Secondary or 're-use' of brewery cleaning products

[Mr. No-Tip]

I'm interested in if one can re-use a cleaning product, for example PBW or caustic.

Say in the following examples:

• Finish cleaning your kettle within an hour or two and then running off into your yeast starter jar.
• Leaving a keg soaking overnight over even a couple days, then pouring the runoff into another keg.

I imagine the answer might be different between PBW and caustic. If I understand it right, PBW works by 'oxy action' and will be less useful after that reaction is over? Does caustic have similar one off reactions?

 

[manticle]

I will sometimes re-use perc or starsan solution.

 

[brzt6060]

I do reuse starsan sometimes, I do not and would not reuse Sodium Percarbonate.

 

[michaeld16]

Do not and wouldnt not?

 

[Camo6]

I rarely reuse starsan due to the increase of debris contamination but always reuse sodium perc or pbw for cleaning of fermentors etc. For extended soaks it still has awesome cleaning power and I just make sure to rinse with clean water a couple of times before sanitising.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

I rarely reuse starsan due to the increase of debris contamination but always reuse sodium perc or pbw for cleaning of fermentors etc. For extended soaks it still has awesome cleaning power and I just make sure to rinse with clean water a couple of times before sanitising.

So what sort of time for soak 1 before passing on to soak 2 and finding it still works?

 

[brzt6060]

Do not and wouldnt not?

Working and posting on the forums, never a good mix.

I normally use Sodium Percarbonate for over night (or longer) soaking or removing debris contamination so I don't re use that. Plus I'm pretty sure it breaks down rather quickly (few days maybe) once mixed with water.

For further information
http://www.inchem.org/documents/sids/sids/15630894.pdf

Half-life and stability in water.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Phosphoric sanitiser (Starsan) can be re-used if pH is below 3, it should be free from debris as you only use after cleaning for sanitising.
High pH cleaners such as sodium percarbonate may have debris from cleaning and sodium percarbonate breaks down quickly.

 

[Camo6]

So what sort of time for soak 1 before passing on to soak 2 and finding it still works?

I can leave pbw in a bucket for a few days with various bits soaking. Sometimes transfer that bucket to another vessel for soaking or cleaning. I might reuse that pbw for a week (more so to save the water than pbw as I don't like to tip it on the garden). Sure, it doesn't clean as well as when first mixed with hot water but for soaking it does a far better job than plain water. And I still rinse and sanitise.
But .75ml of starsan in a 500ml bottle is easy to prepare and covers a lot of surface area.

 

[michaeld16]

Working and posting on the forums, never a good mix.
.

Its usualy drinking and posting i mix badly looks like some in depth info in that link will have a read when ive had less to drink

 

[manticle]

To clarify - reuse of percarb for me is either straight away or next day and only on certain things. For example, I boiled up a solution yesterday with hoses, cube lids, taps and other accessories. After a basic rinse and scrub, the solution went into yesterday's brew kettle to soak for a bit.

 

[brzt6060]

To clarify - reuse of percarb for me is either straight away or next day and only on certain things. For example, I boiled up a solution yesterday with hoses, cube lids, taps and other accessories. After a basic rinse and scrub, the solution went into yesterday's brew kettle to soak for a bit.

From memory (it's been a few years and a lot of beers since uni) you are better off disolving in cold or slightly warm water when mixing up percarb, heat will speed up the breaking down on the compound and leave you with water, oxygen and soda ash.

 

[manticle]

Heat activates the hydrogen peroxide and hot water + perc cleans like a wizard. The reuse bit is just a soak in some detergenty water which eventually ends up on the garden. Works and works well. Quick rinse and starsan and everything is happy.

 

[Florian]

That's how I would do it:

• Finish cleaning your kettle within an hour or two and then running off into your yeast starter jar. Common sense would suggest to do it the other way round. Don't run soiled cleaning solution into the vessel holding your most precious goods!
• Leaving a keg soaking overnight over even a couple days, then pouring the runoff into another keg. Yes if keg 1 was not too soiled and solution looks clear, but add another bit of fresh sodium percarbonate. Let soak for 24 hours +.

 

[stux]

My wife likes me to pour "used" PBW into her white sinks with the plugs in. Gives them a better than bleaching soak.

 

[brzt6060]

My wife likes me to pour "used" PBW into her white sinks with the plugs in. Gives them a better than bleaching soak.

Yea it does work, I used to clean the white sink at my old house the same way.