Just wondering if anybody knows/uses eco friendly sterilising products? I'm in a unique situation where my waste water from my house goes to a septic tank, so a more eco friendly way of cleaning my brewing equipment would be good!
Eco friendly Sterilising products
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MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
Sanitise using heat, i.e. use boiling water. There are forumites that do this and do it effectively
Sodium percarbonate.
Boiling water - I never use anything else and never had an infection so obviously it works.
Could you also use steam cleaner?
Hi.
My two pennies worth for what its worth!
I have used sodium percarbonate (as I speak I am using it to clean a batch of bottles), and as a cleaner it works well, especially in soft water. My water however is hard so I also add sodium carbonate and sodium metasilicate in approximately equal proportions, which I believe is then similar to PBW. Whilst it certainly cleans, I am not so certain that it make a great, or even good, sterilizer. I used it for cleaning/sterilizing for a short while and had huge problems with infections getting into brews.
Others with more experience will be along soon I'm sure, to advise on a suitable sterilizer. Given the amount of chemical you will be using for home brew purposes, I think the damage would be quite minimal to your septic tank, and certainly not cause any real issues. Hope this helps.
My two pennies worth for what its worth!
I have used sodium percarbonate (as I speak I am using it to clean a batch of bottles), and as a cleaner it works well, especially in soft water. My water however is hard so I also add sodium carbonate and sodium metasilicate in approximately equal proportions, which I believe is then similar to PBW. Whilst it certainly cleans, I am not so certain that it make a great, or even good, sterilizer. I used it for cleaning/sterilizing for a short while and had huge problems with infections getting into brews.
Others with more experience will be along soon I'm sure, to advise on a suitable sterilizer. Given the amount of chemical you will be using for home brew purposes, I think the damage would be quite minimal to your septic tank, and certainly not cause any real issues. Hope this helps.
Sodium percarbonate (oxi bleach) will break down to nothing more than water, oxygen and soda powder, you would use this for cleaning with and it is considered as eco friendly, for sanitising after cleaning use starsan which is reusable and non rinse so in essence you aren't putting it down your drain anyways.
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well my brewshed waste pipe runs out to the back of the compost heap, ive used laundry oxi and starsan almost exclusivly for cleaning and sanitation up there and the weed growth where the water runs too is out of control.. (thats all on me tho )
Steved53
Junior Member
Sodium hypochlorite is bleach, plain and simple. In large quantities it will cause problems with a septic tank.
Brewers do not generally sterilise, they sanitise, and that is generally good enough. The most important step by far is cleaning, and ideally cleaning before anything gets hold. Simply thoroughly washing with something such as non perfumed household washing up liquid, and allowing to dry, is the most important step you can take.
Do not leave anything damp for example. A cleaned and sealed, damp fermenter will breed all kinds of nasties. I only use three piece ball valves, unless it is just on a boiler that is delivering hot or boiling water. Having seen the crap that can harbour in valves I ensure I take them apart after every use.
Starsan (a sanitiser not steriliser) is something that I use quite a lot of. I always have some in a spray bottle close to hand. This gets sprayed on just about everything. It, however, does not clean and should only be used on previously cleaned surfaces.
I do have bleach (sodium hypochlorite) in my brewery, but it is a rare occasion that I use it. If you have a biofilm (a load of crap in everyday parlance) hiding away on some part of your equipment due to inadequate cleaning, bleach on its own will not always remove the threat.
I also have a septic tank and I take basic precautions when disposing of something like bleach. If I had a fermenter full of bleach for example I would empty this into some sort of holding tank outside. Bleach will not last very long in the presence of sunlight and will revert back to something that could safely be put down the drain.
As has already been mentioned, boiling water or steam can be used on previously cleaned equipment to effectively sanitise it. A high pressure steam cleaner is really useful for spraying down corny dip tubes and silicon tubing and other hard to clean places, but can be done without.
In essence then, you shouldn't really normally need to use anything that will be detrimental to your septic tank if you follow a good cleaning regime. In exceptional circumstances take the appropriate steps to protect it.
Brewers do not generally sterilise, they sanitise, and that is generally good enough. The most important step by far is cleaning, and ideally cleaning before anything gets hold. Simply thoroughly washing with something such as non perfumed household washing up liquid, and allowing to dry, is the most important step you can take.
Do not leave anything damp for example. A cleaned and sealed, damp fermenter will breed all kinds of nasties. I only use three piece ball valves, unless it is just on a boiler that is delivering hot or boiling water. Having seen the crap that can harbour in valves I ensure I take them apart after every use.
Starsan (a sanitiser not steriliser) is something that I use quite a lot of. I always have some in a spray bottle close to hand. This gets sprayed on just about everything. It, however, does not clean and should only be used on previously cleaned surfaces.
I do have bleach (sodium hypochlorite) in my brewery, but it is a rare occasion that I use it. If you have a biofilm (a load of crap in everyday parlance) hiding away on some part of your equipment due to inadequate cleaning, bleach on its own will not always remove the threat.
I also have a septic tank and I take basic precautions when disposing of something like bleach. If I had a fermenter full of bleach for example I would empty this into some sort of holding tank outside. Bleach will not last very long in the presence of sunlight and will revert back to something that could safely be put down the drain.
As has already been mentioned, boiling water or steam can be used on previously cleaned equipment to effectively sanitise it. A high pressure steam cleaner is really useful for spraying down corny dip tubes and silicon tubing and other hard to clean places, but can be done without.
In essence then, you shouldn't really normally need to use anything that will be detrimental to your septic tank if you follow a good cleaning regime. In exceptional circumstances take the appropriate steps to protect it.
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