How do you keep it all clean?

[VinceG]

Hi People.

Your large stainless steel brewery, how do you keep it all clean and sterile?

 

[Vossy1]

I clean the outside of all my stainless with warm soapy water, same on the inside for the mash tun and HLT. The boiler gets light tan/brown deposits during use and this requires a bit of shifting, so I use warm caustic soda solution. It's best not to use anything abrasive on stainless as you can strip away the oxidised layer causing it to rust. If you do get rust simply scour it off, dry, and leave for a few days for the oxidised layer to reform.
Kettle elements can get mineral deposits on them and it's really hard to shift, it's easily cleaned off though with a soak in citric acid.
As for sterility, only the fv needs to be sanitised before use, that's easily done with various sanitisers, though best keeping contact time with chlorine based sanitisers as short as possible as they can cause pitting with prolonged contact.

 

[pittsy]

yeah , what he said.

 

[PD]

One big tin of Elbow Grease.

 

[VinceG]

Thanks Vossy1

I might build something one of these days.

 

[darkonnis]

As soon as the boil is finished and empty, i just get in there with a scour pad and use the acidic wort to clean the element. What I DO struggle with, is getting the filters clean. what a right pita!