How To Store Siphon Tubes ?

[peterhop]

How do others clean & store their plastic (PVC) siphon tubes ? I use one of two ways and neither seems satisfactory.

I rinse after use with hot water, sometimes soak in a cleaner, then:

1 Either store hanging up vertically by a bulldog clip to drip dry; rinse again & sanitise before use. The problem with this is that the tube never completely dries inside (mould can grow) & it is exposed to dust while hanging.

2 Or spray inside & out with starsan & store rolled up in a sanitised plastic food container; use as is. The problem with this is that the tube becomes curly and it goes white after a while, which I distrust.

Is there a better way ?

 

[beerbrewer76543]

I just rinse mine out straight after use and hang over a door to dry. If I'm lazy it will stay there until I need it again then I just soak it in bleach/vinegar solution for 10 minutes before use

 

[jiesu]

Maybe we could try storing the tube permenantly in a starsan solution?

 

[bcp]

If it's PVC i'd replace it with silicon. PVC will be leaching some pretty nasty poisons into your beer.

 

[asis]

If it's PVC i'd replace it with silicon. PVC will be leaching some pretty nasty poisons into your beer.

At 20 degrees??

 

[bcp]

At 20 degrees??

At any temperature. Obviously storage in PVC would be worse, as would higher temperatures in transfer of phthalates.

 

[leiothrix]

I rinse my transfer tubes out with water, rinse with no-rinse if i have any on hand/remember/could be bothered and hang it over a rung of a ladder that's leaning against the wall.

Since both ends are down stuff can't fall into the tube (but it can crawl ). I've only ever had mold in them if i've left it coiled up with water in it.

Rob.

 

[Bigbott]

After rinsing i put mine straight back into the freezer untill next time never gets mould
in it you just have to run it under some hot water before use to soften it up a bit :icon_cheers: .

 

[mr_tyreman]

After rinsing i put mine straight back into the freezer :icon_cheers: .

im really liking this idea, i have started storing a lot of stuff in the fridge.

 

[Yeastie Beastie]

How do others clean & store their plastic (PVC) siphon tubes ? I use one of two ways and neither seems satisfactory.

I rinse after use with hot water, sometimes soak in a cleaner, then:

1 Either store hanging up vertically by a bulldog clip to drip dry; rinse again & sanitise before use. The problem with this is that the tube never completely dries inside (mould can grow) & it is exposed to dust while hanging.

2 Or spray inside & out with starsan & store rolled up in a sanitised plastic food container; use as is. The problem with this is that the tube becomes curly and it goes white after a while, which I distrust.

Is there a better way ?

When im done with mine I clean, rinse with starsan & hang to dry from the centre to stop any dust etc.
To store I roll it up & put it in my HLT or tun as they have lids and are cleaned after each use. A fermentor is good storage too, clean, dry & dust free.

 

[peterhop]

Yea. Thanks for the all the answers.

 

[felten]

I give mine a good clean, spin them around a few times outside, then hang them horizontally out on the clothes line with a few pegs. The sun dries them up inside and I even though people mention that UV can break down plastic over time, its probably less so than storing them in an acidic environment (and it only takes <1 day to dry).

At the end of the day if its not working for you, you can always go out and buy a new/several lengths, or replace them permanently with silicone.

 

[jiesu]

I did remember hearing recently that either Steve wilks or andy sparks (i can't tell them apart) on Basic brewing radio replaces his siphoning tubes every couple of brews. To be honest that is probably not a bad idea, considering their price and how much we have invested in the product they transport.

 

[DKS]

Mine have a 100mm piece of bottling stem tube in one end, which fits taps or other end of hose so I can soak with sod perc or starsan and join ends to make a loop.
I'm definitely going to use the freezer idea as well That's a good one.Thanks.
Daz

 

[Florian]

I used to store mine in the freezer, but some of them changed from clear to milky white, not sure if it has to do with the freezing though.

I have now set aside a plastic container with lid with about 15 litre Starsan solution (Starsan and de-mineralised water, so it lasts longer than with tap water).
In this container I store all my plastic gear like taps, bottlers, even swiss voile (after cleaning obviously). I also siphon the solution into my tubings and dump them in the solution. Works perfectly and I am always sure everything is sanitised, which saves me time which I otherwise would spend to sanitise gear come brew day.

Florian

 

[Steve]

Trying to think im missing something but why on earth would you store a plastic tube in a freezer?

 

[leiothrix]

Saves having to dry it.

The water freezes instead of sitting there inviting mold to grow.

Rob.

 

[Steve]

Saves having to dry it.

The water freezes instead of sitting there inviting mold to grow.

Rob.

I just find the whole idea of sticking a plastic tube in the freezer instead of air drying it to deter mould completely baffling

 

[leiothrix]

Yeh, me too.

I just hang mine up to dry for a couple of days, then coil it up and put it in the cupboard with the rest of my brewing stuff.

Rob.