the best sanitiser

evilone · Post by **evilone** » Saturday Nov 12, 2005 7:05 pm

what would you recommend as the best sanitiser for my fermenter.i currently use bleach but i would like an alternative to that as the water we have here has enough clorine in it.

yardglass · Post by **yardglass** » Saturday Nov 12, 2005 7:16 pm

i've just swapped to Iodophor.

http://www.bayareamashers.org/content/m ... dophor.htm

Hassle free if used in the correct qty.

Got a brew in at the moment that wasn't rinsed, so we'll see.

yardglass

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Saturday Nov 12, 2005 7:34 pm

Yardy, you are dead on. I started using iodophor after trying sooo many others, and it is brilliant.

Seriously, for all you home brewers out there, I have tried them all, and iodophor is by far the best.

evilone · Post by **evilone** » Saturday Nov 12, 2005 8:14 pm

thanks for your help,where do i buy the product in newcastle nsw?

NTRabbit · Post by **NTRabbit** » Saturday Nov 12, 2005 8:33 pm

I use Sodium Met because I cant find anything else, aside from the somewhat expensive MSB Sachets and the Liquid Ortho-Phosphoric acid Sanitiser that Grumpys recommends.

db · Post by db » Sunday Nov 13, 2005 8:02 pm

NTRabbit wrote:Phosphoric acid Sanitiser that Grumpys recommends.

Idophor is made from iodine + phosphoric acid

silkworm · Post by **silkworm** » Monday Nov 14, 2005 7:35 am

Stick clear of Sodium Met is my only advice here.
I can't stand the stuff as it flavoured a whole batch of Coopers Pilsner.
I've gone back to Neo Pink (bleach based I think).
I'd be trying the iodophor next.

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Monday Nov 14, 2005 9:17 am

I heard the other day that soon Pink may be banned, something do to with the dye they use to get colouring etc. NOt sure on reasoning behind this though, anyone else heard this rumour

Lebowski · Post by **Lebowski** » Wednesday Nov 16, 2005 5:27 pm

I seem to have better beers since I moved from neo pink to the coopers Sodium Metabusomethingorother

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 9:51 am

G'day,
What is the name of the neo pink stuff that everyone is referring to? I have some pink powder I use to sanitise called Sterophos, you use 1-2 table spoons of it in cold water and fill the keg or fermenter.
So far I haven't had any problems, no need to scrub, the stuff works a treat taking all the crap off after leaving overnight.
It's magic, and would recommend you try it. I haven't noticed any taste issues with it, but you do have to rinse well.

Silk the sterophos definetly is NOT chlorine based, hence the question is there another product.

Thanks in advance
AC

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 10:05 am

I find I just need to soak with water, in order to remove the crusty stuff. The iodophor is good after this, as it actually colours all the remaining yeast cells left in the fermenter. They turn a blue/black, and are very easy to see, and hence remove.

111222333 · Post by **111222333** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 10:38 am

Interesting that the yeast cells turn blue. I didn't realise there was that much starch in them, ok i thought there was none. May be Iodophor has more benefits than first aperances suggest. To me a sanitizers a sanitizer, either it kills the nasties or it doesn't. Easy. Oh well, it looks like yeast is closer related to plant's than I thought, I suspected they were monera or even fungi. Enough rambling, sorry bout the hijack, I just use bleach, provided I can rinse out the smell (chloriney lager, yum), or whatever household sanitizer is hanging around. Haven't got ill yet, knock on wood.

db · Post by db » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 10:47 am

Chris wrote:I find I just need to soak with water, in order to remove the crusty stuff. The iodophor is good after this, as it actually colours all the remaining yeast cells left in the fermenter. They turn a blue/black, and are very easy to see, and hence remove.

i've never noticed a blue/black colour before.. i have noticed that idophor will stain any build up (yeast, trub etc) on the fermentor yellowish brown

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 11:03 am

Yeasts are unicellular fungi, classified to a greater extent as saccharomycetales.

The yellow brown colour is when the stain has only permeated the cell wall. The blue black occurs when the stain gets through the cell membrane, and into the cytoplasm.

I tend to let my fermenters soak overnight, hence increasing the exposure time for the yeast with the agent.

db · Post by db » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 11:16 am

Chris wrote:Yeasts are unicellular fungi, classified to a greater extent as saccharomycetales.

The yellow brown colour is when the stain has only permeated the cell wall. The blue black occurs when the stain gets through the cell membrane, and into the cytoplasm.

I tend to let my fermenters soak overnight, hence increasing the exposure time for the yeast with the agent.

your fermentors must be terribly stained. the one drawback with idophor is that it stains plastic.. even after a 1hr soak my fermentors turn yellow.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 11:21 am

Really. I didn'y know that. Thanks for the warning.

yardglass · Post by **yardglass** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 3:28 pm

db wrote:
Chris wrote:
I tend to let my fermenters soak overnight, hence increasing the exposure time for the yeast with the agent.
your fermentors must be terribly stained. the one drawback with idophor is that it stains plastic.. even after a 1hr soak my fermentors turn yellow.

I've sanitised my Pail twice, 10ml / 10lt, and already it has an amberish(

) tinge to it.

20 min soak each time.

The Dude at the HBS said they mix up at 12ppm in a Pump Spray Bottle (you know what i mean) and just give it a quick spray prior to brewing.

Don't forget it's a sanitiser, not a cleaner.

yg

sleonard · Post by **sleonard** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 10:11 pm

Could all this colour staining be similar to the Gram Stain? (using the purple to identify Gram +/- bacteria?)

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Thursday Nov 17, 2005 10:57 pm

No, it's not the same process. Iodine is used in this process, but for a different purpose.

NTRabbit · Post by **NTRabbit** » Friday Nov 18, 2005 3:14 am

Anyone who doesn't realise that Iodine stains just about anything didn't get a chance to play with it in high school Chemistry classes