GamePreserve

Recipes 

[QUOTE=Ridonkulous05;2284303]I love this forum, but some of the replies you get- you'd think some people were being paid by volume and rate of (irrelevant) one-line replies.



ha. tell me about it. not to mention the traffic of repeat questions. search before you ask... please...


As for your situation, I used to have the exact same problem when the "bucket and water" was my Ferm set-up. i wrestled with it, but then gave up. all that mattered to me was on bottling day, i re-located my fermenter to another room away from the petri dish i fermented it in. i would scrub, wipe, and sanitize the outside of my Ferm and THEN open enough to drain. then get that moldy fermenter out of the room ASAP before you bottle/keg. good luck.

samc

Recipes 

Rub some tea tree oil on the bucket. Add some white vinegar to the water in the tub (not as nasty as bleach).

2 short sentences, how much did I earn?

wyzazz

Recipes 

Keeping the ambient air drier (dehumidifier) should keep the mold down. I realize it's sitting in a tub of water, but I'll be doggoned if I get mold in my daughters pool in the summer. Or on any of the various toys that sit in the water.

Dosing the water with chlorine or bleach or even star-san may help, but if the room is damp (like most basements) I'd be willing to bet that the mold comes back.

__________________

pernox

Recipes 

Adding bleach to the water may or may not do the trick - remember that the chlorine will gas off in a short period of time.. And your green shirt would stop being green.

I had the same issue, and stopped using a shirt. To compensate for losing the heat sink effect of the shirt, you can keep the water level in your bucket equal to or a half inch greater than the level of beer in your fermenter. I actually like to float it a little - the cool water being under the fermenter as well can only improve the efficiency of the operation.

That said, one of the best beers I've made so far DID have mold all over the bucket, and INSIDE at the krausen ring.. Soo... Maybe it's not such a bad thing? :P

__________________
"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.... And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.... The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson, in letter to William S. Smith, 1787

CalmYourself

Recipes 

Well, kegged today. Hydro sample tasted different to what I expected... not bad, just way sweeter (maltier?).

Here's a pic of the insides when I opened:

And hydro sample:


Thanks for all the suggestions. I actually do have a fan that I use, but it was off for a while so stale air could've been a problem.

I'm avoiding the shirt thing for a while, I don't know if it adds enough value to be worth the risk of mold again.

__________________

Primary: Nothing
On Tap: Cream of 3 Crops Ale
http://nochillbrews.blogspot.com/

bmckee56

Recipes 

These are just my opinions and in no way are meant to denounce or repudiate someone elses views:

IMHO: The mold is caused by the shirt being wicked with water from the tub and no air movement under the shirt leading to conditions that promote the growth potential. Bleach, Vinegar or Starsan will indeed evaporate or disapate over time, but will be wicked up with the water into the shirt which will inhibit (notice I did not say "STOP") the growth of mold. In addition, changing the shirt periodically can reduce or possibly eliminate molding conditions.

Ever seen the bottom or sides of a boat left sitting in the water for an extended period of time? All kinds of stuff will eventually grow when left alone, if the water and other surfaces are not treated (such as chlorine, bleach or some other agent) properly.

Salute!

__________________
On Tap - All Cascade Pale Ale - 100% Home grown Hops.
On Tap - American Brown Ale.
On Tap - Robust Smoked Porter.

Scut_Monkey

Recipes 

It looks like in the end you made good beer. I think the fan idea would be a good idea plust it would help in cooling further.

wyzazz

Recipes 

I don't think the mold is much of a concern as long as you clean the outside of the fermenter before opening it up & minimize the contact time to the open air. You made beer in the end, I think that's what is most important!

__________________

brewzombie

Recipes 

I have a similar mold concern with my water bath setup. I don't use a t-shirt, but use a temp-controlled cooler with the lid closed except for a crack (to let CO2 out but still help my chilling unit maintain temp). I use starsan in the water, but above the water, where the bucket is exposed, there is mold growth regardless of how clean the bucket is when I start. I periodically check it and try to spray it down with isopropanol and wipe it off, but there's always some mold under the lip of the lid which really worries me, since it's hard (impossible) to get it out (even just before opening it for bottling).

If I find a solution I'll post it, but right now I just do the best I can to wipe it off and sanitize it periodically and thoroughly sanitize it before opening for bottling.

Maybe some damprid (CaCl2) suspended above the water would help (maybe with a fan)...

__________________
"glaaahhrb!"