Forgot to flush plate chiller

[dunney]

After a 6 hour brew day I noticed some funky chunks in fermenter. Oh shit. I believe it's some crap from the plate chiller. Tried to scoop the chunks out but only got the floating ones. Who knows how much is submerged.
Has anyone survived a **** up like this without infection??
Will pitch the required amount of healthy yeast as soon as temp is right. Cross your fingers for me

 

[Pogierob]

Doesn't sound so good.

good luck

 

[Goose]

how did you sanitise the plate chiller prior to using it and how do you clean it post using it ?

 

[zeggie]

Did you recirculate with hot wort prior?

 

[Adr_0]

Bugger. Pray to Bacchus it will be ok. Pitch healthy yeast and take it as a lesson?

On that note, not sure why people bake their plate chillers - wouldn't that bake on crap, and increase chances of blockage and reduce heat transfer goodness?

I soak in very hot sodium percarbonate, and flush with hose jet (that you spray your roses with) back and forth a few times, letting it soak between, then drain and flush with water again. Let it sit upside down to drain and cover nozzles with gladwrap. Then sanitise before use.

Maybe a bit over the top but seems to work well.

 

[zeggie]

Baking with heat will sterilize, not just sanitize.

 

[aussiebrewer]

Baking with heat will sterilize, not just sanitize.

I don't like baking it. I think it will promote a blockage. I do exactly the same as Adrian and never had an issue.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

I'll stick with my $200 Stainless Steel Imersion chiller. I stretched and strangled to seperate the coils to cool better and clean well.

 

[aussiebrewer]

I'll stick with my $200 Stainless Steel Imersion chiller. I stretched and strangled to seperate the coils to cool better and clean well.

Defiantly I think they are great. I have a 30 plate chiller. The only reason was I didn't like there being such a large opening for wild yeast to land on my cold fresh wort once it was cooled.

 

[dunney]

Pleased to report absolutely no infection or off tastes that I can detect. In fact because I made a starter in accordance with a yeast pitching calculator I believe this is my best beer on record. Happy days.
Ps I have purchased SS immersion chiller to avoid future scares.

 

[doon]

Wouldnt stress too much. I just took apart the ball valve on my cfc and was amazed and the shit built up on it. No infections so far

 

[Tex083]

I doubt that baking your chiller actually sterilises your chiller. To sterilise you need to kill everything including endospores. In an autoclave waterbis heated to around 120 Celsius at 15 PSI. It's the combo of heat and pressure that kills the bugs.
You don't need anything sterile in the brewing process. Sanitised yes.

 

[osprey brewday]

I purchased a second hand plate chiller that was clogged with hop material caustic soda seemed to remove most of the crap but chunks still come out when flowing water through it oven at 200 deg for 1hr chunks will be dead