Keg Washer/Filler. Purchased or homemade?

[kramling]

Hey Folks,

I'm faced with the purchase of a new or used keg washer/filler or fabricating my own. I have seen some folks fabricate their own but not sure it is the right option. Financially it makes sense but not sure I can really pump out the kegs/hour I need to to be efficient. I also don't know if one can be fabricated that will clean as well as a commercial system.

I'd like to hear some opinions/testimonies etc... I don't mind fabricating. I actually prefer it if someone has a good design to share.

Cheers,
Steve

[gitchegumee]

As a mechanical engineer and an industry veteran, I highly recommend purchasing a quality manufactured unit. I've used many units and thought I could do better, but when faced with a spreadsheet of parts costs, forgot about it quickly. Don't look at the capital cost alone, but the total cost of ownership. How many bad kegs can you afford to lose when you are selling all you can make? My two cents is that this isn't a good place to cut costs. Good luck.

[Valleybrew]

Buy a good quality automated machine. I have been humping along with a homemade sink unit for many years and we finally got the real deal from Premier Stainless. The room for error in the homemade setups and lack of low flow clean for proper stem cleaning far outweigh any initial "cost savings". The automated units are actually suprisingly affordable.

[Moonlight]

"Kegs per hour" is a really useful number. I prefer "really clean kegs per hour." They are often confused,

[kramling]

Yeah... That is what I am worried about. If I go to the trouble to make a quality beer, I don't want my kegging process to spoil it.

Thanks for the quality feedback guys. I'll follow up with Premiere Stainless. Is there another vendor I should consider? IDD, DME, etc...

Cheers,
Steve