Campden tablets for semi-long term keg storage?

[Giggs]

I use oxy-clean for 72ish hours to wash my kegs (shaking them under pressure when I think of it). Then I rinse them and then they sit to "air dry" until I need them. I then rinse again with tap water and use Star-San in them for a few minutes before I keg (shaking and clearing both dip tubes). Would it make any sense to use some amount of water and campden tablets in them during the downtime (lid on under pressure)? I hesitate to leave acid or alkaline in them too long.

Thanks for any input!
-G

 

[augiedoggy]

Star san will not hurt the stainless or the seals since they are at the top.
I just wait to clean my kegs and leave them under pressure "dirty" (but sanitary) until I need to use them where I clean them prior to filling...

after dumping the yeast, I use a white scrub spong with a little oxy clean or sometimes BKF... about 2 minutes of wiping out the inside does it for me followed by some starsan which I push through the poppets without disassembling after a blast of co2... never an infection this way in over 5 years so YMMV.

 

[John Eberly]

My method - take everything apart and clean after the keg blows. Take the poppers apart, run a brush through the tubes, check O-rings, scrub inside with a brush then rinse with one step or pbw. Put it back together and store upside down with the lid off.
Before filling flush with sanitizer and push through the outlet with pressure.
You would be amazed what gets caked up in poppets and outlet tube, clean them every time if you care what your beer tastes like!

 

[augiedoggy]

This has been brought up before in many other threads, Depending on your methods you might need to do more to clean the keg but many clean them the way I have been for 5 years now and theres been no buildup or off flavors in my beers from it as implied above.
It takes me 5 minutes to clean one of my regular rotation kegs in a bathtub with a sponge and its just as clean as if I spent 30 minutes on it. If its a keg I havent used in a year or so I do a teardown.

If you tranfer trub or hops and other solids into your kegs you can get buildup in the poppets, I dont, just beer. Therefore I find just pushing starsan through my poppets under co2 pressure flushes them completely clean consistently.. Ive pulled mine apart to change seals and such and they are always clean without caked up buildup of any kind.
If your the type that disassembles the entire keg every time you fill it then it also only makes sense that you disassemble the tap and beer line fittings and do the same every keg too right? Otherwise whats the point in doing such a thorough scrubbing on only half the beer delivery system? I am not that person and you are not going to find any professional establishment that does this between each keg either.. There is a point of diminishing returns for all that work from a practical standpoint. if it takes you 4 months to go through a keg or it sits for months on end between uses without being cleaned than ok it might make more sense. everyone's situation varies.

As far as contamination well if the keg is empty but still sealed the remaining beer inside wont spontaneously get contaminated inside. If your going to clean it right after use why not just let it dry out and rinse it with a little starsan before filling? why more effort for no benefit. Its not any worse for the seals to not be compressed under pressure when not in use.. if anything it would help them not retain memory and last longer..


There are a lot of opinions on what needs or should be done, Some home brewers take all their weldless fittings off and clean and sanitize everything in the brewing setup including the hot side and if that makes them sleep better great. But its not practical as others have already discovered and tried to share.
You asked if cleaning and storing the kegs with camden solution makes any sense and I dont see the benefit myself vs just leaving some starsan inside or letting it dry out.