Kegerator Cleaning and Maintenance

Keeping it all fresh and clean

Cleaning the lines

So your beer isn't flowing through stale residue, clean the beer line on your beer kegerator at least once every six weeks. A standard practice is also to clean every time you switch out the keg. Cleaning kits are the easiest way to go. Here's how to use one:

Shut off the pressure, and remove the tap from the barrel.

Remove the faucet, and rinse under fresh water.

Connect the cleaning attachment to the end of the shank coupling nut, then place one end in a bucket of water. Pump water through the line.

Reattach all parts, retap keg.

Tapping the keg

Make sure you have the right coupler for the brand of beer you have. From there, follow these steps to tap your keg:

Remove the cap from the keg

Coupler handle should be in off position (up)

Lug locks on tavern head should align with keg's lug housing

Turn tavern head handle clockwise until secure, then rotate on and off valve a 1/4 turn clockwise to activate both CO2 and beer ports.

Your keg is now tapped, ready to pour nice, cold beer from your kegerator.

Always fresh

If you're using CO2 in your beer kegerator, cleaning the lines properly, and keeping the beer at a good temperature, your beer should last for up to four months. The best beer temperature for a kegerator is 34 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

After four months, the taste of the beer may start to change, but it won't necessarily go bad. But fresh taste is what you're looking for with a kegerator, so keep it clean and cold!

Kegerator problems

Flat beer, too much head, or strange tastes are fixable problems with a kegerator.

Flat beer is caused by the CO2 pressure being set too low; getting a new CO2 container or simply checking the pressure will fix the problem. Pressure should be in the vicinity of 10-12 psi/lbs.

Too much head is another pressure problem, but this time, pressure could be set too high. But if the pressure is fine, check the temperature. If you've tapped a warm keg, and haven't given it time to cool in your kegerator, it'll spit out foam. Also, make sure the line is straight without any twists or kinks.

Beer with a funny taste could be a result of dirty lines or a dirty faucet. Or, the beer may have been left in the keg for too long.

More information on kegerators

Other kegerator articles:

Kegerator Kits