bottling buckets, plastic and bleach

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old_git

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I have a question about the effects of bleach solution (powdered Brewery cleaner) being left in a plastic bucket for too long.

I was given 5 very very dirty demijohns a few weeks ago and attempted to soak them in bleach in a £8 Wilko plastic fermenting vessel. They required soaking for more than 24 hours and even then the smell of septic gunk was still present (sadly the hygiene of the previous user is less than stellar)

The plastic fermenting vessel that was used to soak also had a bad odour from a previous brew which hasn't washed off prior to the bleach and the soaking. Now that the vessel has rinsed and dried it still has the same funky odor from the previous brew plus the smell of impermeated bleach. Just wondering how many of you have had experiences with plastic buckets not shifting a smell from previous brews and/or bleach use.

I'm thinking of upgrading my rig to glass carboys and the bottling bucket issue is still a problem. I can't see any way of fitting a tap on the glass (lol) and therefore need to be wary of this problem reoccurring in the future. Anyone have any solutions to this situation?
 
I think plastic buckets too tend to smell of previous brews no matter how much you clean them.. that is my experience anyway but has no negative effects,, as long as it is fully clean and sanitised it is fine
 
Thanks for your thoughts on the issue Covrich.

I'm sure if a few experienced brewers like yourself step up to confirm similar odours but with no affect on taste/flavour - I'll be happy to keep my setup as it is for a while.
 
Unfortunately plastic (well the stuff we use for brewing buckets anyway) is permeable so it absorbes both the smells and colours from things thats have been in them.

JFYI. I'm quite keen on bleach for disinfecting my gear, although I use star san for general sanitisation. A strong bleach solution only need 5 mins contact time to disinfect . If you want to clean thoroughly 100% sodiuum percarbonade is great. It the active ingredient in oxyclean. But oxyclean is only about 30% SP and leaves a residue behind from the reast of the70%. I'verecently switched from oxyclean to 100% SP to clean my brewing kit
 
I use VWP to clean my plastic buckets and then rinse well before using star San to sanitise. There is a slight wiff of the previous brew but I have had no ill effect so far. It's the same with my plastic pressure barrels.

Jas
 
When I'm doing a proper deep clean I use a holy trinity of bleach solution followed by soaking in sodium metabisulphite (campden) solution followed by starsan. I've used that with really mouldy pressure barrels I was given and on all my equipment after brewing sour beers and it works well.
 
Thanks for the info on sodium percarbonate MyQul. It's no rinse apparently - the peroxide disperses leaving just o2 and h2o. Better than plain pbw. I will get some once my current batch of pbw runs out and see how it fares.

Bigjas, reassuring to hear that the smell doesn't linger into the brew. This one'll just be a bottling bucket anyway, so nothing will stay in there for long.

Strange-steve, your sanitising tip is top notch. Potassium metabisulphite breaks down the bleach in brewers wash and starsan is an acid to finish the job. Good call
 
I'd definitely rinse sodium percarbonate - it releases oxygen in hot solution, but the residual solution is sodium carbonate (washing soda). It's hydrogen peroxide that would break down to oxygen and water.
I'd be careful that the plastic bucket isn't scratched. Deep scratches with infected gunge in them ain't easy to sanitise!

Otherwise, my FVs always smell quite strongly of the previous brew - I use lots of hops in most beers & the smell remains, even though I clean & sanitise with bleach, with no ill effects at all
 
Cheers hoppyland! (Nice moniker, that)

I haven't got the sodium percarbonate yet but when I do I will make sure it's rinsed (followed by campden and finished with starsan a la strange-steve's 3-part deep clean regiment)

I just bottled using the funky bucket. Seemed ok with no deep scratches but I'm thinking of moving toward glass rapidly (I have wine that I'm bulk aging too) so this may be the way to go.

Cheers!

Og
 
whilst on the topic of plastic fermenters. I have one of these....

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=biowin+30+l+bucket

and have just bought one of these....

http://www.ampulla.co.uk/Plastic-Bu...stic-Bucket--Side-Grips-And-TE-Lid/p-113-437/

Whilst I love my biowin bucket (can you ever love a plastic fv :hmm:) it does have ridges inside and there the start of a brown protein buildup on them.

just opened my new bucket and its the same :-(. I bought a brewbrew bottling bucket and that has a ridge free internal bottom but it has a hole for a tap so not suitable for me as a fermenter.

If I could get a brewferm bucket without a hole for a tap that would be the ideal.
 
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