homebrew kegging; one more question

Best practice? I dunno... but I usually just run what ever I am cleaning my kegs with through my beer lines while I am actually, you know, cleaning my kegs. I try to let it sit in the beer lines for a bit if it is still warm.

 

Picnic tap lines can be broken down, soaked in cleaner (if that's even needed) or simply rinsed throughly and sanitized if you like all fairly easy.

For taps, they make this http://www.kegworks.com/economy-beer-line-cleaning-kit-4oz-liquid-395-p16411. I've never actually sanitized the line after cleaning. Beer tastes fine to me.

Call me lazy, but I didn't even clean my beer line when I switched on a new keg last - just ran off a half point or more. And I only rinsed out a spare pinic tap line (I use for a second keg) and hung it up to air dry.

Don't over think these things.

 

I rinse out and sanitize my beer lines between each keg but I don't go nuts. It's cheap an easy enough to just replace your lines every 1-2 years and start fresh.

 

Whenever a keg kicks, I run BLC solution through the lines and faucets, followed by plain water. I run Starsan solution through the lines and soak the disassembled faucets in Starsan solution just prior to re-use.

 

I have a keg filled with One Step cleaner/sanitizer. When a keg kicks, I hook it up and run that through the line to the faucet until a few seconds after it runs clear. I then disconnect the cleaner keg and leave the line full of cleaner until the next keg is ready to serve - usually overnight (at least as long as it takes to chill). I hook up the new keg and flush the line with the first pint or so (that's gonna get dumped anyway -- it's full of sediment). Occasionally, I'll disassemble the faucet and hand wash it, though that doesn't really have to be coordinated with cleaning the line.

 

I built myself one of these, don't need to use CO2 to pump cleaner through the kegs and lines.
Hook it up to your serving line, pump cleaner in, then pump fresh water through.

http://www.homebrewersassociation.o...m/show?title=pimp-my-system-beer-line-cleaner

 

I built this as well. It makes cleaning quick and easy.

 

Awesome! I need to build this.