Keg/Carboy Washer
Dave August 28th, 2008
Using the Washer
Using the washer couldn’t be easier. Heat up a couple of gallons of water and some cleaning agent (I prefer PBW but Oxyclean would work as well) and dump it into the bucket. If you’re cleaning a keg then hook up the quick disconnects and open the ball valve. Flip the vessel onto the spray tube and turn the pump on. Then go ahead and walk away for a few minutes while the washer does it’s job.
I’ve got a couple of videos showing the washer in action:
Carboy:
Corny Keg:
Conclusion
This washer makes cleaning a bunch of kegs or your carboy a lot easier. That’s bar none my least favorite brewing task. Plus, since you’re not applying any scrubbing action this setup should work very well with the plastic Better Bottle carboys that can scratch with carboy brushes.
There are several improvements you could make, though I’m super happy with the approach I took.
- Upgrade to copper – the original from Doctor Scott was done with copper parts. That would add durability but would also make the construction more costly.
- Building a keg/carboy stand – my build relies on resting the vessel on top of the spray piping in the bucket. Alternative designs incorporate more support for the keg or carboy that’s being washed. I haven’t run into issues yet, though.
- You could probably skip the ball valve because the disconnected quick disconnects will prevent liquid from flowing down those lines. I decided to include the ball valve since it was easy to add and ensures that I don’t exceed the pressure limit on the lines.
Feel free to contact me at dave@slobrewer.com if you have questions or suggestions for improvements.