Bottle Washing

[Springer]

Did a bit of bottle washing and filling yesterday, over 90, whilst I was working away decided the process needs to be improved, as much as possible :)
1. I batch primed , which I don't normally do, for the sake of extra cleaning time this has got to be better that messing around with spoons of sugar. At the end of siphoning there is no chance of stirring up the yeast as you try for the last bottles. Much more accurate as well.
2. I wrote the numbers on to tops before putting them on the bottles.
3. I used my home made bench capper, no misfires, not like the two lever types that I have in the cupboard.
4. I raised the fermenter up high with beer crates on a workmate, this saved groveling around on the floor.
5. In a standing position, all the bottles were to hand on the draining board, once filled, in the sink, they were transfered to the other side.
6. In this position I had back light which made the filling of dark bottle as easy as clear ones.
7. I used a tap instead of my finger on the end of the siphon tube. No beer wasted, sloshed on the outside of bottles which then did not needed washing. Bit slower filling but a time and beer saver I think
8. I got fed up with sinking bottles in a bucket of steriliser so I tipped the bucket into the mash tun and filled the bottles by pumping sterilser into them. Perfect, no fishing, wet cuffs and arms and no clanking bottles and you know they are full. I dosed the outsides a few times whilst they soaked.

It is the washing that takes the time, I have a lever action tap that makes filling very quick, but draining takes a long time.

I need a better draining rack, I inverted bottles in a square bucket for final draining but need to make a proper rack.

I think I am going to improve things further along the lines below.

I think maybe you could do 12 bottles at a time, tip in steriliser, pump around a few times, spin bottles, stop pump, drain down, turn on water.

So what do you think, is it worth a go.

 

[keith1664]

I have a bottle tree for drain, reasonably inexpensive and it doesn't take up a lot of space.

 

[Dieseljockey]

By Jove I think I've got it....is the red line a tray that collects the steriliser?? (and rinse water) then with the valves you control the wash and then rinse....brill :thumb:

 

[Springer]

I have a bottle tree for drain, reasonably inexpensive and it doesn't take up a lot of space.

Yes quite agree, a bottle tree or some sort of device is essential to properly get all "liquid", water videne, etc out.

By Jove I think I've got it....is the red line a tray that collects the steriliser?? (and rinse water) then with the valves you control the wash and then rinse....brill :thumb:

yes, thats it diesel, right on, a picture even a poor one, as in this case, is worth a thousand words, as they say.

As a forerunner to the build of the kit above I have perfected point 8 of my post. A beer crate holds the bottles in place whilst they are filled. Not even a wet hand. :hmm: I think another crate could then be stacked on top. 24 at a washing.

I recon with a piece of wood maybe plastic would be better, with holes in it, as a lid to the crate , would enable it to be lifted out, inverted and allowed to drain back in :hmm:

 

[Springer]

Its a bit sad when you have to reply to yourself, :lol: but I have made a "top" for the crate and think the idea may be of interest to bored bottle washers.
It means I can empty 12 bottles in the same time as it takes to empty one. Just hold the "top" in place, invert and shake.

 

[Sean_Mc]

Clever simple idea that S :thumb:

 

[gurtpint]

Good thinking there. Now please send me half a dozen of those red crates. Oh, I digress... My life has certainly been getting easier now that I have acquired a bottling bucket with a tap and a bottling rod. The bottling today went smoothly, as I had washed the dust off the bottles (stored under the sink, always rinsed and drained after pouring the contents to a glass) the night before. As I have to do everything in the kitchen and am not technically inclined, I make do with a no-rinse sanitizer - the greatest thing since oatmeal porridge! Sanitizer in, swirl around, pour away, fill with beer. Which is nice.

 

[Tony]

Just hold the "top" in place, invert and shake.

Now that is a great idea!
:thumb:

 

[unclepumble]

Now then this post has given me a bit of an idea :!: :wha: :!:

& That's dangerous :twisted:

Good post springer :thumb:


UP

 

[Springer]

half a dozen of those red crates.

Its the simple ideas that are best. You have made it even better G, I was only planning on using one crate and transfering the bottles to the draining board........... more crates :hmm: , have a full batch ready for bottling then, easily moved, fill em, put em back in :hmm: Will milk bottle ones do :hmm:

yes the bottling bucket plus cane is the way to go,

These last two pics really speed up the bottling chore, but am still aiming to put together the semi auto kit, up post

 

[gurtpint]

^ I have to confess that I was craving those lurvely crates mainly for storage purposes... The crates designed for Finnish 0,5 liter bottles can't take the sturdier bottles that represent the majority of my stash. The alcohol stores and bars get their bottles in cardboard boxes. Bugger. Why oh why did I let go of the ones I had brought back from Germany and Czech?

As far as draining is concerned, being of a beanstalk body type I'd consider it a job well done if I was able to drain one crate at one go :grin:

 

[Springer]

As far as draining is concerned, being of a beanstalk body type I'd consider it a job well done if I was able to drain one crate at one go :grin:

I do quite like my crates especially for transporting stock, always take a couple on camping trips, Mrs.S has now trained me,.............they go in the van first, so that when we get there and start unpacking, with everyone watching, the first thing that comes out is the tent, not two crates of home brew, the portaloo goes in with the beer as well that was her, not me
Neah I was only thinking of up ending one at a time, only have one "lid". :lol:

 

[Springer]

Have been busy on other missions recently, but have put together the base for the rinsing part of the project. Works really well, the pic shows three bottles removed to show the jet / spray achieved,with the valve tap only half turned on. The nozzles need nipping or opening up to get a better balance, but this needs to be done outside under full flow conditions. :lol:
The tap flows at 14 litres per min, so to leave it running for a minute will give a better rinse than filling the bottles twice.

Certainly a quick easy way of rinsing bottles. With lots of scope for improvement. I am begining to wonder if it would scale up to do 24 bottles, that would be interesting two runs of the kit to wash enough bottles for a "normal" brew. :hmm:

 

[luckyeddie]

Smart.

:thumb:

 

[Springer]

Bump for thread, might help newcomers.
Been bottle washing again, did over 100 today, :)
Only improvement to the idea to date was to fully turn on stop tap to brewery, not been working on full flow, now its much better, not measured flow rate yet. :)
What I did do, to speed things up was to use four crates, whilst two were soaking the other two were being un/reloaded and rinsed.
Worked a treat.
S