Dixon

Recipes 

I just moved over from buckets to better bottles. I like them so much better with the exception of cleaning them. Its pretty easy to get the bottom clean but the kraussen ring is another story. I don't have the cash right now for one of those carboy cleaners so who has some good tips on making this easier?
Thanks

dawgmatic

Recipes 

Soak overnight in warm PBW. Everything should rinse right off the next day

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Revvy People's brains are interesting....and tasty too. (See what I did tthere? ;))

Feel free to correct me whenever I am wrong... I won't take it personal

PackerfaninSanDiego

Recipes 

shoulda stayed with the buckets.that's my tip

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bob352

Recipes 

Soak with 1 tablespoon of pbw and two gallons of hot water for an hour.
Works for me.

355Newell

Recipes 

I use oxi clean. The cheap knock off from the dollar store. I just put a small scoop in the carboy, and fill it to the top with hot water and let it sit in the laundry tub overnight. It hasn't failed me yet. A good shaking the next day and usually good to go.

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Newell Brewing

ivydog

Recipes 

Pbw water and a clean washcloth shoved in the bottle. Shake em up and works just fine for me.

nvshooter

Recipes 

I looked at the Better Bottle things on some other website for makin' homebrew. Seems they have a hole toward the bottom for some kind of valve. My 1990s-vintage bottling bucket has a one-inch hole toward its bottom for the valve. I would like to find a better valve than what I have, which is one of those old things which requires a difficult, 180-degree rotation to get it open and closed. The red (there are white ones, too) valve part fits so tightly into the PET portion, that it bends and I am afraid it will break off. Has technology come so far forward in the past 12 years that there are now better methods to open and close the valve in the bottling bucket? Any suggestions as to where I can find an improved valve? Thanks.

govner1

Recipes 

Just fill w/ hot water & 1 tablespoon of B-Brite per gal & let it sit for an hour. If there's any residual a soft carboy brush will easily get it w/ no real scrubbing.

Rinse well with hot water & you're done.

UofMontanaAlum

Recipes 

I started with Better Bottles and have now moved to glass. I had two BBs develop hairline cracks in the bottom after only a few uses. I contacted the manufacturer and was told that caustic cleaning agents like PBW can do this if exposed for more than a few minutes. Careful what recommendations you take from this forum as I see someone above recommended an overnight PBW soak.

dawgmatic

Recipes 

Ahh I was unaware that PBW had this effect on the better bottles, good to know. Fortunately I only use them as secondaries, so there's no krausen ring to deal with. Sometimes I just have a habit of repeating info others live by.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revvy People's brains are interesting....and tasty too. (See what I did tthere? ;))

Feel free to correct me whenever I am wrong... I won't take it personal