First Time Brewer, No Q's, Just Excited!

[Juzdu]

I wont even mention the word......keg!

It's on the aforementioned wish list...

 

[Juzdu]

Also, I would not consider alkalai salts to be a sanitiser as much as just a cleaner, but you can't effectively use a sanitiser without a clean surface to begin with.

The alkalai salts I was talking about is "Stericlean", it came with my kit from Aussie Brewmakers. I believe it's sodium hydroxide. Their website says "suitable for washing & sterlising all equipment".

That being said, I also bought some Morgans no-rinse sanitiser to use on my bottles on bottling day (which I did this morning btw). I rinse/drain my bottles pretty much straight after use, so they're pretty clean come bottling day anyway.

So i use the stericlean when cleaning everything ready for putting down my brew, and morgans for bottling.

 

[manticle]

Sodium hydroxide is caustic soda. If that's what it is, be careful with it.

 

[Juzdu]

Sodium hydroxide is caustic soda. If that's what it is, be careful with it.

It certainly appears to be, this post suggests so too: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=269564

The instructions that came with my home brew starter kit didn't suggest any particular caution, nor is there any kind of warning on the packet, which seems curious if it's caustic soda, 'coz that stuff can be pretty nasty no? Here's the link to the packet I got sent: http://www.aussiebrewmakers.com.au/retail_...54400_item.html

As you can see no warnings of any kind on the page, nor on the pack. I'm thinking it can't be caustic soda, as per the instructions I mixed 5 teaspoons of the stuff with 10 litres of hot water to clean/sterilise my FV yesterday, and after an hour fished my airlock and other things out by hand, no gloves...and I don't appear to have any chemical burns...

 

[Black Devil Dog]

I believe it's sodium hydroxide.

Are you sure it's not sodium hypochlorite?

That is the active ingredient in a sanitiser that I bought from Woolies a couple of weeks ago.
$5.00 for 1 litre, with a mix ratio of 1:80, compared to the rip off $5.00 for 250ml Morgans.
FYI it's called milton anti-bacterial solution.

 

[manticle]

Sodium Hypochlorite is chlorine bleach and so should have a distinctive 'domestos' type smell.

Be rinsing that shit off with boiling water to avoid chlorephenols in the finished beer.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

OOPS!!!

Might take that one to the laundry. Interesting that it is for sterilizing baby bottles, and other food, home brewing utensils etc and they suggest shaking the excess off and not even rinsing it.
To my sense of smell it isn't a strong chlorine smell in its undiluted form, but it would be a shame to screw up a batch/batches of beer due to some unsuitable product. :icon_vomit: Luckily I haven't used it yet.

 

[bum]

Bleach is no rinse at the right dilution.

Milton's is perfectly safe without rinsing - not sure how far I'd trust it against infection sources but.

[EDIT: obviously had a brainfart here and read Morgans as Miltons. Dunno anything about Morgan's, the bit about the bleach dilution is still true though]

 

[Juzdu]

Sodium hydroxide is caustic soda. If that's what it is, be careful with it.

I emailed Aussie Brewmakers to check the contents of Stericlean, they replied to say it contains no sodium, caustic soda or sodium hydroxide. It's mainly soap & chlorine apparently.