Cleaning Your Brewing Equipment

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robbiep

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Hi guys,

Now that my first extract and AG brew is going to be done soon, Ill going to need to give the fermenters a good clean after bottling.

What do you guys use to clean your fermenters with?

I assume the cleaner / soap you use is important as you dont want to leave your fermenter soapy for the next brew.

I have a no rinse sanitizer which I will use after I have cleaned everything and just make up 2 litres and give everything a good swirl followed with a spray (sanitiser in a spray bottle).

Out of interest, I got this solution from an old thread, which is a home made no rinse sanitiser:

take 19L of cold tap water
add 30ml of household bleach, stir well
add 30ml of white vinegar, stir well

20-30secs contact time for effectiveness. If made up to this strength It does not require rinsing. Swish the stuff around and drain it out well.

Anyone tried this?

Cheers,
Robbie
 
i use a mix of sodium percarb and sodium metasilicate to clean then use starsan for the win to sanitise.
 
Thanks!

sodium percarb and sodium metasilicate.. is this something you can find only at your LHBS?
 
After speaking to my LHBS, they dont have sodium percarb or sodium metasilicate, but have a product called Pink Stain (about $9 for 500grams).

Anyone heard of this cleaning product?
 
Thanks!

sodium percarb and sodium metasilicate.. is this something you can find only at your LHBS?
You can also use unscented napisan...similiar product...just make sure you rinse fully before sanitising...
LHBS may have products like oxyper and PBW...which are possibly made using sodium percarb and sodium metasilicate
F
 
Be careful with bleach and vinegar, also with the pink stuff.
Both are pretty caustic and you really don't wanna be breathing nearby.

Whereas Sodium Perc is fairly harmless.
Keg King sell it.
PBW is mostly a mix of this and sodium metasilicate, but is pricey.
 
Thanks guys..

I went down to Coles and got their version of NapiSan called ULTRA BOOSTER (Sensitive). It is 32.9% Sodium Percarbonate and said to have no added dyes, perfumes or enzymes... I'm sure it will do the trick :)

Do you guys completely full up your fermenters when soaking and how long do you soak for?
 
Napisan ... Starsan.

Cheap, effective.

^that.

Thanks guys..

I went down to Coles and got their version of NapiSan called ULTRA BOOSTER (Sensitive). It is 32.9% Sodium Percarbonate and said to have no added dyes, perfumes or enzymes... I'm sure it will do the trick :)

Do you guys completely full up your fermenters when soaking and how long do you soak for?

Yep. It will work well. I fill mine in the laundry sink with hot water and a cap of napisan and let it overflow for a second. Leave it until I have another cube ready to go, then hot water rinses, refill with more wort.
If no cube waiting to ferment then I leave it in napisan overnight, hot water rinse, sanitize then seal and store.
 
I went down to Coles and got their version of NapiSan called ULTRA BOOSTER (Sensitive). It is 32.9% Sodium Percarbonate and said to have no added dyes, perfumes or enzymes... I'm sure it will do the trick :)

Good find RobbieP. Might have to look out for it next time Im there.
 
caustic soda for metal & pink stain for plastic
 
robbiep said:
Do you guys completely full up your fermenters when soaking and how long do you soak for?
I ferment in 20L Willow jerrys, so can seal the lids. I fill to just over half way, with cold water, add a lid of napisan, and the lid, and then lay it flat. The next day I flip it like a pancake. This way the handle is cleaned, and I only use half the water.
Starsan (1.5ml) into a 1L squirty bottle: spray any gear and wait 3 minutes. Drain and use.
 
Good advice Nick,
Gave all my equipment a clean yesterday and used alot of water and potentially Sanitiser (also sprayed).
I also started spraying the sanitizer opposed to making a big batch and soaking.. a waste of water and sanitzier.
 
LHBS has 100% sodium percarbonate which I used for the first time yesterday on some cornys I picked up. Worked an absolute treat... I just got some coles no name napisan stuff which is 33% sodium perc so I am going to mix them together to save a bit of coin.

Don't use bleach on any stainless steel including corny kegs or they will rust. I had to let one soak in lemon juice and warm water to get rid of the rust, that previous owner had used bleach on.

My impression is that sodium perc sanitises to a degree and there is no need for another sanitiser such as starsan but I am not 100% sure on this. Starsan seems to have an excellent reputation though so better to play it safe?
 
Moad said:
My impression is that sodium perc sanitises to a degree and there is no need for another sanitiser such as starsan but I am not 100% sure on this. Starsan seems to have an excellent reputation though so better to play it safe?
If you rinse out the sodim perc, you have just potentially lost your sanitisation.

A no rinse sanitiser such as iodophor is very cheap, can be used for every part of brewing. 10ml in a litre of water, no need to rinse it off, and instant sanitising for bottles, hoses, fermenter, whatever.
 
I keep hearing good things about Starsan. Im off the the HBS today...I might have to get some to give it a go. I haven't had much luck with my brewing in the recent past. I've had batches go off or just taste bad. Maybe this will help :)
 
With regards to rising sanitiser, the use of water straight from the tap is said to be detrimental because it could contain bacteria. However my tap water is very high in chlorine, you can taste and smell the chlorine. Could anyone comment if this would be safe or not?
 
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