Fermenter Smell

[cal]

G'day,
After bottling my last brew I thoroughly cleaned out my fermenter, however I noticed that the smell hasnt completely gone. Of course, I will strilise the fermenter prior to making my next batch but i'm worried this smell will affect the brew. Should I keep cleaning until the smell is completely gone? Has anyone successfully gotten rid of the smell in their fermenters? I'd appreciate some advice.
Cheers, Cal.

 

[wessmith]

Cal, assuming it is plastic jobbie, fill it right to the top with water and pour in 2 capfulls of bleach, put the lid on and forget about it for a few days. You will be surprised what drops out when you empty and rinse!

Wes

 

[johnno]

Hi cal,
As Wes said. Let it sit with the bleach for a while.
I rinse the yeast out, unscrew the tap, beak the tap up and use a toothbrush on it, toothbrush the thread then fill it and leave it for at least a day.

Comes out beautiful.

cheers
johnno

 

[Ross]

Cal, assuming it is plastic jobbie, fill it right to the top with water and pour in 2 capfulls of bleach, put the lid on and forget about it for a few days. You will be surprised what drops out when you empty and rinse!

Wes

[post="121350"][/post]​

I do the same but use napisan...

cheers Ross

 

[muga]

I clean with pink stain and boiling water, then give it a blast with cold water twice and then spray water/iodophor mix on all things that come in contact with the wort and leave it for 20mins, then rinse it again with boiling water.

It takes time, but I can be certain that all my equipment is clean and sterile.

One thing to make sure is that you clean them right after you have emptied your last batch out, the longer you leave it the harder it is to clean.

 

[homebrewworld.com]

Yeah,
I bleach,pink-powder,iodophor,hot water,gernie,steam,autoclave then rinse with distilled water.

As one great said 'Relax'.

 

[Foz]

With Ross's comment on using napisan - is that two capfulls into the fully filled fermentor? Then left to rest for a couple of days?

 

[Ross]

With Ross's comment on using napisan - is that two capfulls into the fully filled fermentor? Then left to rest for a couple of days?

[post="121550"][/post]​

No - just left for 24hrs is ample & make sure you use hot water.

cheers Ross

 

[Steve]

and hot water to rinse two or three times.

 

[beers]

sorry for the sidetrack but does anyone know if napisan (or its equivilents) contain soap? i've been using it for awhile & was surprised recently when i used some of the new coopers sanitizer (88% sodium percarbonate) & it didn't foam up like napisan does :unsure:

 

[cal]

Thanks fellas, some good advice in there, as well as some methods i hadn't come across before. Cheers.

 

[lucas]

sorry for the sidetrack but does anyone know if napisan (or its equivilents) contain soap? i've been using it for awhile & was surprised recently when i used some of the new coopers sanitizer (88% sodium percarbonate) & it didn't foam up like napisan does :unsure:

[post="121574"][/post]​

I dont believe so. I've heard it explained that the slimy, soapy feeling you get when you put your hands in napisan is because when the sodium percarbonate reacts with the oils in your skin it actually makes soap! I've been wearing rubber gloves when handling glass bottles after their napisan soak and it definitely stops them being slippery to hold

 

[Foz]

I'm with cal - great advise all!

 

[Trough Lolly]

Don't go overboard with the Bleach - its a very effective cleaner in cold water, and a couple of capfuls as Wes suggests is plenty - food grade plastic, especially if it's been used for a few brews, is more than capable of absorbing chlorine from the bleach that's sold in the supermarket. In high quantities, its a mongrel to get out and is likely to impart a phenolic / bandaid taste to your beer, which is to be avoided, unless you have a thing for pine-o-clean pale ale!!

Bleach is also corrosive to metals, and readily oxidises Copper and should only have minimal contact time (a few hours) in stainless kegs.

That said, bleach is good powerful stuff - a 200ppm available chlorine solution will kill most bugs in about 10 minutes.

Cheers,
TL

 

[beers]

sorry for the sidetrack but does anyone know if napisan (or its equivilents) contain soap? i've been using it for awhile & was surprised recently when i used some of the new coopers sanitizer (88% sodium percarbonate) & it didn't foam up like napisan does :unsure:

[post="121574"][/post]​

I dont believe so. I've heard it explained that the slimy, soapy feeling you get when you put your hands in napisan is because when the sodium percarbonate reacts with the oils in your skin it actually makes soap! I've been wearing rubber gloves when handling glass bottles after their napisan soak and it definitely stops them being slippery to hold

[post="121689"][/post]​

Cheers Lucas, but I was moreso refering to the foamage factor
But that is another point - the 88% sodium percarbonate I'm using at the moment is nowhere near as "slippery" as napisan.

 

[DrewCarey82]

sorry for the sidetrack but does anyone know if napisan (or its equivilents) contain soap? i've been using it for awhile & was surprised recently when i used some of the new coopers sanitizer (88% sodium percarbonate) & it didn't foam up like napisan does :unsure:

[post="121574"][/post]​

Mate I've used Homebrand Nappi treatment from woolies atleast 2 dozen times and never had any issues whatsoever.

Rinse with high powered cold water and your sweet.

Beers come out perfect and its a hell of a lot cheaper then pink stain and co.

Then use Iodophor distilled with water in a spray bottle for all odds and fermentators a bit before brewing and your home free.

 

[stillscottish]

I fill up with water to the level of the tap, add about a tsp of sodium met and leave it until I use it again. Rinse out of course.

Works for me.

Campbell

 

[mikem108]

Soaking fermenters in hydroxide gets them smelling like new. Got to take extra care though. Even when fermenters look clean a soak will reveal a layer of yeast cells in the bottom

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Mate I've used Homebrand Nappi treatment from woolies atleast 2 dozen times and never had any issues whatsoever.

Rinse with high powered cold water and your sweet.

Beers come out perfect and its a hell of a lot cheaper then pink stain and co.

Then use Iodophor distilled with water in a spray bottle for all odds and fermentators a bit before brewing and your home free.

[post="121808"][/post]​

I've also been using the Homebrand "Nappy Treatment Plus" gear for ages now. One cycle for intial cleaning and then one more before fermenting.

No Iodophor tho...just rinse and I'm ready to go. Kegs, fermenters, everything.

Maybe it's the heavily treated Canberra water, but I'm yet to have had an infection :super:

PZ.