Beer Line Cleaner for a Kegerator

A typical beer line cleaning kit costs about $50 (e.g., http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_40_276&products_id=1209). The cleaning kit in this Instructable will cost just a few dollars.

Step 1 Parts Required

1. Soda bottle and cap. Use whatever size you need. I used a 2L bottle.
2. 1/4" vinyl tubing (whatever length you need)
3. 2 hose clamps
4. 1 locking air chuck
5. 1 hose barb adapter, 1/4" barb x 1/4" MIP
6. 1 1/4" barb to 1/2" MIP adapter (I used a nylon adapter from Lowes, A-193B)
7. 1 tire stem

A simpler and cheaper design would use a 1/2" male MIP to 1/4 MIP adapter in place the hose, clamps, and barbed adapters. I had all but the nylon adapter available, so that is how I made it. If someone tries the simpler design, comment and let us know how it worked.

Pour a beer before you start, as you will have to disconnect the beer line from the keg coupler in step 6.

Comments

[pipodeclown]

 Nice idea. However, what kind of kegerator (kit) do you use..?? or more specifically, what kind of beer lines/nuts. I spent an hour in the hardware store (fortunately I took the coupler & tap) trying to find anything like the nylon adaptor you used, but nothing was even close to fitting. The nut at the end of the beer lines has a very different threading than anything they had in the hardware store.

I think I will still try to make something similar to this, but I bought an adapter that fits in place of the tap instead; I will clamp some tubing to it, and may make something similar to attach to a pressurized bottle (although, when pouring from the top, gravity is probably sufficient).

[bjinstr]

My kegerator is a Vissani (I didn't use a kegerator kit), which is made by Magic Chef. As far as I know, the beer line is standard, but I'm not sure. Like you, I brought the coupler and hose into Lowes to find a fitting that fit. The fitting I used is a 1/4" barb to 1/2" MIP adapter (Lowes part number A-193B).

You are probably right that gravity should be sufficient.

Good luck!

 

[stephenniall]

Hmm i did something very similar with a old pump i had cos it was out of a car windscreen Washer jet I made a bottle like this and made it pump Baby sterlising fluid all day