Tap Cleaning After Hydrometer Readings

[Phoenix]

I was wondering how many people clean their tap after taking their hydrometer readings, and more so, how they go about it? Rinse with a glass of hot water and then spray with no-rinse sanitizer? hmmm, or should the santizer be sprayed before taking the reading (just to be sure nothing creeps in - although gravity and pressure should avoid that) and just before bottling?

What do you do people?

Thanks.

 

[stueywhytcross]

I just give it a good spray with starsan after use.

 

[Pennywise]

Yeah I just give it a squirt with no-rinse

 

[tumi2]

Just a heavy spray with iodine no rinse before and after.

Also spray around the air lock hole cause i take the airlock out when i take the sample to avoid the water getting sucked into the fermenter....

 

[Pennywise]

If you fill the airlock with no-rinse then you don't have to worry about it getting sucked back in

 

[.DJ.]

nothing...


***looks around for some wood***

 

[warra48]

Eeerrr, I don't take my samples from the tap.

I take an OG reading of my ales as they go into the fermenter.
Then I leave it alone for 2 weeks, or a bit longer until I'm ready to bottle.
My samples are taken from the top, using a sanitised turkey baster. That way the tap is left undisturbed.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Eeerrr, I don't take my samples from the tap.

I take an OG reading of my ales as they go into the fermenter.
Then I leave it alone for 2 weeks, or a bit longer until I'm ready to bottle.
My samples are taken from the top, using a sanitised turkey baster. That way the tap is left undisturbed.

+1 turkey baster or large 100ml syringe.

 

[mwd]

I just give the inside of the spout a good wipe around with a cotton bud dipped in no rinse.

I do it both before and after using the tap.

Just got a small spray bottle so can now do both methods.

 

[Fourstar]

no sanitising here, just a quick spray rinse. I rack my beer top down so i avoid the tap when having to keg it up.

 

[Pollux]

nothing...


***looks around for some wood***

+1.....

I get my OG sample from the flowing wort as I drain the NC cube, only other time I take a sample is when I am considering kegging it the next day or I take some samples over a few days if I am bottling the brew....

 

[Fantoman]

Yeah, I leave mine dirty as well... just give it a spray with Starsan and stick the corner of a tea towel up the spout to wipe it at kegging time.

 

[Jez]

get a big syringe from the chemist, fill it with water & give it a good squirt. then stick the nozzle of your spray bottle with iodophor or starsan up the tap & spray a few times.

and no need to remove the airlock - just unscrew or loosen the lid a little.

jez

 

[lobo]

usually nothing.

Lobo

 

[raven19]

I give my tap a squirt with metho.

 

[davewaldo]

Maybe I go a bit overboard but what I do is tie a small bag of sulphite solution around the tap. This keeps it clean while it's waiting to be bottled. Seems to work for me

 

[pikerinoz]

jeez! I didn't realise that you have to be that precious with sanitising?! How exactly are any nasties going to make their way up the tap?

 

[davewaldo]

My main concern is that things would grow in the spout. Then at bottling time my fresh beer would flow past a dirty nozzle. I don't think any nasties could easily find their way through the water tight barrier in a tap into the beer.

 

[tcraig20]

Cleaning? :huh:

 

[rude]

Hydrogen peroxide spray (no rinse) Up the nosle of the tap here & all around for good measure

I make up a half Litre batch in the spray bottle so I use it all up