Silicone hose in the compost bin

[mkj]

Found where my silicone hose went missing last week - into the compost bin with the whirlpool remains.

So, can it be saved? Strong boil then bleach maybe...

 

[WarmerBeer]

It's silicone, it's pretty much indestructible.

Run some hot PBW/Sodium Perc through it for a while to get rid of anything physically stuck in there, and give the outside a good wipe down. It should be just like new.

 

[mkj]

Well a soak in napisan has cleaned it visually, but that stink is pretty strong... Citrus peel I think. Shall give it a boil

 

[SmithyA]

I'd be inclined to replace the hose mate rather than risk ruining a batch trying to salvage the old one.

 

[altone]

If you're only using Napisan leave it in for 24 hours plus and it'll probably lose the stink.

If still no good, boil it with a bit of detergent or laundry liquid in the water.

Or save time and electricity and buy a new piece

 

[Kingy]

I'd soak it in napisan for at least a few days. Definately wouldn't be tossing it. It'll clean up.

 

[Grott]

Throw in the washing machine, then soak in sod. percarbonate. Then sterilise and away you go.
Cheers

 

[Bribie G]

Try pressure cooking it, should fix any sanitation problems. It that melts it then it wasn't meant to be anyway.

 

[Benn]

Shout yourself a new length and use the Citrus infused hose for beerbong :chug:

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Haha. Get a new one says Captain Obvious. Or just blow out the worms and slugs etc.

just quietly I have retrieved stir bars from the compost a few times. Never had an infected brew yet.

 

[peteru]

Stir bars are typically teflon coated, so keeping them clean should be trivial.

Hose on the other hand... If you can smell something from it, rest assured it is contaminated well enough to be an issue. It may not be an issue that causes bacterial infection, but clearly some of the smell will leach into anything going through the hose.

Boiling may not be good enough. If the material is porous and the contaminant is trapped inside, boiling might just lock up the contaminant in the gaps. Or the increased temperature together with cleaning chemicals may lead to chemical reactions that will transform the contaminant that is even harder to remove.

From my experience, boiling or using too much chlorine based cleaners on plastic hoses makes them hazy and feeling less smooth. Probably best to spend a few $ on a roll of hose.

 

[wynnum1]

Soak it and then pull some thing to wipe the inside soaking will not remove deposits.

 

[mstrelan]

Which is greater, the cost of replacement hose or the cost of your next batch plus your time spent brewing it before you tip it on the lawn?

 

[wynnum1]

If you can not clean silicone hose buying a new one will not be any better after a couple of used .

 

[Weizguy]

Eeerrrggghhh! You went through the bin!!!!!

Seriously, what I would do is consider if it was cheap hose and if so write it off.
If it was expensive and still does not clean up, you may have overpaid for a cheaper hose. Maybe some time in the sun to let the u.v. kill any smell, but only AFTER the hose is clean. Maybe a piece of rope with a bottle brush in the middle for some two-way scrubbing.

In any case, the best philosophy is to buy once, buy quality and it will last.

At the moment, I'm still working out how much hose I need, so I'm using cheap silicone, but when I settle on my final config, I promised myself that I'll buy the good stuff.

 

[Benn]

Where would I find the good stuff?

 

[Mardoo]

onlinebrewingsupplies.com usually has it.

 

[fraser_john]

Try pressure cooking it, should fix any sanitation problems. It that melts it then it wasn't meant to be anyway.

This!

Pressure cooker for 20 minutes.

 

[Kingy]

onlinebrewingsupplies.com usually has it.

I've brought a metre of silicone hose from a lot of online shops and the super heavy duty hose from obs is the duck nuts. It's really thick so it's like being insulated and it doesn't kink it's Defiantly worth the extra coin.

 

[Vini2ton]

Worms hate citrus peal. I hate that **** in my compost. Slimey smelly crud. Hate that **** in my mead too. Autoclave your hose.