Cobra's Homebrewing Hints

Cleaning & Refurbishing Corny Kegs

Homebrewing March 24, 2004
Written by Cobra

, N/A -

This week's installment: Cleaning & refurbishing Corny kegs.

You will need:

Oxy-Clean

A plastic scrubbie -

A bucket

A razor blade (Be careful with it)

Keg Lube

A plastic putty knife

A long handled brush

New O-rings

New dip tube gaskets

You've already got the setup, and you're debating on buying new Corny kegs
($100 each) or buying used Corny kegs ($25 each).
To me, it's a no brainer, buy used, clean & refurbish them yourself. It's
easier than you think. First, buy your kegs from a reputable source, like
RCB Equipment. Never buy a keg that isn't under pressure when you get it,
because it might be damaged.
Never buy a dented keg. Self explanatory here gang.

When you get your keg, it might have been cleaned on the outside or maybe
not. It might have stickers all over it. No problem.
First, remove the outer dirt, stickers, etc. You can get a product called
Goo-Gone to remove those super sticky stickers. Once you get the stickers
off, bleed the pressure valve, and remove the keg lid. It might be stuck
from years of syrup being dried onto it. Soak the lid in a bucket of hot
water with some Oxy-clean added to it. Remove the big o-ring gasket from the
lid & throw it away. You don't want the taste of root beer syrup added to
your beer, so throw all old o-rings away. If you're handy with your hands,
remove the pressure relief valve from the lid also, and soak it along with
any other parts you disassemble.

Once you have the lid & lid parts soaking, rinse out the inside of the keg
to remove any syrup still inside the keg.
Take off the posts on the top of the keg, noting from which side they came
from. Usually, the gas post (in) will have notches cut into the side of it.
The beer (out) post will be plain. If you have pin-lock kegs, you'll have to
buy a special socket to remove the posts.
Once you have the posts off, remove the poppet valves inside them, being
careful not to lose the springs, and soak them as well.
Remove the o-rings from the posts, and throw them away too.

Now, with everything soaking, scrub out the inside of the keg with
Oxy-clean, and the brush. Rinse well. Remove the dip tubes & scrub them as
well. Place new gaskets on the dip tubes & replace them inside the keg. Wash
& dry the poppet valves, and reassemble them with the posts. Replace the
o-rings on the posts.
Put the posts back on the keg, making sure you get them on the correct
places. Replace the pressure valve gasket & put it back on the keg lid. Put
the new o-ring on the lid, and lube it w/keg lube.
Now that it's all back together, sanitize it with Iodophor, NOT bleach.
Never use bleach on stainless steel. Rinse your keg, and let it dry, or use
it right away to make your own draft beer.

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