How keep your kegerators good as new?
How to keep your kegerator looking as it was just bought recently? These might be the best steps in maintaining your keg fridges!
Having your own draft beer at the comfort of your home, cooled at the right temperature, and conveniently dispensed on a tap seems like heaven on earth for beer connoisseurs and home brewers. However, kegerators made this possible. Kegerators can be rented, bought or built and they are basically refrigerators for beer kegs that have faucets on top that directly dispenses your beverage cold from the keg. They come in different sizes and multiple faucets for every craft beer you want at your disposal.
See also: Saving by Kegerator: Why Buying One Saves You More Money
But along with owning kegerators is the importance that these babies and their components are in tip-top shape. If the draft components of your kegerator are not regularly cleaned, then the taste of your beer will be affected because of the buildup of yeast, mold, and beer deposits in your lines. And no one wants to drink bad tasting beer, and so what a waste that would be. Therefore, to make sure your future beer kegs won’t get contaminated with bacteria and retain the quality and flavors of the beer, it is recommended to clean your kegerator between each keg.
How to Clean a Kegerator
Establishing a regular maintenance routine for your kegerator can be difficult at first, but it will get easier once you get the hang of it. The succeeding texts are the recommended steps to follow to ensure proper cleaning and sanitation.
Step 1.
Turn Off the Kegerator. Before you start cleaning the kegerator, make sure that it is off and unplugged. Next, turn off the CO2, close the regulator, disengage the keg tap, and finally, remove the keg.
Step 2.
Wipe the Exterior and Interior Surfaces. With the use of a clean cloth and a mild soap and warm water solution, wipe down the interiors of the kegerator including the regulator, beer lines, and CO2 tank. Next, wipe down the exteriors of the kegerator. Make sure to thoroughly clean the tap, lines, and spill tray.
Step 3.
Clean the Beer Lines. To clean the beer lines, you need to have a beer line cleaning kit (gravity fed cleaning kit or a recirculating pump). The kit comes with a bottle, pump, hose that connects to your beer lines, and a cleanser to sanitize your beer lines. It will help you clean not only the beer lines, but also the faucet, draft tower, and the keg coupler. To start, prepare the cleaning solution and put it into the bottle or bucket. Remove the faucet and coupler and attach the end of the cleaning bottle tube to the faucet opening and stick the end of the beer line into a bucket to catch the cleaning solution. Next, pump the cleaning solution through the beer lines using a pump mechanism or by simple gravity. The solution will run through the lines and empty in the bucket below. Rinse the lines by putting warm water in the bottle and pumping it into the lines. Repeat this at least three times to ensure that the cleaning solution is removed completely from the lines. Never use bleach in cleaning your kegerator. Instead, use an oxidizing cleaner or a solution of water and Iodine.
See also: Cleaning and Sanitizing Homebrewing Equipment – The Right Way
Step 4.
Clean the Faucet and Coupler Parts. Mix the cleaning solution with hot water in a big bowl or basin. Disassemble the faucet parts and keg coupler parts. Soak them all in the cleaning solution for 10-15 minutes. With a faucet brush, scrub the faucet and keg parts to remove any residue caked on them. rinse all the parts thoroughly.
Step 5.
Reassemble the Kegerator. Put the faucet and coupler back together and reattach them back to the shank and beer line and CO2 hose respectively. Turn the valve back to on, and then tap your keg if you have another one on hand. Plug in the kegerator and turn it on again. Remember to let the keg settle and get to temperature before drawing beer from it.
Keep in mind that by keeping your lines clean, you keep your beers fresh. Follow these steps and turn them into maintenance routines for your kegerator. If you need to buy a new kegerator or want to convert your old refrigerator into one, purchase Kegfridge offers the best kegerators on the market for your quality kegerators and conversions kits.