Black mould on silicon seals

[Druncan]

I'm noticing some black mould spots on my silicon F/V seals (S/S Brewtech and Brewbuilder) Easy to miss as it's small and in the creases. I use Hot (60-70*C) PAA /caustic, but am increasingly doing extra hot PAA on the seals all @ 5% diluted, 3-10mls PAA per litre of water. Then I end up using scrubbies to get rid and more PAA soaking,,,,,,,
Anyone else noticed this or have a solution?
(sorry for shouting,,,, can't get rid of that either,,

 

[MashBag]

Lol.

Nope but it suggests they need to be a bit dryer before packing away... Or left out on the air.

 

[Clint]

Bleach em.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Surely caustic and PAA is strong enough to deal with mould...so is it an indication that the mould is in places the caustic and PAA cant get to and if that is the case then the wort/beer is not getting there too? Appreciate ideally you dont want it there but maybe it's not an urgent issue. I think once a year its probably good to strip everything down to piece part and give everything a good deep clean, keep meaning to spend a weekend stripping my kit down. A bit of preventive maintenance...but you're probably already doing that.

 

[Druncan]

Cheers all. But @hoppyscotty yes, strip it every time as I am a paranoid android,,,,, urgo I sell to the unwashed,,, Gonna try clean/sanitise then leave dry. Like I do with all my TC seals,,,, Why did I not think of this? @MashBag

My EHO a long time ago said bacteria don't like clean dry S/S,,

Don't panic, have a beer 236L of brews on the go today. I'm nacr'd

@Clint The unwashed? Very happy to do that to some of the 'lets try your home brew visitors'

 

[Clint]

Yeah...them an all!

 

[hoppyscotty]

Well my usual process, especially with my fermenter, is to tear down after every use and I tend to leave all the loose parts in a bucket of sanitiser until next use and the fermenter in a stripped down state. I never seem to feel comfortable cleaning up then leaving the fermenter built up and just re-using, I'll always run a quick CIP during the brewery to prep it before use, so convenient to just leave the loose parts in a bucket of sanitiser. I guess maybe leave dry or totally submerged.

 

[MashBag]

bucket of sanitiser until next use

Yikes

 

[Clint]

I've left loads of stuff in sanitiser but it does get an oxi bath and fresh sanitiser before use.

 

[MashBag]

Yikes #2

 

[hoppyscotty]

well everything gets a fresh wash down in its piece part state before next use...not just pulled out of the bucket after a few weeks and used. Doesnt seem the best option to leave stuff out in the open to me.

 

[peebee]

... Anyone else noticed this or have a solution?

I think everyone using silicone to seal around the bath have noticed it goes black!

Fortunately, silicone seals withstand quite a bit of heat, so you can chuck 'em in a pressure cooker for five minutes or so. Harder work getting the black stain out, but it can be done (chemicals). You can't wash it off 'cos it ain't "on" to wash "off" ... it's "in"! (It's not just oxygen silicone is porous too).

... the 'lets try your home brew visitors'

Eh? But I've had you down on the "must visit" list for ages. Am I to stay at home? Then again, me partner might agree to me having a free wash in bleach.

 

[MashBag]

well everything gets a fresh wash down in its piece part state before next use...not just pulled out of the bucket after a few weeks and used. Doesnt seem the best option to leave stuff out in the open to me.

Do you think the water stays perfectly sanitary all that time?
No. Water is changing all the time. Why do they test & treat pools daily.

Dry is soooo much safer. Your rewash is protecting you...& the fact that boiling the wort cures most ills.

Absolutely no way I would leave my kit wet (with water). Sorry accident waiting to happen imo. But different strokes for different folks.

 

[Clint]

I do notice that nothing visible grows in the bottle of sanitiser used as a blow off air lock even left for months.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Well if anything can grow in starsan solution then either a new form of life has spontaneously evolved or contamination with an alien lifeforms with a whole different kind of organic chemistry has occurred. Not sure either of those things is likely possible in my little garage

Think the ph threshold for beer and other liquid food products for long term storage is about 4.8ph, starsan is around 3.5ph if diluted in accordance with the instructions...I'm a bit more generous usually to make sure I dont dilute under.

 

[Druncan]

Missed this, Ooops. Thank you @peebee! - I should have remembered this, an Autoclave = pressure cooker 15 mins @ 120*C This worked perfectly on my porous silicon

All shiny clean even shifted hop discoloration.

Homebrew = home consumption brews.

Micro brewery = public consumption brews +a never ending paper trail with QC checks, insurance and an extra extra dose of paranoia in every pint,,,,

 

[peterpiper]

Pressure cooker sounds a good idea. Might try doing my silicon hoses this way. Exposure to sunlight is other option, for any (maybe larger) items. As black mould thrives more, in dark places.