I use this setup to clean my kegerator (keezer) beer lines using an aquarium pump.

The basic idea is to daisy chain your taps and QDs together so you can pump through all the taps at once and recirculate the cleaner.

Note: this only works for perlick-type faucets, if you have a plunger on the front of the tap it will not work and you will make a mess.

I was inspired by the jumper post from Brewhardware.com (https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/ball_lock_jumperpost.htm).

Notes:

I printed these using PETG but it would probably work fine with PLA as well. A brim helps to make sure it doesn't break loose when it gets to the higher portion. The pump adapter does need 'touching buildplate' support for the flange, the other parts do not.

Post-Printing

Everything needs an o-ring: the ball lock posts at the end, and the pump threads just below the flange (see pictures).

Note that it probably won't make a perfect seal unless you spend a lot of time finishing/sanding. Ain't nobody got time for that, so I used a lot of keg lube on the ball lock posts, and the pump threads, especially around the o-rings. Still a little bit of leakage, but much less than I normally spill on my own :)

You will need:

• cleaner (I use PBW, then clean water, then Star San .. but for testing I just use water)
• aquarium pump big enough to pump through all your taps (ie: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017R708QO is $17 and plenty sufficient for 4)
• medium sized tub/bucket, etc (I use a ~10l storage tub)
• BallLockDoubler.stl - one or more depending on how many taps you have
• Pump-to-BallLock.stl - to screw into the pump
• Tubing - enough to connect your taps together. I use 1/2" silicon tubing.
• Clamps? - the silicon tubing seals to the Perlick faucets well enough that clamping is unnecessary.

To clean:

• First, pour a beer, you will need it later
• Put the pump and cleaner in the bucket
• Screw Pump-to-BallLock into the pump
• Connect the first QD to the ball lock on the pump
• Use a piece of tubing to jump from one tap to the next
• Use BallLockDoubler to connect two QD
• Repeat as necessary
• Run the last tap or QD back into the reservoir (you can use another BallLockDoubler to keep the QD open). I tend to drain the first bit into a growler until it runs clear so I am not recirculating contaminants.
• Turn on the pump and drink the beer you poured earlier :)

I let it run for about 15-20 minutes, then flush it with fresh water, then a quick rinse with sanitizer.

How I Designed This

I sliced the 'Ball Lock Keg Connector' at the bottom of the ball lock post (using Netfabb) to make BallLockPost.stl. I then imported that into OpenSCAD and made the rest of the adapters. The threads for the pump adapters need the Threading library from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1659079

Note that I just guestimated at the threads using a pair of calipers and a few test prints. They work for me, but I am not sure how common those threads are in aquarium pumps.

Category: Kitchen & Dining