Sanitization Of Brew Kit

[macneil29]

ok guys i just got to sanitizing my kit.. already washed it with boiling water after i bottled.. now i have done the coopers kit way by putting half a cup of bleach (white king regular) and filled up put all my other gear into it aswell.

how do other people do theirs i hope i used the right stuff :S will be rincing with hot water then puting a few litres of boiling water into it to clean the residue off will this be ok?

 

[manticle]

There's good information here: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=18

I use sodium metabisulphite which seems to be frowned upon by many but it works for me. I'm a little worried about letting chlorine anywhere near any of my brews as I reckon it's something I would notice.

If I had a full AG set-up though I'd probably go something different to what I use now.

 

[Pollux]

I tend to keep my fermenters full, leads to less chance of something getting into them.

But between brews I always wash and then use iodophor to sanitise, if I do have to store them empty, I wash, spray with iodophor and then once dried I pop the lid on and re sanitise before use.

 

[macneil29]

ok im a little worried as it still smells like bleach and i have rinsed it about 4 time.. 3 time with hot tap water once with boiling water should i make a brew or wait an sterolize it with something else?

 

[mwd]

Probably overdid it with the bleach got enough there to kill off anthrax.

Leave the fermenter outside in sunlight for a day should get rid of the chlorine smell.

Use 15ml of bleach to 9litres of water then add 15ml of white vinegar for a more normal no rinse sanitizer.

 

[macneil29]

lol was just old beer smell is ok now

 

[Carboy]

lol was just old beer smell is ok now

Hi macneil29,

+1 for Tropical_Brews sunlight theory.

Also, you can use Bicarbonate of Soda, mixed to a paste with water, then coat the whole inside of your fermenter with the paste (don't rub it in) just use your hand and gently coat the inside, then leave to dry for 24 hours, then rinse throughly. Then give it a day or two in the sun.

Bicarbonate of Soda is used in fridges and tupperware to get rid of bad odours.

I also recommend that you replace the o-ring in the lid, because it will have absorbed the bleach... they're only a few bucks.

Hope it all works out.

Cheers
Carby :icon_cheers:

 

[haysie]

I also recommend that you replace the o-ring in the lid, because it will have absorbed the bleach... they're only a few bucks.



Cheers
Carby :icon_cheers:

Or do as many do, dont use the o,ring`s. I cant see how they absorb bleach and spoil your beer, my o,ring sits ABOVE my beer. Few bucks is a few bucks, you seen the price of hops?

 

[macneil29]

yeap 4 bux from my HBS just pitched the yeast on my second brew 'Coopers Australian Pale Ale' using brew enhancer 2 a touch of organic honey cascade hops of some sort i forgot the brew shop lady said it was like a little creatures ale taste also used US-05 yeast hope it turs out good.. i cant wait!!

also i rinsed my fermenter out about 7 times so it should be good..

 

[marlow_coates]

No problem with over bleaching. I have done it many times,
Just need to ensure a thorough rinse.

 

[haysie]

No problem with over bleaching. I have done it many times,
Just need to ensure a thorough rinse.

+1

You controlling the ferment temp there neil? You can have the cleanest brewhouse and still produce vinegar.

 

[flattop]

Go easy on the bleach, i used to bleach and ended up with issues too numerous to name, there are 100 opinions on cleaning in here but seriously think about starsan...
Welcome to the paranoia that is home brew cleaning, just get into a habit of cleaning and then putting a chemical inside the fermenter when not in use and shake it up every time you go past then it will help reduce any risk of infection. Some ppl leave sodium met in between brews and some use Starsan.

Tropical is right, sun will get rid of bad smells. Good luck with the kits

 

[Renegade]

Also, you can use Bicarbonate of Soda, mixed to a paste with water, then coat the whole inside of your fermenter with the paste (don't rub it in) just use your hand and gently coat the inside, then leave to dry for 24 hours, then rinse throughly. Then give it a day or two in the sun.

Is bicarb residue bad for beer ? Over my last bottling I went a bit crazy with the bottle prep, it took me hours, did a soak with nofrills napisan (which smells citrusy!) then three rinses, then a STRONG bicarb swish, the idea being that it would wash off the percarbonate residue, the three rinses again, then a no-rinse swish. Did this because I have not been happy with my carbonation over the last 15+ brews, and also because post-drinking bottle management is sometimes slack (blame SWMBO, but Im also a culprit if we get stuck into it).

To the first post guy, dunno how much you knw this, but dont scrub your fermenter with abrasive gear, it can allegedly cause micro scratches for bacteria to grow in.

 

[macneil29]

nah mate i only use brand new sponges for wiping the fermenter.. then i chuck em.. or use them to clean the floor.. will look for something different to clean the fermenter out with tho..

as for temperature i have it on the kitchen bench about 4 metres from the heater so i can keep the brew at about 21 Degrees C constantly.. will be making something soon to hold temperatures.. going to look for an old fridge.. then with some fancy controll gear (im a sparky) i will make it turn of for x ammount of time to hold a temperature..

but i have been told of another way buy using a special incubator.. found in science labs.. which are like .05 of a degree tolernace..

 

[Munut]

Read the link provided in the above post and just realised I have been sanitizing my fermenter wrong the whole time. I been using sodium percarbonate like a no rince sanitiser mixed with warm tap water (50deg max).

I've never had an infection and have done around 8 brews so how critical is your sanitation methods?

I will how ever start to use napi san to clean the gunk out of my fermenter and get my hands on a spray on no rince sanitizer to use on brew day to be safe.

 

[drtomc]

Noone seems to have mentioned Iodophor yet. I use it and have been very happy with it.

Also, you don't have to go too sophisticated to get reasonable temperature control. I have a heat pad and a temperature controller. I just sit the fermenter on the heat pad with the controller probe stuck on the side with sticky tape. I generally wrap a blanket round too. This works fine here in the Melbourne autumn/winter/spring, but doesn't help in summer. In summer I just drink.

T.

 

[DUANNE]

+ 1 on the iodophor. 3 capfuls and fill the fermentor and you can throw in the mash paddle, brew spoon, bottling wand , taps off other fermenters, bottles , oh shit the whole lot can go in. i do use bleach but only after ive already cleaned the fermentor then i rinse the crap out of it leave it in the sun to dry and just before the next brew i iodophor it. i do run 4 fermentors so maybe not practical with just one or two but i think better to go overboard than lose a brew to infection. if you drink lambics though maybe an infection is a bonus?

 

[Phoney]

I only started brewing in December and I have an old fridge for the summer, but so far in the last 6 weeks here in Sydney my fermenter has been sitting at a perfect 18C on the kitchen floor. Fingers crossed it stays like this till spring!

As for sanitizing, after ive blasted the gunk off the sides with the hose on 'jet' & wiped it off with a chux, I use the old 1/4 of a cup of homebrand bleach + 1/4 of a cup of homebrand white vinegar, then fill the fermenter to the top & soak all the bits overnight. Next day, drain, rinse with boiling water and then fill with my new fresh wort..

 

[ianh]

As for sanitizing, after ive blasted the gunk off the sides with the hose on 'jet' & wiped it off with a chux, I use the old 1/4 of a cup of homebrand bleach + 1/4 of a cup of homebrand white vinegar, then fill the fermenter to the top & soak all the bits overnight. Next day, drain, rinse with boiling water and then fill with my new fresh wort..

Similar here use 40ml of bleach and 40ml of white vinegar for sanitizing the fermenter, then just drain and tip upside down, no rinsing.

 

[drtomc]

+ 1 on the iodophor. 3 capfuls and fill the fermentor and you can throw in the mash paddle, brew spoon, bottling wand , taps off other fermenters, bottles , oh shit the whole lot can go in.

Gosh! I make up 2L and tip a few hundred ml into the fermenter, lid on, slosh around for a while, and put the rest in a tub to deal with the other bits and pieces. Oh and some in the bottle washer for bottling.

I've had 1 infected brew, and I think that was from not taking the tap off the fermenter and leaving small amounts of cruft stuck in around the tap. I now clean everything with napisan first, then sanitize with Iodophor. Small stuff I leave soaking in napisan for a day or two; the big stuff I do by putting in a litre or two and sloshing round a few times a day for a day or two.

HTH

T.