Weirdest question? How to dry tubing?

[Brewmastermk]

I can’t believe I can’t find anyone who’s asked this, but it seems obvious. You have 3m of tubing from your coil cooler or beer line or whatever that you want to store, you don’t want to store it damp. So what? I hook it on the stairs to air dry. Anyone else have an idea that actually works and doesn’t take 4 days?

surely I’m missing something obvious to all other brewers?

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Not weird at all. Great question. I get as much water out as I can by playing helicopters and spinning it as fast as I can over my head in the garden. That get most of it out. It then hangs over the boiler in the boiler cupboard and is usually fully dry in a day.

 

[Stevieboy]

Not weird at all. Great question. I get as much water out as I can by playing helicopters and spinning it as fast as I can over my head in the garden. That get most of it out. It then hangs over the boiler in the boiler cupboard and is usually fully dry in a day.

That's exactly what I do. Then sterilise before use.

 

[foxbat]

I also helicopter it outside in the garden much to the amusement of my wife. Afterwards I stick one end into a computer blower fan exhaust port and it's dry in under an hour. The key is to get air to flow through it.

 

[Hop_it]

After playing helicopters I use my aquarium aerator pump (normally used for aerating the wort prior to pitching the yeast) to blow air through the tube for an hour or so. I hang it vertically, and blow the air in from the top.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I don’t know what made me think I was the only one to play helicopters

 

[Clint]

I don't! I clean the tubing after use...usually with an oxi type product,then rinse then store submerged in starsan/chemclean solution in a spare fv. This is for platinum cured silicone and standard pvc stuff I use for my syphon and blow off tubes. The same bucket also has measuring syringes,spoons,bottling wand and all sorts of other bits chucked in.

 

[-Bezza-]

I've heard of a few people pulling a length of para cord with a knot in the end through the tube. Not tried it myself.

 

[stripeyjoe]

then store submerged in starsan/chemclean solution in a spare fv.

I always find silicon tubing gets a bit of a soapy feel to it if I leave it in StarSan too long, especially the floating dip tube stuff.

 

[jof]

I run steriliser though my tube, the I hang it from the utility room window handle for a day.
Then put it through sterilizer again before use

 

[Buffers brewery]

At the end of brew day I pump clean hot water through the pipes and rinse outside then hang vertical to drain and dry. Sanitise immediately prior to use.

 

[Brewmastermk]

Not weird at all. Great question. I get as much water out as I can by playing helicopters and spinning it as fast as I can over my head in the garden. That get most of it out. It then hangs over the boiler in the boiler cupboard and is usually fully dry in a day.

Good call on boiler cupboard, that’ll be quicker than just on the stairs…

 

[Brewmastermk]

I also helicopter it outside in the garden much to the amusement of my wife. Afterwards I stick one end into a computer blower fan exhaust port and it's dry in under an hour. The key is to get air to flow through it.

Good thought on the airflow from that fan. Combined it’s a funnel I might try making up a diy blower…

 

[Brewmastermk]

I don't! I clean the tubing after use...usually with an oxi type product,then rinse then store submerged in starsan/chemclean solution in a spare fv. This is for platinum cured silicone and standard pvc stuff I use for my syphon and blow off tubes. The same bucket also has measuring syringes,spoons,bottling wand and all sorts of other bits chucked in.

Is it ok to leave these items permanently in the chemicals? I thought prolonged exposure could cause degradation and pitting in the material?

 

[Brewmastermk]

I've heard of a few people pulling a length of para cord with a knot in the end through the tube. Not tried it myself.

Great idea, but how does one get the cord through 3m of tube to then pull through?

 

[DCBC]

I use a wet vac to dry out my vessels (they're too large to move about so I have to clean and dry in place), pumps, HERMS coil and CFC. It does a good job getting most of the water out of silicone hoses too, I just use my hand to make a rough seal and, for longer hoses, vacuum both ends and leave them hanging vertically or, for the longer ones, folded in half with both ends pointing down.

There are still droplets in the hoses when I've finished, but the vac tends to such out the larger drips and break the smaller ones down into tiny spots which always air dry in a couple of days, even in winter.

 

[-Bezza-]

Great idea, but how does one get the cord through 3m of tube to then pull through?

I guess the point is that you use cord that is thin enough to thread through but thick enough to have sufficient tension to push over that distance, then it's the knot that rubs against the sides.

I'm with Clint that leaving tubing in starsan for an extended period leaves it feeling soapy. Whether that's an issue or not is another matter.

 

[user 41945]

I syphon a gallon of sterilising solution through it when I've rinsed it out, do the helicopter thing and hang up near a radiator. Any residual liquid is sterilising solution so shouldn't encourage any nasties to grow. Then sterilise again before use.

 

[gavp1979]

I feel like I am the only person that doesn't helicopter during a brew day think I might have to give it a go next time

 

[Stevieboy]

I knew I'd seen it done somewhere.