Sterilising

[chains]

Little bit if bleach and little bit of vinegar to lower the ph works an absolute charm.
And I believe cold water is actually best when sterilising with bleach.

 

[peelman]

Does anyone use "non rinse" sanitizers?
Try not to get the bleach on your jeans.. tie-dye is so 70's...
:lol:

 

[hong]

So if using thin bleach is it best to rinse with hot/boiling water?

 

[chains]

So if using thin bleach is it best to rinse with hot/boiling water?

It depends how much bleach you use. From a link somehwere on this forums I lwas directed to a podcast by the maker of the non-rinse steriliser star san. He's a chemical engineer and basically said if you use a low conc of bleach (80ppm) with vinegar to bring down the pH it will sanitise but there is no need to rinse as the amount is so low.

If your interested in hearing what he says check it out here:
http://ec.libsyn.com/p/3/9/0/390da96899 ... id=1452161


I for one will be giving his method a go next batch!

 

[rpt]

I use no-rinse Starsan. It's bad enough having to sterilise 40 bottles but having to rinse them too would be a step too far. I also like the way I have a spray bottle and can just give things a quick spray. It may cost more than thin bleach but it is worth it for the ease. As you can reuse the solution many times it isn't as expensive as it first seems.

 

[bunkerbrewer]

It depends how much bleach you use. From a link somehwere on this forums I lwas directed to a podcast by the maker of the non-rinse steriliser star san. He's a chemical engineer and basically said if you use a low conc of bleach (80ppm) with vinegar to bring down the pH it will sanitise but there is no need to rinse as the amount is so low.!

Interesting, but isn't it quite hard in practice to know how much bleach you're actually using? I occasionally use diluted cheap thin bleach for sanitising, but I don't know the concentration of bleach I'm starting with (and it probably varies by supermarket).

I spoiled a brew at bottling once with residual chlorine flavours - never again! It's detectable in tiny quantities. Play safe and rinse :) Then neutralise with k-meta solution (reusable), and rinse again :)

 

[rpt]

I spoiled a brew at bottling once with residual chlorine flavours - never again! It's detectable in tiny quantities. Play safe and rinse :) Then neutralise with k-meta solution (reusable), and rinse again :)

That's why I use a no-rinse sanitiser - two rinses saved!

 

[bunkerbrewer]

That's why I use a no-rinse sanitiser - two rinses saved!

+1. StarSan is magic. Anything that cuts over an hour out of a bottling session is worth every penny :)

I still occasionally do an overnight soak of my FV in a weak bleach solution, though.

 

[hong]

Where do you get Starsan?

 

[rpt]

Where do you get Starsan?

The Home Brew Shop and Brew UK sell it. Try Googling it for other stockists.

An alternative is Videne which you can get from pharmacies. I've never used it so I don't know if it is as easy to use as Starsan.

 

[peelman]

Yes I got Starsan off The Home Brew Shop.
The amount you use per gallon (US gallon mind) is so small. Even if you didn't want to re-use it, its still worth it to save all the rinsing I think.

 

[Stihler]

I usually use Iodophor which is a iodine based no-rinse sanitizer.

- Scott

 

[Andyhull]

Upto now i have used VWP and had to rinse and rinse and rinse, you get the idea, loads of water and loads of time

I used a none rinse solution of Videne at 2ml per 1lt of water to sterilise the FV this time and my brew was going well within 8hrs.

I will be bottling tonight hopefully and will be using a none rinse videne solution of 1ml per 1/2lt in my bottle rincer that i got fro christmas.

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/bot ... p-580.html

They will then be placed on the bottle tree to drain and i will prime and fill at my leasure.
I used to use so much water to rinse the VWP from the bottles before and because of this dread bottling, i recon it used to take longer to rince them than fill them :hmm:

So im now a great advocate of no rince sterilising an so long as the bottles are kept clean it takes no time/water at all. :grin:

Andy

 

[PD]

I think the strength of Videne is 2.5 ml per litre for cleaning and 1.25 ml per litre for no rinse solution

 

[Andyhull]

I think the strength of Videne is 2.5 ml per litre for cleaning and 1.25 ml per litre for no rinse solution

I don't think Videne is a cleanser!
Just a sanitiserr as far as im aware, not 100% on this though!

 

[Brycey]

Is the oxy clean people are using as a cleaner the stuff you stick in your washing machine to get rid of the stains?

If not where do you buy it?

B

 

[EskiBrew]

Iodophor = Videne = Betadine = no-rinse sanitiser :thumb:

Get it from your chemist for about £7 per half litre (although you will probably be asked why you want it) - make sure you get the aqueous based one and not the alcohol based one.

1.25ml/Litre for no-rinse use
2.5ml/Litre maximum for heavy sanitising use (not for no-rinse use)

Keep some made up in a spray bottle - you can tell when it is no longer any use because it loses it's colour.

see pic below

For cleaning soiled stuff, consider soda crystals - available from the supermarket, 99p per 1kg bag :thumb:

 

[rpt]

Is the oxy clean people are using as a cleaner the stuff you stick in your washing machine to get rid of the stains?

If not where do you buy it?

B

Yes. It's quite cheap in Home Bargains.

 

[rpt]

Are there any restrictions on the water you can use to make up a Videne solution? One problem with Starsan is the water mustn't be too alkaline as it sanitises by being acidic.

 

[EskiBrew]

Are there any restrictions on the water you can use to make up a Videne solution? One problem with Starsan is the water mustn't be too alkaline as it sanitises by being acidic.

Not that I am aware of - it is the iodine in it that kills the bugs :thumb:
I just use normal tap water