SEEERIOUS cleaning of FV

[markbrannan]

I have a few old (second hand) fermenters in my garage. I usually just use them to store my spoons and syphon in, but occasionally I use one of them as a FV. However, i'm currenly drinking a pint of stout that I made in said fermenter, and it has a taste like the way the fermenter smells.

I can't be having this crap.

Any ideas on a way to SERIOUSLY clean out a FV? I've got thin bleach and caustic soda at my disposal. I'm basically thinking of stripping away a layer of plastic, and hopefully the smell will follow.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[Jack Hackett]

I'm basically thinking of stripping away a layer of plastic, and hopefully the smell will follow.

Gee, if its that bad just buy a new fermenting bucket, they're cheap as chips

[boingy]

A good scrub and several soakings in oxy or soda crystals should do the trick although if there are many scratches in it then, yes, consider a new one. It's hard to sanitise scratches.

[chris_reboot]

hot water and soda crystals can work wonders

[Manx Guy]

Hi,

I've seen lots of mention of 'soda crystals'

Exactly what sort of SODA is meant ? Not caustic soda (surely) ?

Where can I get some from and by what other names would it be know...?

Cheers!


Guy

[steve_flack]

Sodium Carbonate. They're in the supermarket in the cleaning section.

[boingy]

They look like this:

http://www.thegreenstoreonline.co.uk/de ... ystals-1Kg

Make a strong solution in very hot water.

[Manx Guy]

They look like this:

www.thegreenstoreonline.co.uk/default.a ... ystals-1Kg

Make a strong solution in very hot water.

Couldn't really miss them if they're all packed like that!

I'll try Toscos later in the week...

Cheers guys!

[Aleman]

If it is Serious cleaning you want then Caustic Soda is the thing to go for 100g in 1l of HOT water will strip any organic residue from pretty much anything (Except aluminium). of course it is easily capable of stripping skin at that strength. . . . I bought 500g for pennies as drain cleaner in Wilkos

[markbrannan]

Thanks Aleman, i'll give that a go - as I've got the (nearly) full 500g of caustic soda sitting around.

My plan is: Mix the lot into 5L hot water (3L boiling, 2L cold) and swish around with the lid on for a while. Rinse, let it sit, then give it the usual sanitising treatment.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

[critch]

Hi,

I've seen lots of mention of 'soda crystals'

Exactly what sort of SODA is meant ? Not caustic soda (surely) ?




Guy

its what breweries use mate.....

followed by lots of rinsing and a good blast of peracetic acid..............

be very careful going for a pee if youve been handling peracetic .we had a lad who helped out in the brewery and thought it was manly not to wear gloves.....
he went the bog after blasting a few buckets full of keystones and shives with it and as he was washing his hands afterwards started to comment how it didnt half make your hands tingle.

then his eyes began to bulge

we left him alone to rinse his tackle of the 1% solution.............



we aint seen him since, im postive he disolved..........

[Mattypower]

We use about 8ib of c soda to 25 litres for cleaning out sections out pipework (cip) even at that mix use cold water and the thing starts to bubble it self!! To cold soak we use J Diversy Spectak G (very strong stuff) rinse off with water and spray with Peracetic!!

[WishboneBrewery]

To cold soak we use J Diversy Spectak G (very strong stuff) rinse off with water and spray with Peracetic!!

Spectak G is in our hot caustic CIP and we use TC-86 for cask washing and before putting a beer in anything with the usual Peracetic after the rinses.

be very careful going for a pee if youve been handling peracetic .

Really, other than Peracetic in the eyes I've not suffered anything from it, damn good for neutralising the Soapy Caustic hands though

[Mattypower]

We only clean pipe work really with soda! The the CIP is me! found the soda works best, more coarse??? after use i get in and clean with Redes VC70 rinse with water then soaked for 24 Hrs in Spectak G then Cleaned again with VC70 rinsed with water and finally Peracetic! thats for the copper, fermenters, and holding tanks! alot of cleaning!!!!

[EccentricDyslexic]

Ive always wondered how comertial brewers clean thier Mash tuns etc out,,,does a man get in with a bass brush and a hoover?:)

Steve