Cleaning Silicone Hose

[Jye]

Ive been using silicone hose for a while now and every time I look in through the end I cringe :blink: Its not the staining that Im worried about but the beer stone. Ive used caustic on the kettle and hose before but the stone still needs a bit of a scrub to remove it, which obviously cant be done with the hose.

So whats the best chemical method of removing it? Ive read breweries use a caustic wash followed by an acid wash (phos) but I have my doubt whether that will work unless I have a large flow rate through the hose to dislodge the beer stone.

Any experiences?

Cheers
Jye

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I would have thought that a bit of a soak in some acid wash would do the trick - it does beautifully for my stainless stuff. Why would it not work for silicon? Sure, it might take a short soak, but...

Or am I missing the point of your question?

 

[Adamt]

Hmm....

Maybe some sort of cleaning solution, rice gulls, and a lot of shaking? That would create the turbulence and some physical scrubbing action without damage to the inner walls of the pipe. Maybe even some gravel depending how tough it is.

 

[Zwickel]

So whats the best chemical method of removing it? Ive read breweries use a caustic wash followed by an acid wash (phos) but I have my doubt whether that will work unless I have a large flow rate through the hose to dislodge the beer stone.

as you said, acid is the go. Im using citric acid. What about if you leave your tubes over night soaked in citric acid?
Citric acid is easy to get, its the stuff to decalcify coffee machines etc.

 

[Jye]

Zwickel what concentration are you using and is this the same citric acid you can get from the supermarket?

 

[Zwickel]

yeah, citric acid one can get on supermarkets, but that little amounts are far too expensive, better to have a search at ebay.
For example, I got 25kg for around A$30, thats alittle bit more than A$1 for one kilo.
If you buy the same stuff for your kitchen machines, youd pay exorbitant more for it.

So if you are using citric acid everytime you brew, youd need a solution of 0.2 or 0.3% only, but if you do it once in a while, you should use a 5% solution.

Cheers

I forgot to say, basically the concentration depends on the hardness of your brewater. Very hard water needs a higher concentration.

 

[Andyd]

I hook all my pipes into a line with hose couplers and then run a citric acid solution through them all with my march pump for about 10 minutes. Seems to do the trick.

 

[Zwickel]

wow, also the price for citric acid rose enormously, last year Ive paid for a sack of 25kg about 22 Euro, today it costs 37 Euro.

for example: http://cgi.ebay.de/25-kg-Zitronensaeure-Le...9QQcmdZViewItem

What is going on with prices these days

 

[0M39A]

Buy some more hose?

lol, if its bothering you that much, its cheap enough to replace it.

 

[FNQ Bunyip]

What about some sort off a pull through, Like cleaning a rifle.

I have done this with the old vinly tube befor,, but now have my pump and new silicon hose to play with..

Cheers

 

[Jye]

Well it turns out nothing worked until I scored some PBW

I heated it up as per the instructions and as you can see from the pic it worked a treat. I no longer fear looking in the tube or through my tap since they are now sparkling clean, YAY

The next step is to make a spray ball to clean the entire kettle without filling it with water.

I love this stuff :wub:

 

[kabooby]

Whats PBW?

Edit: Found it on google, powdered brewers wash.

 

[Jye]

Powdered Brewery Wash

 

[deadly]

Anyone sell it here,where did you get it from please.

 

[Jye]

The one and only Craftbrewer

 

[mika]

What's it hidden under on their site ?

 

[Frank]

I can't find it either. Can find Starsan, but it is sold out at the moment.

The one and only Craftbrewer

What's it hidden under on their site ?

 

[sanders4_]

Not sure if it would work on really caked on beer stone in a hose, but i use Coopers sanitiser, which is terrible sanitiser, but being pure sodium percarbonate it cleans really well. I use it to get my kettle clean of beer stone, just have to let it soak for a while.

Available in coles or woolies.

Never seen that powdered brewery wash on craftbrewer...must check it out.

 

[Ross]

Not on the site yet guys...won't be long.

cheers Ross

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Better still use this HERE Cellarman is the best , many have tried it and many have been impressed. It removes stuff I didnt think would ever go.Its sold as a line cleaner but works well on all gear.
GB