How often do you strip a corny?

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Tomp
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How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Tomp » Thu Jul 06, 2017 9:09 pm

I've been cleaning mine after every use with oxyclean then starsan.

I see some suggest stripping them each time. Seems a little OTT to me.

Is there a happy medium? Every 3 brews etc.?

Look forward to some lively discussions.
It started with kits to save money and now look........!!!

Lots of kit, too many ingredients and not enough time, but a patient wife.... who loves my beer...........

Could be worse :-)

Fil
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Fil » Thu Jul 06, 2017 10:50 pm

personally, Once when i get em, and then every few years depending on use with an oring replacement.
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

AnthonyUK

Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by AnthonyUK » Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:55 pm

I stripped mine after a year and they really didn't need it but they hadn't been used many times. As long as they are cleaned well after use and all seals are good I wouldn't bother too often.

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IPA
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by IPA » Fri Jul 07, 2017 7:04 am

Every time and beer lines as well
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Jambo » Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:04 am

Never!

Bigbud78
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Bigbud78 » Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:22 pm

for the time it takes, every time :) I'd rather spend 10 mins making sure its all clean than waste 4 hours and ingredients due to an infection.

Berk
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Berk » Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:23 pm

I'm looking at using cornies for the first time. Is there a good guide on how to strip and clean them?

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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Bigbud78 » Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:33 pm

Berk wrote:I'm looking at using cornies for the first time. Is there a good guide on how to strip and clean them?
nothing too it TBH I use a 22mm ring spanner, if you get used its worth changing all the seals :)

Fil
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Fil » Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:35 pm

Berk wrote:I'm looking at using cornies for the first time. Is there a good guide on how to strip and clean them?
try the forum search ;) and google of course.. LOTS of detailed info awaiting your mouse click to select..

common sense prevails, just extend your usual cold side rituals, taking into consideration any caustic chemicals you may use with respect to the SS.
most of us employ a combination of generic unscented laundry oxi as a cleaner and starsan as a sanitser, just remember the kegs are only the container aspect of a dispensing system, without temperature management, a regulated co2 supply and a kink free pressure reducing feed line to a clean release tap are also crucial aspects.
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

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Sadfield
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Sadfield » Fri Jul 07, 2017 3:14 pm

Every time, but then I'm using a hop filter around the dip tube which needs taking out and cleaning.

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orlando
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by orlando » Fri Jul 07, 2017 3:33 pm

Every time and a caustic clean has recently been added to the regime. I expect to only do that every 6 months or if I get the suspicion of an infection.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

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Wonkydonkey
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Wonkydonkey » Mon Jul 10, 2017 10:25 pm

I don't know if it's cos it's late but I read the replies, but it seems like most peeps strip them every time....?

All I do is mix some "non chlorinated cleaner" As ss does not like chlorinated cleaners. Edit (corrosion leading to pitting and rust ).
So I use maybe oxi or washing soda in about 4/5 Lts of hot-ish water, put it in the keg lid on. I have a liquid diconect with a short bit of tube, which I conect and blow down into the keg to pressurise it when I stop blowing, the cleaning solution comes up the tube.. I then shake/roll/invert the keg, leave for a bit, do it again, then either pour the cleaner into another keg and do the same, or it goes down the drain. And I just push the center of the poppet with a metal object so the cleaner emptys from the tube.
I flush keg the same way, then I spray some starsan into the keg, as bugs can grow in the little bit water in the keg. Then I just invert the keg to drain the last bit of water-starsan.
And before I resue them they get cleaned and flushed they same way.

And once every few years 3-4yrs I strip the keg, but I have notice some beer stone starting to get hold on one of the kegs. So this will get extra attention very soon.
And Yeh if I get an infection, I treat the keg to real hard clean !,, and that's a 1/2full keg of stronger cleaner so I can leave it to stand and shake and invert it. Knowing all of it gets a good soak
Cheers
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beer baron
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by beer baron » Tue Jul 11, 2017 8:13 am

Hi
overkill by most as they are anal with cleanliness which can never be argued with. I rinse my cornies with hot water from my tap after they are empty and use a syringe to press the top seal of the posts and squirt water down them to flush after this I put a litre or 2 of starsan in flush the posts again a couple of times with the same and then store with the starsan in ready for use next time.#
stripping too often can cause thread problems as some people do overtighten the posts and eventually can cause probs I only strip when leaking or seal changes

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Kev888
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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by Kev888 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 9:27 am

Tomp wrote:I've been cleaning mine after every use with oxyclean then starsan.
I see some suggest stripping them each time. Seems a little OTT to me.
Is there a happy medium? Every 3 brews etc.?
If you have old cornies with old seals around the posts and poppets, these may no longer be in the best shape; over time they can become less compliant and even take on the shape of the parts around them. If you intend to keep using such seals then stripping them down may cause them to leak afterwards unless put back in exactly the same way. So in that case I would advise NOT to strip them down frequently, if at all - assuming that you clean properly (and it sounds like you do) then stripping isn't usually necessary and increases the chance of leaks.

But if you have good or new seals then the choice can go either way - there may not be much gain in stripping down frequently but is unlikely to cause much harm either (if done with reasonable care). My own preference was to replace all the seals (including poppets) with new ones, though I still then only stripped them down perhaps once or twice a year - just for reassurance really, there was never any indication that they needed it.
Kev

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Re: How often do you strip a corny?

Post by vacant » Wed Jul 12, 2017 10:25 am

I strip a keg about once every three uses I guess. Otherwise:
  • Rinse out a few times
  • Arm in and wipe around
  • Kettle of boiling water, seal and slosh around
  • Meat skewer on outlet valve, hold thick cloth over valve and carefully press meat skewer - heat has pressurised the air enough to blast hot water through the dip tube
  • Release pressure, drain and add a litre of Starsan and a bit of pressure - then use the keg for cleaning beer line until I next need it
I brew therefore I ... I .... forget

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