Cleaning

[Sunshine_Brewer]

You could try those disposable fermenter liners. Saves a bit of the hassle.

 

[rude]

Doesn't diluted sodium percarbonate break down into hydrogen peroxide (which eventually breaks down into water and oxygen) and sodium carbonate? I once left a cube with napisan in it for (admittedly longer than I should have) thinking it was no rinse sanitiser and came back to it full of floaties and gunk.

After a good rinse and clean with napisan or sod perc I let mine dry but store away unsealed to prevent mould. Usually I just leave them upside down somewhere with the lid off or the tap out. Might not be best practise but I usually end up giving them another quick clean before sanitising anyway. I have however been thinking about storing sealed with sanitiser in them which would prevent cleaning them twice.

I have never had floaties or gunk but fill mine to the absolute brim & sealed up
but not saying my method is right

SS is definately the go as Spiesy said

 

[spog]

My procedure .
Empty,rinse,clean using a sponge to scrub the crap off then hose out.
Remove the tap and use a tooth brush to clean the thread,do the same with the threads on the tap, disassemble the tap and remove the rubber washer.
While draining the fermenter upside down in a bucket I drop the disassembled tap parts into another fermenter or bucket of unsented Napisan for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Then rinse thoroughly and reassemble,then reattach to the fermenter and add water and Napisan,swirl the whole lot around with the rubber lid seal included.
I let it sit for 10 mins or so and swirl again then drain and rinse thoroughly, remove the tap/ rubber livid sealand put away to dry and the fermenter is again put upside down in a bucket to dry.
The drying bucket is a cheap laundry jobby that has holes cut in the wall of it to allow for air circulation so the drainage doesn't cause ponding and nasties to hide.
When it's ready for use ALL joints/ parts/ surfaces are given a squirt with no rinse sanitiser, all good to go.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Make sure you pull your taps apart and clean/sanitise them each time.

Definitely be thorough with the fermenter, but if you don't pull your tap apart, you are only doing half the job.

 

[nosco]

Im the same as Kaiserben except i use Tricleanium or bleach once in a while to change cleaners and hopefully kill more nasties.

 

[Kingy]

Jeez I Definately underclean compared to you guys, only had one infection but that was with another hobby fermenting on the grains which I won't go into.
I hose off the gunk then pour a boiling jug of hot water in with a heaped teaspoon of sodium perc and some cool water until it's just bearable to touch then wipe everything down again then rinse. Then fill to the brim with cold water and add 5teaspoons of sodium perc or 10 in my 60litre and leave to soak for at least days sometimes 2 weeks. Rinse and store upside down on a clean Towell untill dry.
Cover with gladwrap and the ring and store away. Sometimes I don't even use hot water, I just rinse out then soak with sodium perc. If I have had an infection it must've tasted good.

 

[Rocker1986]

My fermenter has been in constant use for well over a year, although I've had it about 4 years. After emptying like a few others I simply rinse out the muck with hot water. I then fill it to the brim with hot water and dump a heap of sodium perc into it, and leave it sit there for a couple of days while the yeast starter for the next batch chills in the fridge. On pitching day I empty it, rinse it off with hot tap water again, then Starsan it. New wort goes in, yeast in, and off it goes again...

I can't remember what I did when I had gaps between fermentations but drying out the fermenter was definitely part of it. Have not had an infection so far.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Doesn't diluted sodium percarbonate break down into hydrogen peroxide (which eventually breaks down into water and oxygen) and sodium carbonate?

Yes, with the caveat that the first breakdown happens as soon as you add water: percarbonate in solution is simply carbonate plus peroxide in a 2:3 ratio. The peroxide does the work, though I think the rise in pH from the carbonate makes the peroxide more effective.

Yes it will go manky as soon as the peroxide level drops enough.

Interesting factoid: if you raise the pH even further (eg by using sodium hydroxide plus peroxide) you make one of the few solutions this side of hydrofluoric acid that will actively etch titanium. I use it when preparing Ti parts for bonding.

 

[Judanero]

My regime (both ss and plastic fv):

As soon as fv is emptied, blast it with the jet spray from the hose to get all the gunk from the krausen ring.

(1)SS fv: Get a scotch brite pad and scrub off the stubborn bits, blast again with jet spray

(2)SS fv: Boil up ~15L water in 19L Big W pot, add to fv with perc, wrap whole fv in sleeping bag and let sit >2 hrs (I've found even half filling the fv with boiling water it will heat the whole fv so it is too hot to handle without gloves or what not)

(3)SS fv: Empty water/perc, rinse with hot water, spray with starsan and let it sit for five mins or so, rinse with a 1.7L kettles worth of boiling water, remove ball valve, put foil over the 2" ferrule, disassemble ball valve- soak in boiling water and perc/ starsan/ boiling water rinse etc and store with foil over both ferrule ends of ball valve.

(1)Plastic fv: Pour jug of boiling water around the krausen ring mark and wipe with a new bit of chux wipe or paper towel.

(2)Plastic fv: fill entire fv with boiling water and perc, let sit >1hr

(3)Plastic fv: Empty through tap, rinse inside of fv with hot water, spray with starsan and cover opening with glad wrap and sit for five or so, rinse with boiling water, remove tap and pour boiling water in thread and spray with starsan, cover opening with glad wrap and ring; store fv upside down (tap hole covered with tape, tap disassembled soaked in boiling water + perc/starsan/boiling water rinse etc before next brew)

Before I add wort to either type of fv I then always rinse with jug of boiling water, spray with starsan, rinse with jug of boiling water.


It is slightly pedantic but I haven't had an infection yet, I know how long it takes so I factor it in to my routine and it's no drama.

 

[pcmfisher]

Do you think it would be a good idea to use a kitten as a washing sponge. They are soft and wouldn't scratch your fermenter.

At a pinch you could use the one from your airlock.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Kittens are excellent, and self cleaning

 

[mofox1]

Make sure you go fur down. The little *******s have fecking sharp teeth and claws. Wouldn't want to scratch the plastic.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Make sure you go fur down. The little *******s have fecking sharp teeth and claws. Wouldn't want to scratch the plastic.

Trick for newbie's

 

[Lethaldog]

I've used the same method for donkeys years, hose main crap outside then hot water and dish washing detergent for a good wash out with a sponge, upside down on a towel to dry then sanitize before use, never had a problem and rarely have I ever taken the taps out!

 

[troopa]

Cubes not Pubes.

1. 2L hot water
2. Cap on
3. Shake to loosen crap (as you do)
4. Empty
5. Tbs or 2 of sod perc
6. Fill with hot water
7. Cap on
8. Forget about it till next brew day
9. Rinse
10. Starsan.. usually not
11. Brew

Sometimes I consider going back to drums.. Then I wake up from the dream.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

GOLDEN RULE

Make sure it is CLEAN

You cannot sanitise something that is not clean

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Cubes not Pubes.

1. 2L hot water
2. Cap on
3. Shake to loosen crap (as you do)
4. Empty
5. Tbs or 2 of sod perc
6. Fill with hot water
7. Cap on
8. Forget about it till next brew day
9. Rinse
10. Starsan.. usually not
11. Brew

Sometimes I consider going back to drums.. Then I wake up from the dream.

FFS Make sure everything is DRY before you store it

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Error: nothing here.

 

[S.E]

FFS Make sure everything is DRY before you store it

Why must be dry Stu? I think the majority, or at least a high percentage of experienced brewers on here leave fermenters filled with sod perc and water same as Troopa between brews without problems.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

I've used the same method for donkeys years, hose main crap outside then hot water and dish washing detergent for a good wash out with a sponge, upside down on a towel to dry then sanitize before use, never had a problem and rarely have I ever taken the taps out!

There are much better products to use for cleaning than dish washing detergent. PBW, unscented napisan, sodium percarbonate, etc.

You might think the tap is clean, but nasty critters are more than likely lurking in them. It's very easy to pull them apart and clean and should be done after every use.