r/Homebrewing • u/JoystickMonkey • Apr 23 '26
Equipment Got a kegerator? Clean your lines!
I recently made my first beer for an AHA competition (got a 35/50, which is not too shabby!) and while it was nearly done lagering I noticed that my tap had started to leak a bit. It's time to replace some o rings. To prevent the leaking, I swapped over to my less frequently used tap and after purging the lines a little bit I had another taste. The clean, moderately malty and lightly hopped festbier I poured was now an acrid, skunky drink. Any sweetness from the other tap was gone and it was overpowered by harsh, unwelcome flavors.
It was a huge contrast of flavor, and definitely a lesson to me on how important it is to have clean lines!
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u/stevewbenson Apr 23 '26
I loop all 4 of my lines/taps together and pump 130° pbw through them all in one go for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes I swap over to water and rinse for a few minutes. Lastly, I connect gas and push any water out, then reconnect everything.
This whole process is so easy and I do it about once per month to keep my lines free of beer stone and other build up.
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u/LokiM4 Apr 23 '26
PBW is fine, but actual BLC is much better and more effective at cleaning lines properly-sold in concentrated solutions, it’s inexpensive and easy to use.
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u/stevewbenson Apr 23 '26
I've used both. Price is a wash with PBW depending on which one you buy.
1/4 scoop of PBW works just as well as long as it's hot.
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u/LokiM4 Apr 23 '26
Your call obviously, I just think BLC cleans better, faster- rinses cleaner and doesn’t leave an aftertaste, where I always taste PBW for pours afterwards despite flushing them both the same.
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u/stevewbenson Apr 23 '26
What kind of lines are you running? I'm running EvaBarrier - they don't seem to hold on to smells and flavors like silicon does.
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Apr 23 '26
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u/stevewbenson Apr 23 '26
Yeah, I used to just do "warm" water (maybe 100° F) with PBW and push it with an aquarium pump and do each line one at a time. Took forever and they never seemed to be fully clean.
Finally got all the ball lock spouts for my nukataps and the ball lock jumpers for the disconnect side so I can connect them all together and cycle it through my kettle. The difference was noticable after the first time.
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u/Shills_for_fun Apr 23 '26
Once you run a cleaner throughout your beer lines once, you'll do it again lol. It's a gross but necessary right of passage.
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u/May5ifth Apr 23 '26
I only clean when kicking a keg. I think with EVA barrier duotight lines, you can get away with not needing to clean the lines while still serving the same keg. I don’t notice anything wrong with my beer when I’ve been serving them for 8+ months without cleaning. If you have vinyl lines, maybe it’s more necessary.
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u/hert-dergs Apr 23 '26
I keep three 2L plastic bottles, one full of PBW, one with water, and one with sanitiser in my keezer, each with with the kegland attachment that functions to turn the screw on lid into 2 disconnects. Once the keg's done, move the gas & liquid hoses from the keg to the pbw, flush the line, then do the same with water and then sanitiser. Makes the line cleaning process super efficient I've found cos everything's right there ready to go
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u/Pooping_brewer Apr 23 '26
How have you possibly gone so far as to create beer enough times learning the importance of sanitization only to bungle the cleaning and sanitization of draft lines?
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u/JoystickMonkey Apr 23 '26
I mean I certainly have in the past. It just struck me how marked the difference was between the two different lines.
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u/Guestwhatu Apr 23 '26
I clean my tap lines once a month or when a keg kicks. Sounds like a lot, but it's not bad.
Small electric pump, with a 3 port adapter. Cleans/rinses lines in 30 minutes.
A little maintenance goes a long way.
Even further- I break down the taps and give a pbw soak once a quarter.
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u/mydogeinvests Apr 23 '26
I use evabarrier and get away with using PBW a few times a year. My lines are stored in a cold kegerator which helps. No noticeable off-flavors. However, I run star-san through them after each keg just because. It can’t hurt and doesn’t need to be warm or rinsing with warm water.
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u/Gaz11211 Apr 24 '26
Hot water, purple line cleaner, sanitiser. Im pretty good at line cleaning every 3-4 weeks Have however overlooked the taps.🤣
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u/warboy Pro Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
I actually own a draft servicing company. Draft system maintenance is huge when you're talking about beer quality. Awhile back someone asked about "best practices" to maintain their system and I came up with this.
Best practices? Recirculate a beverage line cleaner or formulated caustic with a pump powerful enough to push 2 gallons/minute through your system for 10-20 minutes. This should be done every month at least. The absolute best practice is every 2 weeks according to guidance from the Draught Beer Quality Manual.
Use these to connect your disconnects together. I'm not sure if the equivalent exists for pin lock kegs. Pull your faucets off and use these to connect each shank together. While Recirculating disassemble your faucets and soak in the same cleaner. If heavily soiled or using a lesser cleaner you may need to scrub the insides with a brush.
Rinse the system and faucets with water and put it all back together. Additionally, an acid cleaner should be utilized every 3 months to clean out any beer stone buildup. This is in addition to the normal caustic/BLC cycle.
I would say 95% of homebrewers do very little of this and are probably fine for it. So what are "acceptable" practices. As a professional draft tech I would first suggest using a tailor-made cleaner for the job. A product called BLC from National Chemical is readily available to consumers and is much more effective compared to PBW or Oxyclean. Its also more dangerous! This is a legit caustic cleaner and not just an alkaline cleaner like most homebrewers are used to. Wear gloves when handling it and I highly recommend safety glasses as well. You don't want to be getting a splash of this in your eyes. I've also utilized Super No-Rinse when I was feeling lazy. It works but I would keep a bottle of BLC around just to knock out any buildup.
Recirculating cleaner is better than static cleaner. It scientifically makes sense, it makes practical sense, and I've seen the difference in person. Saying that, you can get away with static cleaning with a cleaning bottle or just loading up an empty keg with BLC or SNR and sending it through the lines.
Regardless of how you're cleaning the lines, you should still be disassembling your faucets and soaking them in cleaner as well as inspecting them for any further soiling after that soak and removing it by scrubbing. This is where most of the gross stuff happens. Seriously, if you don't do this you're going to regret not doing it the first time you pull them apart to take a look. The buildup basically looks like gross snot and your beer will be passing right through it.
You can go easy with less aggressive chems but you'll want to replace your lines more frequently to start fresh. Acid cleaners are good because they actually attack non-organic buildups which can hide organic buildup under them but their necessity largely depends on the water profiles you're brewing with and the water you're using to clean with. Harder water leaves more deposits. If you're generally using soft water, you can get away with never doing this. Additionally, a large amount of beerstone is actually produced by improper cleaning. The reaction between caustic soda and beer actually is the main producer of beerstone. This is why it's important to rinse with water before cleaning with caustic. Also, if you have any brass in your system work towards removing it ASAP. Chrome plated parts will quickly loose their coating. Brass will add an unpleasant flavor to your beer and will also serve as a rough surface for bacteria to grow on once it begins to have a patina.
I try and clean my system once a month but I've definitely skipped a month here or there and been fine. Evabarrier tubing is very forgiving. I would be fine just static cleaning every month and replacing the lines every couple of years. Since I've got the pump I'm going to ride these lines until I start noticing excessive color change in my cleaner.
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u/Uncross-Selector Apr 23 '26
I have 2.5L keg I use as a washout keg. Every time I swap a keg I use it to push PBW through the line, leave it for 20 mins then rinse with hot water.
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u/skratchx Advanced Apr 23 '26
Corollary because I've seen people proudly proclaim they don't do this... disassemble your ball valves and clean them. Even on your mash tun and boil kettle.
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u/homebrewfinds Blogger - Advanced Apr 24 '26
Yup! 100%. I have simple flushing setup I use between kegs and then regularly clean or replace lines.
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u/Ashtremusic Apr 24 '26
As someone who worked in a brewery and would do line cleaning regularly, I’d do our main customers taps once a month. Always came out fairly clean.
If it goes much longer than that, when you clean it it starts coming out black from all the crap in the lines.
I’ve seen what looks like stout come from a lager only tap because of how long it’s been left between cleaning.
And essentially, the less it’s used, the more crap that’s going to be sitting in the lines.
Caustic cleaner (beerline cleaner) is best for the lines as it’ll get rid of organic matter better than just a sanitiser.
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Apr 23 '26
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u/skratchx Advanced Apr 23 '26
I suspect this comment is mostly tongue in cheek, but I'll bite anyway. You definitely don't need to continually clean already-clean equipment that is sitting idle. You should clean things as soon as possible after they are done being used, thoroughly, and let them dry. A quick rinse is sufficient when you're ready to go again, with a hit of sanitizer if it's for the cold side.
I am certain that if you tried a beer as it was brewed hundreds of years ago, you would detect various off flavors.
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u/Mont-ka Apr 23 '26
I use thin lines that are also short. I just replace them every time I put a new keg on.
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u/talltime Apr 23 '26
Every time? Damn. Do you have faucets with the back pressure adjusters? (Been out of the homebrew game for 15 years)
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u/spoonman59 Apr 23 '26
Wow I can’t imagine doing that. Opening the draft tower, removing the faucet and the shank to unhook the line, hook on a new one….
That seems like a lot more work than flushing the lines, rinsing, and sanitizing.
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u/Mont-ka Apr 23 '26
I don't have a tower. I disconnect, then disassemble the tap. Clean it then reassemble with new line on the new keg.
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u/spoonman59 Apr 23 '26
On right that is easy. I was thinking kegerator, but I also use picnic taps in my chest freezer and I absolutely clean them every time I change them as well.
But the tower I prefer to clean in place.
Thank you for clarifying!
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u/Shills_for_fun Apr 23 '26
I use evabarrier tubing and duotight fittings so it's super easy to pop lines on and off.
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u/mrm5117 Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26
Is there anything like a rifle bore snake but for a 10 ft beer line? The connections are so stiff I don’t want to take on and off each time so I’ve only been able to run soap and water through and have the entry end higher to ensure some flow then chase with just water and so same but ends swapped. It would need something rigid to push all the way through ten feet bends and all then enough string or similar to connect a brush and run all the way through both ways.
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u/JoystickMonkey Apr 23 '26
Have you tried Pro Brewer Wash or BLC? It's scary how much gunk gets stripped off of the inside of lines. You don't need to be roto-rootering your beer lines!
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u/mrm5117 Apr 23 '26
I have pbw powder. I think that’s the same as what you mentioned. I haven’t tried it with beer pine, only with fermenters and brewing kettles but I’ll give that a shot next time.
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u/LokiM4 Apr 24 '26
Seems like a beer line brush would scratch the inside of the lines like a plastic bucket gets scratched and those would harbor nasties and things that caused off flavors-doesn't seem like a recommended method. Circulating BLC cleans and sanitizes beer lines very effectively.
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u/Bottdavid Intermediate Apr 23 '26
Probably overkill but every time I empty a keg and clean that keg I also clean the line it was hooked to.