Fermentor - I Think I Did A Bad Thing......

[kuzzy]

Was in a rush the other week to keg a brew and didn't have time to clean the fermentor (left the lid off as well).... Anyway, 2 weeks later (tonight) I decided to give it a clean. Oh, the rancid smell! I have used hot water from the kettle a few times, that sodum cleaner a few times, the smell is still there after all of that and heaps of scrubbing... Currently the fermentor has that sodium cleaner in it soaking for a few days....

Any sugestions?

Cheers,

Kuzzy

 

[manticle]

Fill it with boiling or very hot water (80degrees+) and a good shake of unscented naipisan or oxygen bleach which contains sodium percarbonate as a main ingredient. Leave overnight.

Clean, rinse, repeat if necessary. When odourless, rinse and sanitise as normal and next time, at the very least, soak your fermenter immediately with water (water and sodium percarb better)

 

[tehdilgerer]

sort of on topic, but...
As a new brewer, what does a clean fermenter smell like?? I have put down a few brews, and always take care with extra cleaning and over sanitising and stuff, but you can smell that beer has been brewed in it before, not matter how much i clean...

 

[manticle]

Plastic will absorb odours. I have the unscientific perspective that if it smells like beer rather than arse, you'll probably be OK. That said, using the above mentioned cleaning method, my fermenters usually smell pretty much like nothing.

 

[Hatchy]

I bottled 1 batch & could smell the ginger beer that I'd brewed in that fermenter previously after bottling. The beer was fine. Having said that, I reckon my fermenters will all be getting some sodium perc after bottling now that I've bought some. Buy a new fermenter so you can still brew while yr trying to get this 1 sorted out & if you get the smell out then you've increased yr brewing capacity by over 2 cartons a fortnight (& we all need that right?)

 

[michaelcocks]

Was in a rush the other week to keg a brew and didn't have time to clean the fermentor (left the lid off as well).... Anyway, 2 weeks later (tonight) I decided to give it a clean. Oh, the rancid smell! I have used hot water from the kettle a few times, that sodum cleaner a few times, the smell is still there after all of that and heaps of scrubbing... Currently the fermentor has that sodium cleaner in it soaking for a few days....

Any sugestions?

Cheers,

Kuzzy

+1 for Napisan

(" other generic brand sodium percarbonate oxygen based cleaners are available - and they are all the same chemical with only slightly different concentrations - if any) I get mine in the 2$ shops (do they still call them that?)

 

[Brewman_]

The fermenters even after cleaning normally have some smell. It should still smell OK, like beer / Hops etc. When they go bad they do smell bad, so if after a good clean, I use PSR Pink Stain, they stink bad, then toss it.

Fear_n_Loath

 

[kuzzy]

Normal smell I am happy with - as Manticle said - it smells like arse. I'll get some Napisan and have another go at cleaning.

Thanks all.

Kuzzy

 

[Nick JD]

I often fill my fermenter(s) to the top with cold tap water - as much as I can get into the sucker and then bang in a lid or two of napisan.

After a couple of days it's so clean you'd swear it was brand new.

I let the entire volume out through the tap giving that a damn good clean too.

Rinse well ... good to go. There is nothing you can't soak out with napisan. It even works on shit, which is was designed for.

 

[komodo]

^true - a lot of campers use it in those portaloos and it does wonders if you chuck some in the cistern of your loo at home - cleans everything in the cistern and around the rim of the loo and in the bowl.

 

[dicko]

Was in a rush the other week to keg a brew and didn't have time to clean the fermentor (left the lid off as well).... Anyway, 2 weeks later (tonight) I decided to give it a clean. Oh, the rancid smell! I have used hot water from the kettle a few times, that sodum cleaner a few times, the smell is still there after all of that and heaps of scrubbing... Currently the fermentor has that sodium cleaner in it soaking for a few days....

Any sugestions?

Cheers,

Kuzzy

Hi,
Try this stuff from one of the sponsors, I found it works very well.
You will still have to clean the crap out of the fermenter first.

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=2534

Cheers

 

[Tony]

a good strong bleach solution will kill everything in there in about an hour!

 

[BeerBottle]

Hi Guys...
I'm reading about the napisan and thinking of giving it a go. I may be a bit paranoid but is there any danger to using it.
I know you will probably say "as long as you rinse it out it's ok " but how much chemical is in it or is it more of a natural product?

 

[Wolfy]

Hi Guys...
I'm reading about the napisan and thinking of giving it a go. I may be a bit paranoid but is there any danger to using it.
I know you will probably say "as long as you rinse it out it's ok " but how much chemical is in it or is it more of a natural product?

The active ingredient in 'Napisan' is Sodium Percarbonate (do a search about that here or on Goggle) and you'll find that it breaks down into stuff that is totally safe.
However 'Napisan' and other similar products are only about 20-30% Sodium Percarb and 70-80% other stuff, most likely including detergents and surface agents, so if you're going to use one of those it's best to take a little more care.