Bottle cleaning residue from oxy cleaner

[Red Raven Brewery]

Hi,

I have a load of swing top bottles I left in a solution of water and oxy cleaner for just short of a month as I forgot all about them.

I've just gone to take some put and they all appear to have a grainy residue on the inside and out. It's almost like a sugar coating.

I assume the oxy clean has settled (didn't realised I'd used quite so much). Has anyone had this and know of an easy way to get rid? Simply rinsing isn't working and a bottle brush is getting there but it's taking a lot, especially since the brush is crap!

 

[ARNWD]

As I understand it the residue is table salt.

Re-treat with oxy will put the residue back into solution, then rinse as normal.

 

[Red Raven Brewery]

As I understand it the residue is table salt.

Re-treat with oxy will put the residue back into solution, then rinse as normal.

I was going to try that as well! Thank you. Will give it a go on the morning. Thank you.

 

[dcbrookes]

Hi,

I have a load of swing top bottles I left in a solution of water and oxy cleaner for just short of a month as I forgot all about them.

I've just gone to take some put and they all appear to have a grainy residue on the inside and out. It's almost like a sugar coating.

I assume the oxy clean has settled (didn't realised I'd used quite so much). Has anyone had this and know of an easy way to get rid? Simply rinsing isn't working and a bottle brush is getting there but it's taking a lot, especially since the brush is crap!

The residue is not table salt, it is chalk (calcium carbonate) caused by the breakdown of the oxyclean which happens if there is any hardness in the water. A 10% solution of citric acid will remove it quickly and safely.

 

[Sadfield]

Isn't it Sodium Carbonate, aka washing soda, Soda Ash? Can be used as a water softener, or to add carbonate to the mash, so won't do any harm.

Sodium Percarbonate > Sodium Carbonate + Hydrogen Peroxide > Sodium Carbonate + H2O + Oxygen.

Something acidic will get rid of it. Citric acid solution, Starsan or beer.

 

[An Ankoù]

I had exactly the same thing happen
With a conical flask after firgitting about it for a couple of weeks. I doubt it's chalk as I only have 4ppm of calcium in my water. I've put it to one side as I have other flasks. I'll try rinsing it with some dilute CRS and see if that shifts it.

 

[Red Raven Brewery]

It isn't the chalky stuff that's sometimes left behind, unless when it builds up to a crazy level it becomes more like a sugar glaze.

I'll try get a picture and will try acid of some sort as that did work when I had the chalk like stuff one time. It definitely seems different though.

 

[dcbrookes]

I had exactly the same thing happen
With a conical flask after firgitting about it for a couple of weeks. I doubt it's chalk as I only have 4ppm of calcium in my water. I've put it to one side as I have other flasks. I'll try rinsing it with some dilute CRS and see if that shifts it.

Sodium carbonate is readily soluble in water, whereas chalk isn't. If a residue is hard to shift the chances are it is either chalk or beerstone.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I’m pretty sure @Sadfield is right and the residue is sodium carbonate. You will have to soak the bottles in something acidic to clear it.

When I use sodium percarbonate I only leave the bottles soaking for an hour and then immediately rinse them out with tap water to flush away that residue before storage.

 

[Red Raven Brewery]

Not chalk or soda ash. I've had that before and it isn't that. Plus just to see I put some lemon juice in the bottles and it did nothing to shift the stuff.
Like I said, it's more like a gritty sugar glazing I just can't get a picture of it through the amber bottles.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I think you’ll need to leave it a while. Try filling one bottle with a solution of Starsan or something acidic and leave it until tomorrow.

 

[An Ankoù]

Sodium carbonate is readily soluble in water, whereas chalk isn't. If a residue is hard to shift the chances are it is either chalk or beerstone.

It's none of those three, but I'll see if I can shift it as its a waste of as good flask other otherwise.