Sanitation

[Colquhoun12]

As there are many ways to sanitize, I'm just curious which products and methods everyone uses. To sanitize a 5 gallon carboy do you fill with 5 gals sanitizing solution or go with 2-3 and just be sure it contacts all surfaces? I've been using a BrewVint cleaner from AHS and filling the whole volume. Just wondering if there is a favorite of the forum.

[poops4president]

I usually swirl a gallon or two around with my sanatizer. So far so good. But I also keep a bucket on hand with 5 gallons of onestep sanitzer to soak stuff as well as in case I drop something. It gets a lil pricey to use that much at a time but when u don't have a good routine or much room to brew what's an extra few bucks right?

[Ryanh1801]

I generally mix up 5 gallons, but this is because I use star san, and it last for a few months. When I sanitize a carboy I just put in half a gallon of so, and slash it around.

[Ó Flannagáin]

I use 1Step or StarSan... I mix up one gallons worth and keep it stored. Stays good for a couple weeks easy and I just use it over and over. Sanitizer is one of my lowest costs in this hobby.

[Lerxst]

I also use starsan, pour a bit in and shake it all around so that the solution and foam cover all surfaces. I then upend and drain.

[Barley-Davidson]

I also use starsan, pour a bit in and shake it all around so that the solution and foam cover all surfaces. I then upend and drain.

+1

I only keep about a gallon mixed up, plus a spray bottle.

[DrunkenSatyr]

I keep 5 gallons of starsan on tap around the house and just pour a gallon or so in, swirl like hell till the foam covers everything then drain back into the keg. If you check the PH that stuff can stay good for up to 6 months.

[cheesefood]

Capful of iodaphor and about 2 gallons of water. I use fresh sanitizer each time and only use it when needed. Don't need to sanitize my MLT or kettle unless it had some mold in it. Really, all I sanitize are my hoses, kegs, and carboys (bucket). And I don't sanitize the bucket if I've just emptied it and I'm racking onto the cake.

The way I figure it, everything I use on brewday will end up being boiled. If there were wild yeast or nasties in my MLT they'd only have an hour to do their thing in very hot conditions.

I take sanitation pretty lightly and haven't had any problems. It'd take a long time for a little wild yeast to make a noticeable difference on a beer.

[marzen41]

i had the same question when i first started brewing and did,nt have a forum like this so i always fill my fermenters ,kegs and racking tubes plumb full. it may be a waste of iodephor but i never have any sanitiztion issues

[Lerxst]

I also use starsan, pour a bit in and shake it all around so that the solution and foam cover all surfaces. I then upend and drain.

+1

I only keep about a gallon mixed up, plus a spray bottle.

Good point! The spray bottle of starsan is clutch.

[Colquhoun12]

I think from the sound of things I'm gonna have to try star san soon. I really like the idea of being able to reuse sanitizer. Pinching pennies anywhere will go a long way in the long run I'm sure.

[newtobrew]

Does anyone use a small amount of bleach in 5 gallons of water?

[Shenanigans]

Does anyone use a small amount of bleach in 5 gallons of water?


http://www.homebrewchatter.com/board/showpost.php?p=18244&postcount=10

The method describe was actually endorsed by the creator of star san in a podcast.

[Barley-Davidson]

I used a bleach solution for quite a few batches with no problems; I recommend it.

[Bmelanco]

Does anyone use a small amount of bleach in 5 gallons of water?

Bleach is all I have ever used. I have had one infected bottle out of over 200 gallons brewed.

[Lerxst]

I used bleach when I started out (but not in a no-rinse capacity). Then I switched to onestep and while I liked that it was a no-rinse, mix and go, eventually got tired of the expense. Starstan is so easy and flexible that I couldn't see going back to either. I mix a gallon at a time and keep a spray bottle filled. Since you can use it over several batches, like 'Flan mentioned, I've hardly put a dent in my original bottle over dozens of batches.

[ben the brewman]

i use iodaphor by mixing one cap full per 5 gallons of water. i will pour the soloution from one container to another if i need to sanatize more things.

[Peteoz77]

I believe sometimes people get a bit TOO carried away with sanitation, and lose sight of what can and can't attack our beer. Using bleach will kill what you want killed, but then when you rinse it completely out, you are using tap water, which has plenty of little creatures in it, that the bleach can't kill once it's rinsed out.

I am not afraid of tap water, and I have used it straight from the tap to make many extract kits. However, why would anyone NOT use a non-rinse sanitiser? I was kegging beer at another guy's house this week and he was using a fairly strong solution of bleach to rinse his bottles and kegs, then rinsing , rinsing, rinsing them. The amount of time and water he wasted in this process seemed crazy to me, then a few sprays from a bottle of Star San solution does the same thing.. maybe even better. From a cost standpoint, bleach is cheap, but so is star san.

[rooster445]

I use bleach to get all the dried shit out of the carboy's then I use one step for sanitation and to clean my auto siphon.