Cleaning The Fermenter

[ketonjo]

Hi All,

Hope you can give me some advice about cleaning my fermenter. Currently I use Coopers Sanitiser to clean but it seems a waste to throw away all that water (I fill it to the bream).

Would just filling the fermenter with hot water and leaving overnight be enough to clean it or is it too risky? That way I can re-use the water for the garden. Or is there perhaps another way to clean the fermenter where I can re-use the water?

Any advice would be great.

Cheers
Goomeister

 

[mikeintmba]

Hi Goomeister
I scrub my fermenter with dishwashing liquid just like washing up normal stuff but you must remember to remove the tap and any other add ons like the airlock etc to get into places where nasties may hide. Then I put a bleach solution in the fermenter and swish it around and let the add ons soak, like the tap etc. If I want to be ruthless i lay the fermenter on its side so everyside of the fermenter gets time under bleach, rotating it until every surface has been soaked. Since I started doing this my beer has improved taste wise.
Cheers

 

[Hutch]

There are some very good cleaning products available specifically for brewers, such as PBW, which is available from Craftbrewer.
...and you certainly don't need waste a heap of water by filling up your fermenter!

Given that you already have the Coopers Sanitister, it can be used as a very effective cleaner. The active ingredient in this product is Sodium Percarbonate, which when mixed with BOILING water rapidly breaks down to create a peroxide bleach, which is both an effective sanitiser and very good at cleaning stuborn organic gunk off your fermenter.

I typically put a small cap-full (roughly 1/2 teaspoon) into the fermenter, and add a kettle-full of boiling water. This immediately starts fizzing like crazy. Put on the fermenter lid, and give it a good shake (it will vent off a lot of steam out of the air-lock hole, so be careful!)

Only a couple of minutes is all that's required, or leave for longer if you have stubborn or dried-out gunk / yeast scum etc. Should be followed by a no-rinse sanitiser (such as Star-san or Iodophor) to completely sanitise the fermenter before reuse.

Hutch.

 

[Pollux]

I use a mild solution of napisan with a high concentration of elbow grease, rinse it thoroughly with hot water, then make up a 10L batch of bleach/vinegar solution (1.6ml/L), throw everything inside, give it a good swirl and then leave it till the next day when I drain and air dry on a sanitised kitchen bench then it's normally straight into the next batch.....

 

[Fantoman]

As mentioned by Hutch, the active ingredient in the Coopers cleaning stuff is Sodium Percarbonate, so it is basically the same as no frills napisan, which many people use on their fermenters (including myself). Sodium Percarbonate is fully biodegradable and so far hasn't hurt my lawn when i've tipped out a fermenter full of it. As long as the water has cooled it should be fine....

I generally put in a cap full of no frills napisan and fill the fermenter with hot water and leave it for a day or 2 to soak, then empty onto the lawn and hose it off to rinse, follow up with your no rinse sanitizer of choice and you're ready to go....

 

[Barley Belly]

Each to their own

My regime' is:-

-Add water and swirl to remove yeast cake
-Pull seal outta lid, chuck in with airlock plus o-ring plus any other stuff ie racking tube
-Add teaspoon unscented Napisan and fill with warm water and leave for a least 30mins
-Drain and wipe any remaining crud while draining with a chux superwipe (be sure to unscrew the tap while it's draining to get rid of any yeast left in behind it)
-Put tap back in, add 1/4 cup 50/50 bleach & vinegar mix, top up with cold water and leave overnight or at least 30mins (I think the World Health Organisation recommends at least 2 mins contact, but I like to NUKE any nasties)
-If storing:- Drain and rinse with cold water and leave to dry until next use, then rinse with boiling water before use
-If using again straight away:- Drain and rinse with boiling water before use

My method might be a little over the top but it works for me

My wise sage of a LHBS guy once told me there are three main things to remember with brewing, IN THIS ORDER!!!!

1) Sanitation

2) Temp Control

3) Ingredients

My 0.02c

 

[Mantis]

Yes we all have a different way.
I hate chemicals and use only phosphoric acid as a sanitiser.
I take the fermenter out to the tank tap, and put about 5 lt of water in it. Swill it around and put it on some garden plant (plants love it).
Wash out fermenter with a small drop of dishwashing liquid and lots of water. Rinse fermenter at least 3 times with hot water from tap. Lid of fermenter with rubber bung removed are in the sink.
Boil kettle and put full kettle of boiling water in fermenter, put on lid with rubber bung and airlock back in place and swill the thing aroung. the airlock will hiss and fart so be carefull.
Then i take out the tap and drain some of the hot water out the outlet. I give the tap a good squirt of phosphoric solution and put it back in. Take off lid and empty. Give the fermenter a good spray inside with the phosphoric and put lid back on and give the airlock a fill with the phosphoric as well. Put it away till needed.
Phosphoric is a yeast food so all is good

 

[flattop]

Where do you get Phosphoric acid?

 

[achy02]

Hi Mantis,
Just wondering why Phosphoric acid over chemicals? It sounds a lot nastier than Napisan....
aches

 

[Fents]

if your worried about wasting water spend some bucks and buy a karcher pressure washer, seriously saves water and gets anything off a dirty fermenter, keg or any other piece of brewing equip.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Read this

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=18

 

[ketonjo]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I didn't realise there were so many different ways to clean! I'm glad that the Coopers is biodegradeable so I can tip it on our garden. I hate to see water go to waste.

 

[KGB]

if your worried about wasting water spend some bucks and buy a karcher pressure washer, seriously saves water and gets anything off a dirty fermenter, keg or any other piece of brewing equip.

Karcher saves water? :huh: Common misconception. The pissiest little one on the website uses 330L per hour, IIRC a mains pressure tap pumps out 500-600L per hour (full tilt, wide open). They really don't save much water, although the pressure is great for a lot of cleaning applications.
I know the numbers because my cousins used one to clean their dirt bikes, thinking it was a great way to save water. They used it most weekends for at least 30min at a time and wondered where the spike in their water bill came from...? Their model used about 450L per hour.


Enough OT, if you rinse and clean the fermenter with a soft sponge and some elbow grease immediately after bottling/kegging, you're 90% of the way there. A bit of a quick clean and then sanitise on brew day and you're ready to rock.

 

[flattop]

I use a very small amount of bleach and water(maybe 1 liter) and rub it clean with my hands, after that i pour the used water over some old stubbies to clean them up a bit.
When i take the stubbies out in a week or so i will probably soak my kids white socks in the water before i wash them in the machine.
The 3x used water i will throw across the paving so it slowly evaporates and doesn't concentrate in one area.

 

[Damian44]

How do you clean your Erlenmyer Flask, after using it as a fermenter?

 

[Goofinder]

How do you clean your Erlenmyer Flask, after using it as a fermenter?

Napisan soak with hot water, then a good rinse out.