Cleaning Of Equipment (secondhand)

[Pixiedust]

A lovely old fellow in the town near where I live recently passed and my Brother in Law acquired his homebrew setup for me (along with six cartons of his finest for himself!)

Now the three fermenters are stained inside, and have a rather funky beer like smell.

Would Napisan be the best to soak in them to get rid of the stains??

Anything else I should do?

I was given a few other things as well. Will post a photo later of what was claimed to be ginger, but it doesn't look like any ginger I have ever seen before??? :blink:

I was also given some heat lights and a thing that looks like a fish tank heater? h34r:

Thanks for helping a complete noob

 

[MastersBrewery]

nappisan is a good start and should get rid of any off odours, and most stains. If it were me I'd make a slightly stronger solution and let it soak for a week or so, then a good wash with pbw and a rinse with starsan to sanitise.

 

[Pixiedust]

Pbw?

 

[Leigh]

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=2537

Pbw?

 

[2much2spend]

+1 PBW i was surprised how well it cleans, but pricey

 

[brettprevans]

a whack of bleech for a few days wont hurt either provided you wash it out thoughly. oh and DONT mix bleech with nappysan. bad stuff. oh and make sure its unscented nappysan and bleech.

Searching 'cleaning equipment" and youll find more on cleaning brewer gear than most women will ever know about cleaning anything.

edit: fish heater thingy: some people use these as submersible heating devices to keep beer warm when fermenting. unles of course its a fish tank oxygen/areation device, whicih people use to aerate their wort just prior to fermentation to ensure health yeast growth.

 

[donburke]

+1 PBW i was surprised how well it cleans, but pricey

pbw is very good at cleaning pretty much all parts of the brewery

saniclean is very good at removing what you cant see or feel, but can smell

plastics, like cubes and fermenters and silicone hoses tend to absorb wort over time, especially if its hot, and there is not much that can be done to return them to new, so its probably better to replace them periodically

notice that whenever you clean a keg with napisan or pbw, you can still get a whiff that its had beer in there ?

well if you rinse it out with saniclean after the napisan/pbw treatment, then all you can smell is stainless steel

very good for the stainless steel as well as leaving it nice and shiny

 

[ben_sa]

Bleach and vinegar...

Be careful etc etc dont breath the fumes etc etc

 

[Yob]

Bleach and vinegar...

Be careful etc etc dont breath the fumes etc etc

as it can kill you if mixed incorrectly

Fixed

 

[Amber Fluid]

I'd try unscented napisan for a week or so first and if that doesn't work then PBW. Make sure to rinse well and afterward then you could even leave it in a nice sunny spot for a day or so too.

Failing all this, get rid of them as it is just not worth the risk.

 

[BOG]

2 caps of unsented (sensitive) Napisan in the fermenter fill to overflowing and leave it for a week or 2.

Rinse well and sterilise with a no rinse and your ready to go.

 

[woodwormm]

I like to sit my fermenter out in full sun full of either nappysan or bleach solution. whichever i've mixed at the time (never together).

sunlight, uv etc is a great stain killer/ bleacher... mother nature does well too

 

[brettprevans]

I like to sit my fermenter out in full sun full of either nappysan or bleach solution. whichever i've mixed at the time (never together).

sunlight, uv etc is a great stain killer/ bleacher... mother nature does well too

Yes but sunlight and plastic don't mix for extended periods. It will get brittle over time if u continue to do that regularly.

 

[Pixiedust]

Great, thanks so much! I will get some next time I go to town and try it!

Sunshine is not an issue, lol....ground temp over 60 here today.

 

[stux]

pbw is very good at cleaning pretty much all parts of the brewery

saniclean is very good at removing what you cant see or feel, but can smell

plastics, like cubes and fermenters and silicone hoses tend to absorb wort over time, especially if its hot, and there is not much that can be done to return them to new, so its probably better to replace them periodically

notice that whenever you clean a keg with napisan or pbw, you can still get a whiff that its had beer in there ?

well if you rinse it out with saniclean after the napisan/pbw treatment, then all you can smell is stainless steel

very good for the stainless steel as well as leaving it nice and shiny

You might be surprised how good leaving the fermenter in the sun for a couple of days is at removing musty smells...

edit: heh, next post.