PSA: Clean your picnic tap

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Kealia
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PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by Kealia »

I took today off for a 'mental health day' and decided that I was going to tear down my empty keg to clean it really well. I had to run to my LHBS so I decided it was time to change out my beer lines, too. I didn't how yellow they had become until I had new ones in hand...lesson learned. I'll be changing them about every 6 months going forward.

In the process of changing my beer lines I took apart my picnic taps and cleaned them, too. This is what one of them looked like :huh:
Image

Mind you I run PBW and then sanitizer through my lines as I clean each keg when it's kicked but this still built up in one of them.
This one is getting tossed but I thought I would share this horror story with you. You've been warned!
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mtsoxfan
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Re: PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by mtsoxfan »

I took plans from HBT to make a sprayer cleaner. Haven't tried it yet, but was under the impression it would clean the tap as well. It makes sense it would, but your pic shows otherwise... although I am using BLC, if it makwes adifference.
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Inkleg
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Re: PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by Inkleg »

Thanks Ron,
I run cleaner and sanitizer through all beer lines after each kick. The next one to kick gets a through tear down.

@mtsoxfan, that cleaner posted on HBT works great. I made a jumper lead so I can run cleaner and sanitizer through the keg pickup tubes.
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FrozenInTime
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Re: PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by FrozenInTime »

Thanks for the info, I will sure check mine good from now on.
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losman26
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Re: PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by losman26 »

I have been basically filling up my cornys with hot water and oxyclean, running the lines with some co2. Serious PITA.
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Gymrat
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Re: PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by Gymrat »

losman26 wrote:I have been basically filling up my cornys with hot water and oxyclean, running the lines with some co2. Serious PITA.
Make a cleaner. You will thank yourself for it. It is easy to do and will cost less than $15. One of these days I am going to make a jumper like Inkleg did as well.
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Kealia
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Re: PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by Kealia »

losman26 wrote:I have been basically filling up my cornys with hot water and oxyclean, running the lines with some co2. Serious PITA.

That's what I was doing, too. I assumed that was cleaning the inside of the tap as I did.
#fail
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losman26
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Re: PSA: Clean your picnic tap

Post by losman26 »

How do they clean beer lines at bars? Do they run a PBW type of solution and then flush with water? OR do they use a no rinse cleaner?
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