Do FV's just go bad

[Lunar]

Been brewing for a good few years now; around 50 brews out of my main FV. Hygiene is good and I use Star san. But my last 3 brews have gone bad - just bad luck/poor hygiene or has my FV turned evil and needs replacing. Would be interested in your thoughts.

[Jocky]

If it's plastic then infections can hide in small scratches in the plastic.

Another problem can be beerstone, which can build up on fermenters over time and can harbour infection.

[vacant]

Another problem can be beerstone, which can build up on fermenters over time and can harbour infection.

Yup, Starsan doesn't clean.

After cleaning (oxi?), I'd also try leaving it full of bleach solution before the next brew. Then ferment some of the wort in a PET bottle or demijohn. If the FV and demijohn result in bad beer your problem lies elsewhere.

[Fil]

for the £10 or less a new plastic FV costs i have always erred on the side of caution, retiring many brew buckets to storage or gardening duties, perhaps prematurely, but better safe than sorry..

if you can't relate to 'disposable' FV's, consider a 33l SS stockpot for circa £40 or more expensive SS options

[gregles]

Good info on cleaning plus star san on this link https://www.brouwland.com/content/docs/ ... lowres.pdf

[IPA]

The answer is probably especially if the interior becomes heavily scratched. Having said that I have one that is over twenty years old and still going strong. A thing to remember is don't just rely on starsan because if used properly it will kill bacteria but it does not clean and it is not so effective in dealing with wild yeasts. So as per a previous post use chlorine and rinse well after use.

[Jocky]

Run your hand over the inside of the FV. If you find nicks and scratches in it then go buy a new one. Equally if it feels rough rather than smooth then that's beerstone and it's going to be more expensive to remove than the cost of a new plastic FV. If it's stainless then there are acid treatments to help remove it.

If everything seems fine then it's time to bleach or iodophor all your cold side equipment. If you have a tap on your boiler then remove it if you can and clean/bleach that too.

[Kev888]

A lot has to do with what kind of life the FV has had and how you clean and disinfect it. If looked after and cleaned properly then they can go on and on, if the surface becomes scratched or degraded and if weak disinfectants are used then the chances of infection increase.

If it is a cheap FV then it may be best just to replace it. Some plastic FVs are fairly costly though, so removing any deposits of beerstone then adopting a regime of soak-cleaning with a hot percarbonate based cleaner and swapping to a better disinfectant may sort it. Starsan is convenient but not the best; especially where theres a suspected infection I would precede it with a stronger and more comprehensive (probably rinsed) type beforehand - bleach probably, or one of the iodophore types (or peracetic acid if you're happy to handle it).

Though don't be so sure it is the FV that you neglect other possible sources of infection (taps, tubes etc). With proper cleaning/disinfecting I've frequently used some really old and scratched FVs in the past with no issues, so it doesn't have to be this which is giving the problems.

EDIT: if unsure then it may also be worth checking that your mixed starsan solution is of pH 3 of lower, if not then it may not be working properly.

[Wonkydonkey]

I had a couple of infected beers, and one of my plastic FV's had some beer stone,

After I worked out it was coming from the beers stone fv, I did just what was said above, a full to the brim soak of non sented bleach, @ 5%
Which I knew it held about 30 Lts so I measured 6 Lts and added bleach move this into another vessel. Then mesured 25lts and bleach mixed it well and the added back the 6lt and till it overflowed in the bath and then sat the lid on the bleach mix

It was left for most of the day, then washed, and another water soak

The next beer was good

I got some BS remover from the malt miller, boy it was hard to get it to work, but I ended up soaking in a hot strong mix and using an old credit card to scrape it off. It worked but it was hardwork

I will be on to it next time way quicker, and hopfully it will be a bit easier


Cheers

[Peelman]

Yes (plastic)FV's go bad. I've been using a glass carboy for the last 4 years and the beer just tastes 'better' (cleaner) than it used to when I used a plastic FV in my humble opinion.


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[Kev888]

You may have had a problem somewhere; in itself, the use of plastic FVs doesn't intrinsically result in less clean tasting beer. But if the change has improved things for you, whatever the reason, then its all good.

[orlando]

If you have a tap on your boiler then remove it if you can and clean/bleach that too.

Be my bet, if it is FV related, often overlooked as they are a bastard to keep clean, cheaper ones don't come apart easily.

[Lunar]

Hi all - many thanks for all the reply's. The collective knowledge is appreciated yet again. My fv was a coopers starter one, new style with tap and crud catcher (cant remember the proper name). So not particularly expensive; may try a good clean and a cheap brew; if that fails time for a new fv . Thanks again for all the advice.

[Dads_Ale]

Check the tap.
Some are two part units and can be separated with a bit of force. If it is one of these wort can get inside the tap body and is not removed by just cleaning the FV. You need to separate the tap body to clean properly.

[f00b4r]

I had a couple of infected beers, and one of my plastic FV's had some beer stone,

After I worked out it was coming from the beers stone fv, I did just what was said above, a full to the brim soak of non sented bleach, @ 5%
Which I knew it held about 30 Lts so I measured 6 Lts and added bleach move this into another vessel. Then mesured 25lts and bleach mixed it well and the added back the 6lt and till it overflowed in the bath and then sat the lid on the bleach mix

It was left for most of the day, then washed, and another water soak

The next beer was good

I got some BS remover from the malt miller, boy it was hard to get it to work, but I ended up soaking in a hot strong mix and using an old credit card to scrape it off. It worked but it was hardwork

I will be on to it next time way quicker, and hopfully it will be a bit easier


Cheers

Any chance of expanding on your experience of using the BS remover that is now on sale (amount used, soak time, removing the BS itself, etc)?