Water treatment (but not that)

[MashBag]

This is not the usual water treatment thread you might have expected!

I have setup a 25l reservoir in my fridge for my summer brews. It will be circulated through my fermentation chiller coil.

I don't want to replace the water until October, when I will ditch it.

Does anyone have any ideas what best to add to stop it festering in the meantime ?

Kadifit, salt, copper?

 

[Agentgonzo]

This is not the usual water treatment thread you might have expected!

I have setup a 25l reservoir in my fridge for my summer brews. It will be circulated through my fermentation chiller coil.

I don't want to replace the water until October, when I will ditch it.

Does anyone have any ideas what best to add to stop it festering in the meantime ?

Kadifit, salt, copper?

If it's not going anywhere near your beer, then antifreeze or car additives will probably stop stuff growing in it. Or toilet duck.

Starsan will probably be better and smell less thinking about it.

 

[Caramel Ox]

I have a similar setup and went for chemsan as I couldn’t think of anything else, didn’t use much though as worried about effect.

 

[Clint]

I'd say star/chem-San type products. I keep bits and bobs submerged for months in a spare fv.

 

[MashBag]

Absolutely going nowhere near the beer, this is just the coolant.

 

[DocAnna]

It will depend in part on your fittings, temperatures used and any risk of spillage. An antifreeze product for car usage will avoid risks of icing but you really really don't want to risk that getting anywhere near your beer. Chemsan/starsan will be a lot safer for risk of contact with your beer, but not for this time if your coil is copper as the acid will strip the protective coating off the copper, and will likely end up green within a few weeks, by which stage you've lost the benefit of safety with contact with your beer. Stainless steel though will be generally fine with the acid contact long term.

 

[MashBag]

I don't have any chem/star san.
Not liking the idea of antifreeze, just because of accidental spillage.

I am thinking 2% brine? Thoughts anyone?

For the record it's a stainless coil, which is proving to be almost too good.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Salt increases the rusting of iron. No idea whether it'll cause the stainless steel to rust a bit or not. It'll certainly inhibit stuff growing in there.

 

[DocAnna]

I don't have any chem/star san.
Not liking the idea of antifreeze, just because of accidental spillage.

I am thinking 2% brine? Thoughts anyone?

For the record it's a stainless coil, which is proving to be almost too good.

Your issue with brine may be with the chilling effect which over time lead to precipitation of the salt, but I haven't done the maths on how this would impact a 2% solution or if that will be enough to suppress moulds. A 2% lemon juice solution though is an effective biocide providing your water isn't super alkaline.

 

[MashBag]

Got it. Easier than brine. Copper sulphate. Definitely a fungicide. I have a big bag and I seem to recall as little as 50ppm will do the trick.

Better than brine.

 

[dtashmore]

try propylene glycol, food safe antifreeze, used in water solar panels also in vape products. would be your best bet.

 

[MashBag]

Vape? Really!

 

[dtashmore]

the last two liters of propylene glycol I found cheapest from a vape distributors it is the base of vapeing.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Or just bung some cheap vodka in it.

 

[MashBag]

Or just bung some cheap vodka in it.

The vape?