Problems since switching to soda crystals from washing up li

[sbond10]

Since switching to soda crystals from washing up liquid for all my general washing needs my fermenters now stink of erm beer. Is there away around this ?

[bquiggerz]

Glass or plastic? Glass is impermeable to most things but plastic is somewhat absorbent and will keep smells and even tastes from previous ferments.

[sbond10]

The problem has only become aparent since switching to soda crystals tho

[Ditch]

Sbonders; How are ye using those crystals?

[sbond10]

Boiling water and chucking um in by eye then washing like a dish ?

[Ditch]

Mm. Sounds pretty much like what I do. I use about a mug full (or less) to a litre (or less) of boiling. Rubber gauntlets. Give the FV a good rubbing out with a cloth. Ditch and copiously hose.

However; I would also point out that I only ever do that with a Brand New FV. Just to get the 'Factory' out of it.

For make to make sanitation? I use clean water, a nail brush and a hose. That's for the clean up after drinking that bucket. Then, I sanitise with a quick wipe out with thin bleach solution ~ also maintained by 'eye' (Nose and instinct). That done, straightaway, I hose and use.

Yeppers. Having talked it through now? Personally, I consider soda crystale to be a 'Cleansing / Degreasing' agent. Not a sanitiser.

Dunno if that's thrown up anything ye can use?

Perhaps the crystals degrease. While the bleach kills the bacteria causing the small ....?

[sbond10]

Yea I use starsan to kill the nasty s and that seems to move the smell and the soda stuff for its bath if ypu under stand

[Ditch]

Ah, now I don't tend to soak sh!t, see? Soda as it comes in the door. Finished. Welcome to the team.

Then, all my plastic is either in active use. Or sat around, rinsed out with water ~ and yes, some of it can give off a bang, when I take a lid off, weeks down the line. But, that doesn't faze me because I'll already be intending to RE rinse it with water ~ to flush out that staleness. Then sanitise and use.

[sbond10]

Maybe it's just because soda crystals are none perfumed so I'm noticing it more because of this

[Ditch]

Frankly, mate? I find Any brewing plastics, left around with moisture in them, can create a bang.

That said? As I've already indicated; I accept this as part and parcel. It all ties in with my core philosophy of not sticking my head in buckets, looking for a bang. I just accept that it Will be there.

Perhaps, if I up ended my buckets on a mesh, to drain and air dry completely, there'd be no smell? Fine. But, I'd still sanitise, before using.

In summary then? It really looks, to me, like we're on the same sheet. Just stop sniffing ye buckets like a suspicious mother. They smell. So what? Rinse. Sanitise. Crack on

[sbond10]

I leave mine to air dry so yep maybe I should stop being weird n sniffing buckets and jerry cans and just accept that Ive cleaned it and bathed it in starsan and voila I should be ok. The other thing is normally ill brew dry store for upto 6 months I've just recently 2 brews in less than 5 weeks

One substance I shall never ever use again is vwp 2 infections with that stuff probs how I used it but now forever shall remain complete crap

[Ditch]

maybe I should stop being weird n sniffing buckets and jerry cans and just accept that Ive cleaned it and bathed it in starsan and voila I should be ok.

Ah! Careful! No; Maybe I'm misreading you? Or you're misreading me?

A Washed bucket Will hold a whiff. But, it doesn't matter because we (I) still Sanitise it, minutes before reuse.

I certainly hope I'm not sounding like I'd take a minging bucket out of 'dry' storage and just put beer in it? Hell, no!

Just as an aside here; Little trick I've developed is, when I hose out an FV I've just enptied of beer? I hose the scum out, in the shower. Then I take it to the sink and use a nail brush, to scrub the baked on crud off. Then, I take it outside. Nothing shows uo that hidden hint of a stain like natural daylight!

Then sanitise and use.

[sbond10]

No I understand you ditch I clean my kit before use with crystals then star San then after use I throughly scrub it with crystals then air dry then store then repeat the above

[Ditch]

I'd drop the 'regular' use of crystals, mate. No point.

I've never sanitised with either VWP or Starsan. Only ever used my bleach. I believe SS is a drip dry, no rinser? My shower stall and hose suits me.

Oh! Now I think about it? Crystal for the new in degrease? Fine. Then spend the rest of the plastics life just water washing and sanitising, with what ever. Not crystals though.

And there we have it: I pick up a washed ~ long ago ~ FV which has sat upright with the lid resting on it. (Sniff them and they Can hold a bang!) Tip. Sanitise, rinse, use.

What are You doing? Picking up a long since washed bucket. Sanitising it. Then leaving it to drain? How long for? Will that sanitising wash out what ever residual might have remained?

With me, it's ten minutes, as the kettle boils and I get sh!t ready. I never sniff that FV again.

Not getting an after whiff from the SS, are ye?

Hard for me, having zero experience of ye own methods and materials, see?

Ye Soak sh!t? What, like an FV full or crystalled water? Not something residual from the crystals, it it? It's been a while now. But, don't they have a slightly sharp bang off them?

This is where " Beam me up, Sbonders. " could be so handy! Twenty minutes actually Showing eachother what we do? I bet we'd have it cracked in no time!

The devil's in the detail. And the detail is always better observed than described.

[sbond10]

Considering I'm crap at describing what I do use words I'm not meant. See I could show you how I'd put someone on a spine board but could I describe what I'm doing properly not without either confusing you or making you go to sleep.

When I say soak I mean get ypur dishes in sink wash up as normal now replace sink with bath and fermentor wash n scrub if beers going in star San it if not air dry and store then after storage wash up again and stanitise