Kettle Cleaning

[Neil Whittaker]

Morning all,

So my brew kettle (Brewzilla) has been in the garage (very dry garage) for a couple of weeks, since I last brewed. I noticed the other day that some mould had started to develop. :-(
After my last brew I cleaned with VWP, but i'm wondering if I've not done a good enough job somehow.
Current thoughts are:
1. Not enough VWP - I put two tsp in a gallon.
2. Not warm enough water - I set to 35c.
3. Maybe the cleaner did not hit all the parts - 2 gallons in the kettle.
4. Did not dry the kettle out enough and also left the lid on whilst in storing.

Any advice would be great.

 

[Banbeer]

I think your answer will be number 4, I have the same problem, I clean it thoroughly after use and dry it out as much as possible and there always seems to be mould on the filter after a week or so(using a Brewster Beacon) I have a feeling that the pump has water in that won't pump out so returns back into the bottom of the kettle

 

[Neil Whittaker]

Think I created a nice damp environment. With not drying enough and leaving the lid on.
I'll make sure all the equipment is cleaned again before the next brew. Some extra boiling water is great for killing weeds.

 

[kelper]

You could try leaving the bazooka and pump submerged?

 

[QED]

I tend to leave my kettle to dry upside down on top of one of those metal grate trivets as it lets the drips drain and lets the air flow.

 

[Neil Whittaker]

Oh yeah, I have a spare baking cooling rack, I could totally leave it upside down on that. 100% my go to storage from now on!!!

VWP, what temps to people normally clean with this stuff?

 

[Banbeer]

Don't use it much but when I do it's luke warm. never tested the temp

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Oh yeah, I have a spare baking cooling rack, I could totally leave it upside down on that. 100% my go to storage from now on!!!

VWP, what temps to people normally clean with this stuff?

I have never been too meticulous about what temp is best for VWP. The tub says warm I believe. A pretty vague statement that suggests that it doesn’t matter too much. I have never had any issues. Only real thing to remember when using VWP is to rinse really well and then maybe rinse again.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Oh yeah, I have a spare baking cooling rack, I could totally leave it upside down on that. 100% my go to storage from now on!!!

VWP, what temps to people normally clean with this stuff?

Probably about 45C for bottles and FV's but I don't use it on SS. I invert the kettle and mash tun and let dry.

 

[Neil Whittaker]

Looks like i'm not doing to much wrong on the cleaning side then, just got to up my drying and airing out.
Cheers all. Panic over.
Not ready for kettle sours yet.