Cleaning AND sanitising ?

[Pinto]

Today I've been involved in the soul draining task of prepping glass bottles for my next few brews (I have 5l of TC, 15l of Tarweiber and soon, 23 more litres of TC) - so i've been involved in cleaning and sanitising bout 150 500ml bottles

So... on a shopping trip this afternoon, I obtained..

http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductVie ... ra+hygiene

So now have a kilo of Oxy to aid my remaining (and future) cleaning

Aha... but this oxy has the optional knobs on.... it also contains peracetic acid (3.1% w.v) so I have questions for those more knowledgeable than myself....

Primarily, i'd like some advice on using peracetic acid as a sanitiser; from reading around it appears to be very effective, and more importantly, a non-pH affected no rinse steriliser. I however dont seem to be able to find any information on what levels are required for proper sanitisation, and in this context, how much i'd be needing to use (if its 1.5kg in 25l then its not cost effective but if we're talking gramme quantites this could make my life a LOT easier)

Anyone ?

[Pinto]

Looking at a peracetic sterilising fluid (5% w/v) it reccomends 28g /5 gallons as a sanitising solution ( http://www.deccous.com/userfiles/files/ ... 533%29.pdf )... so equivilent would that be 48g/5 gallons at a 3% concentration with the above vanish ?

If my maths is correct this stuff could be very effective indeed ! (but im often wrong )

[keith1664]

It may well kill all the germs but I'm not sure that you'd want to use it as a no rinse sanitizer due to the other stuff in it. I use the cheap versions of oxi for cleaning and you can tell by running your finger over it that it leaves a residue of some description. So my cleaning / sanitizing regime for my cornies is oxi to clean, then rinse and starsan to sanitize. Bottles get cleaned out with washing up liquid as I empty them (so much easier than building up a backlog) then a squirt with starsan just before bottling.
Pricewise I use the cheapy oxi (around £1,50-£2 a tub) and a bottle of starsan costs £13 and lasts forever.

[jmc]

It may well kill all the germs but I'm not sure that you'd want to use it as a no rinse sanitizer due to the other stuff in it. I use the cheap versions of oxi for cleaning and you can tell by running your finger over it that it leaves a residue of some description. So my cleaning / sanitizing regime for my cornies is oxi to clean, then rinse and starsan to sanitize. Bottles get cleaned out with washing up liquid as I empty them (so much easier than building up a backlog) then a squirt with starsan just before bottling.
Pricewise I use the cheapy oxi (around £1,50-£2 a tub) and a bottle of starsan costs £13 and lasts forever.

+1
I use oxy too to clean then rinse then when sure no residue starsan to sanitise.

[Aleman]

I can't believe that anyone washes any of their brewing equipment with washing up liquid That stuff is worse to rinse off than chlorine based sanitisers, and the surfactants it contains kill head dead.

Personally I rinse the bottle out when I have emptied it, it then sits there until I get 4-6 bottles, they then get a soak in oxiclean for 15 minutes (If the labels don't come off they go for recycling). I then rinse with hot water and invert to dry. When Dry they get covered in silver foil and stored ready for use.

Come bottling day a quick blast with the bottle rinser and a no rinse sanitiser (PAA, iodophors or star san) on the bottle tree, and then filled.

The quickest way to speed up bottling is to get the bottles clean as you use them and not do it all in one go . . . That is completely soul destroying

[Pinto]

The quickest way to speed up bottling is to get the bottles clean as you use them and not do it all in one go . . . That is completely soul destroying

THAT is sage wisdom

I hear you about the residue. Recently i've been using bleach (nice and cheap, I now have orange spotted "brew day wear" ) followed by a hot campden tab rinse bucket to kill the bleach residue and a flush in clean water. I do find that the bleach is not the most effective label remover either. Hopefully the oxy will fare better - and sanitise into the bargain

Any input on quantities of use ?

[Martin G]

It might be worth checking the hot Campden rinse. My pot of Sodium Metabisulphate says not to mix with chlorine because it produces dangerous gases. Maybe at low conc there is no issue, thought it best to share though in case there is a risk.