How do you clean fermenters?

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Nick the Knife said:
With all due respect did you actually read my post or simply see bleach + vinegar being mentioned and knee jerk react that mixing these together ALONE was a bad idea?

I clearly stated that you mix bleach with water and THEN add an equal amount of vinegar - this simple process will NOT create Chlorine gas. Suffice to say the correct amounts of bleach as recommended on it's package should be used e.g 1:50 bleach to water.

So much so is what you stated untrue that IF used correctly (bleach+water)+vinegar can actually be used as a highly effective NO RINSE sanitiser (actually endorsed & recommended by Charlie Talley, the founder/owner of 5 Star Chemicals (makers of Starsan!).

So whilst I understand your reaction that 'bleach + vinegar = bad' it's simply NOT what I said and therefore it's incorrect. As when used correctly it's a very highly effective product thats according to Charlie Talley as good as anything commercial.:)

I said nothing of the sort. I simply posted a picture and provided a link to a web site.

If you've got a problem with that, take it up with the web site. And don't shoot the messenger.

The reason I posted it was your post suggested people chuck together vinegar and bleach with no detail on the quantities to be used nor sufficient info on safe handling of the mixture. By doing so you irresponsibly put other homebrewers reading this thread at potential risk if they start messing around with chemicals without sufficient guidance as to the hazards involved.

I made my post to remedy your shortcomings. You should thank me.
 
Feldon said:
I said nothing of the sort. I simply posted a picture and provided a link to a web site.

If you've got a problem with that, take it up with the web site. And don't shoot the messenger.

The reason I posted it was your post suggested people chuck together vinegar and bleach with no detail on the quantities to be used nor sufficient info on safe handling of the mixture. By doing so you irresponsibly put other homebrewers reading this thread at potential risk if they start messing around with chemicals without sufficient guidance as to the hazards involved.

I made my post to remedy your shortcomings. You should thank me.
What semantics...I didn't say it, I just posted a picture and link. :rolleyes:

Again as you seem to be very selective of reading...I clearly stated mix bleach with water then mix in an equal measure of vinegar. And yet you've somehow skipped over this KEY bit of info (which was hardly a detail as it was flagged clearly) - so all I can deduce is perhaps you're exactly the type of person who's daft enough to not read simple 3 ingredient instructions and cause yourself issues?

Honestly....saying such things as "...you irresponsibly put other homebrewers reading this thread at potential risk if they start messing around with chemicals without sufficient guidance as to the hazards involved. I made my post to remedy your shortcomings. You should thank me."

Oh man....I gotta bite my tongue a bit on this but last I checked this was a homebrew forum for adults and handling basic chemicals, applying a shred of common sense is something I think 99.99% of us here are ok with, you're not......fair enough neither is my nephews guinea pig.

Now that you've got your daily trolling effort out of the way, can we please just move on.
 
I admit I missed the quantity detail you posted. Apology for that. But you did fail to mention the risks of chlorine gas. No small thing. Ever seen what a wiff of chlorine can do to someone with asthma? Not pretty. And this is not an adults only site - its on the public internet and anybody can read it. I just think we all have a responsibility to fully explain hazards with any suggestions we make. Not that many posters do. Doesn't make it right though.
 
And this is not an adults only site - its on the public internet and anybody can read it. I just think we all have a responsibility to fully explain hazards with any suggestions we make. Not that many posters do. Doesn't make it right though.


Thank god this isnt a " How to wire my house up by myself to turn it into a brewery " thread
 
Ducatiboy stu said:
Add a little bleach and vinegar to the bath water

I can only say try it and get back to me on the result B)
What have I started!!!!
 
ok far enough off topic.
 
Gotta love AHB a question is asked ,a multitude of answers are given and a bun fight ensues.:).
 
And ultimately lots of people a right, after all they are only stating what works for them. So OP take from that there is many ways to skin a cat.
 
Knowledge learnt in a tough environment will stay with you through tough times.
 
hooper80 said:
What have I started!!!!
You are fine hooper80, a very normal enquiry railroaded by some who appear to have a personal adgenda supporting disruption
barls said:
ok far enough off topic.
had to get rid of the crap barls these clowns obviously showed no respect at your suggestion

Ducatiboy stu said:
Lucky it didnt got off topic
you my friend, would be the best at dragging a subject off topic

Vini2ton said:
Knowledge learnt in a tough environment will stay with you through tough times.
You would do better to learn to keep discussions on this forum "on topic"

.......................................................................................................................................................................................

If you don't have anything to contribute to the subject then don't post.
 
I got lost in it all but! The plastic. How long a shelf life for a plastic fermenter? Its common brewing sense you cant use a plastic fermenter that's been used for Sour Beer for eg. Because its infected basically. Plastic stains. Whats in that stain? I'm battling with an off flavour in my best attempts of beer lately. I've always used plastic fermenters never had a problem and if I did I still kept using the fermenters with thorough cleaning with Sodium Percarbonate but that doesn't get rid of the stains unless you use hot water (up to boiled 95c+. One fermenter I got stained on the bottom after the first brew. Never can realy get rid of it totally and it re stains every brew anyway.
I'm ranting on plastic yes, and what ever that strange fume and after taste of my beer lately.
 
What are you putting in it? I have a plastic FV that I've been using for probably nearly 3 years now, maybe longer, and it still looks as clean and white as the day I bought it.
 
After bottling all I do is empty the trub on to the garden, give it a good rinse out with the garden hose to remove most of the krausen ring, then fill it with warm water and some pink stain remover. Let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight, empty and rinse with water. Before brewing sanitize with about 5L of star san.
 
What is this Pink stain remover? :huh: I'm not going to google for this I'm on a Brewing forum. :chug:
 
Also known as PSR. They sell it at country brewer. It's pink, it removes stains, so I'm assuming this is how the marketing team came up with the name.

Works really well. I think it is chlorinated trisodium phosphate.

Edit: Barls beat me to it.
 
not to be confused with tsp.
two completely different products
 
It's been posted before, but having suffered exactly the same issue with certain types of beer only, I'd be looking at making sure I'd removed all chlorine and chloramine from the brewing water. I use 1/2 Camden tablet (potassium metabisulpite) for the 30 odd litres I use for mash and sparge.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top