Fermenter Storage

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sintax69

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Ok how do you guys store your fermenter i have to store mine under the house between brews (no room) and i close the 2 holes with tape but i recently open one of them up and its got mold on the inside which got a good bleching and one shooting .So my question is is there any thing i can do to stop this mould or do i have to live with it


Sintax
 
The way i prevent mould and other dangerous invasions in my fermenters, and i would u do the same, is always keep a brew going in them. I know it sounds drastic but all u need do is convince the Mrs and good bye to all your mould problems.
 
I usually store them between brews full of water with 100ml of bleach added.
Think from memory the Yanks called this pickling :blink:

Warren -
 
I agree with SJW. I keep mine good by keeping beer in them :p
However your problem is probably due to the fact that you are sealing them and the temp at which you seal them and the temp at which you store them is different causing condensation and then mould.
When I rarely have an empty fermenter I leave the lid sitting on top of the fermenter offset so that the temp inside is the same as outside.
Off couse sealing them when they are not dry will also cause this.

Beers,
Doc
 
I store mine upside down, with the tap taken out, resting off-kilter on the lid. This allows air to flow through the fermenter, keeping it dry and keeps the cockroaches out.

- Snow
 
Store them with one-shot or similar in them. I usually liberally spray them with 70% metho before sealing and storing, never had a problem with mould.
 
Snow said:
I store mine upside down, with the tap taken out, resting off-kilter on the lid. This allows air to flow through the fermenter, keeping it dry and keeps the cockroaches out.

- Snow
Same here, upside down, lid off, at an angle to allow air flow.

Hoops
 
always leave a solution of sodium met in them ... just make sure you are in a well ventilated area when you open it up ... nothing could live in there!

Have heard stories that bleach can permeate into the plastic if left in contact for too long ... not a chemist but I try not too leave it in there for too long.
 
Same here, sodium met in a couple of litres of water.
Not that I have a barrel empty for more than a week, maybe two
 
Empty, clean and upside down. Sanitise immediately before use with betadine
 
Wash them before storage with Sodium Percarbonate (aka No Name Nappy Soaker). Fill the fermenter with water and add 2-3 capsful of Nappy Soaker. let it soak overnight, drain, rinse and let drain upside down. If stored without trace of beery residue, there should be nothing in there for bacterial spore to live on.

I'm also in the store dry and aerated camp - nothing worse than picking up an anaerobic infection because of moisture sealed in!
 
I keep mine with a garbage bag over the top. I leave the lid on and flip the airlock so it's upside down. The tap I should probably remove more often, but I often don't.
 
Kai said:
I keep mine with a garbage bag over the top. I leave the lid on and flip the airlock so it's upside down. The tap I should probably remove more often, but I often don't.
Howdy Kai,
Make sure your fermeter is dry before bagging it. Moulds do grow in the dark and are quite hard to kill.. Yur uncleaned tap is a major source of infection. I suggest to inspect and clean it after every brew. A brush used to clean the teats in a baby's bottle is particulaly good for doing this.
cheers
d
 
True, Darren, but I have to store my fermenter outside and I don't want the plastic degrading. I give my taps a good soak every now and then but I do reckon I should be popping the tap out between brews.
 
I like to remove the tap, pop it apart & soak the 2 pieces in a container full of sanitiser until next time. It's amazing what you find inside when you pull them apart - even after you think you've cleaned them.
 
Clean thoroughly with homebrand napisan. Pull out the airlock grommet, tap, o'ring under the lid and wash these too. Use a recycled toothbrush to clean all grooves and threads out. Rinse thoroughly and store upside down with the lid off.

Sanitize with iodine prior to next use.

There are many products better than sodium met available to the homebrew market, use them instead. Save the sodium met for adding to your mash to stop HSA.

Snap taps are much easier to clean, they pull apart so all surfaces can be cleaned. Have upgraded all my fermenter taps to snap taps.

Sodium met is used in winemaking where they are a bit more tolerant of wild bugs. In winemaking, pH is much lower (less bugs can grow) and the wine is fermented out fully (all the sugars are used up, beer yeast only consume 65-80% of sugars) and there is no remaining sugar available for bugs to eat. In beers, the residual complex sugars are still a very attractive feast to bugs.

So, if you really love the smell of sodium met and the idea that you may get an infection, keep using it.
 
After a good cleanout, I spray with Iodophor and stand with the lid off and tap removed, in the corner of the underground cellar. So far so good - can cockroaches climb a fermenter sitting upright on the floor?!
TL
Hmmm, what about Kockroach Kolsch?!
 
Thanks guys I guess locking it up was wrong a well live and learn thanks for all your help

Kockroach Kolsch mmm tastie dark and crunchie da way i like em
 
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