper hose with 2 beer out ball lock QD's to transfer from one keg to the next with the least amount of foaming. I also use compressed air, but use caution, compressors can put oil into the lines which could cause you even more problems. I use a small disposable air filter designed for painting to knock down any oil. PBW and OxyClean will still clean when cold, just not as fast. That's why I do one at a time, it will save you some money.
4) Rinse keg thoroughly (hot water preferably), disassemble ball lock fittings (or pin lock) remove poppet valves and dip tubes and check for cleanliness. Reassemble with new O-rings and poppet if necessary. You can get long 1/4" bottle brushes for cleaning the dip tube if needed.
5) Repeat for remaining kegs. You might give the others a little longer to soak since the solution will be cold.

 

[brew-in]

Thanks...lots fo great input....I feel confident cleaning up my kegs now!

 

[z-bob]

I would start with washing soda. (not baking soda) It's cheap, and does a great job of loosening all kinds of disgusting films and stains. Dump an ounce or two in, fill with hot water, and let it sit overnight. Pour out enough to get a brush in there, and swish it around; everything should come clean. Rinse, and sanitize as usual.

PWB might be the same thing but better, I don't know.