plastic carboy nearly imploded

Well, after I cleaned my plastic better bottles carboy I left it with the top sealed off so nothing would get into it. Later the next day I came across it to see that it had depressurized inside and was now in the shape of a triangle with the sides caved in. I released the seal and it went back to it's original form but now there are 3 creases on the sides from the stress. Hopefully it is still useable..

This happened once before but not as bad and just completely forgot. In the future I'm just going to use cold water with my star san because it will do just as good a cleaning job since the cleaning solution is ph based.

Just a warning to other brewers that use plastic carboys

Did you somehow have hot air in it after cleaning?

Well I like to use hot water when I clean everything. But ironically I was just watching videos of people cleaning kegs with star san and realized it doesn't need to be when using this solution. So in the future I'm just using cold water.

Well i wouldn't expect a crease could make it unusable but if it scored the plastic giving some crevices for little beasties to survive that would be problematic.

I will remember to not use hot water when cleaning the better bottles and seal it.

Or, instead of an airtight seal, cover with aluminium foil

I leave a qt or 2 of san-star add just plug with a paper towel
when it's time I just put the thing in the sink spray with san pull the paper towel put my hand over the end and slosh the san around the inside. turn upside down in the sink to drain and it's ready to go

certaut said:

I leave a qt or 2 of san-star add just plug with a paper towel
when it's time I just put the thing in the sink spray with san pull the paper towel put my hand over the end and slosh the san around the inside. turn upside down in the sink to drain and it's ready to go

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That sounds like a better idea, I'm trying to use the star san more efficiently now. It's pretty cool that you can reuse the same water multiple times and even get some in your wort without problems.

I dunno, I have it in my head in order for efficient cleaning hot water is best

star san isnt for cleaning. it is for sanitizing.

Atmospheric pressure can be a b*tch!

rweird said:

star san isnt for cleaning. it is for sanitizing.

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I would think cleaning is synonymous with sanitizing....

Definition of SANITIZE
transitive verb
1
: to make sanitary (as by cleaning or sterilizing)
2
: to make more acceptable by removing unpleasant or undesired features

Brew_4iT said:

I would think cleaning is synonymous with sanitizing....

Definition of SANITIZE
transitive verb
1
: to make sanitary (as by cleaning or sterilizing)
2
: to make more acceptable by removing unpleasant or undesired features

Click to expand...

No, in homebrewing circles cleaning and sanitizing refer to two distinct processes.

Cleaning is what you do after using something. For example, after racking the beer out of a carboy, you clean the carboy, with soap, oxyclean, pbw, or whatever your favorite cleaner is. The goal is to clean (get rid of the gunk) not sanitize.

Sanitizing, on the other hand, is what we do immediately before using a piece of equipment. The equipment must already be cleaned before you sanitize. To sanitize, most brewers use Starsan or Iodophor, both of which protect the equipment as long as it is wet. Sanitizing is most effective if it's done shortly before the equipment is used.

So, cleaning after use, sanitizing before use.

Brew_4iT said:

I would think cleaning is synonymous with sanitizing....

Definition of SANITIZE
transitive verb
1
: to make sanitary (as by cleaning or sterilizing)
2
: to make more acceptable by removing unpleasant or undesired features

Click to expand...

Right. I was going to say exactly what Pappers said.

Clean first. You can't sanitize something that isn't clean. Oxiclean works great! Then, right before using, sanitize your equipment. It's best to do it while the sanitizer is still wet on the equipment, and it doesn't need to dry.

"Sanitize" in the homebrewing sense means "disinfect". We can't reach sterile conditions, but we can disinfect and kill or inhibit most germs and microbes. But the equipment must be spotlessly clean first, and then it can be sanitized.

Yooper said:

Right. I was going to say exactly what Pappers said.

Clean first. You can't sanitize something that isn't clean. Oxiclean works great! Then, right before using, sanitize your equipment. It's best to do it while the sanitizer is still wet on the equipment, and it doesn't need to dry.

"Sanitize" in the homebrewing sense means "disinfect". We can't reach sterile conditions, but we can disinfect and kill or inhibit most germs and microbes. But the equipment must be spotlessly clean first, and then it can be sanitized.

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ugh new this was coming...
I know I have cleanitizer as well as star san, my point being that saying "you aren't cleaning with star san" is a pretty trivial point when someone is explaining a sanitizing practice.

Brew_4iT said:

ugh new this was coming...
I know I have cleanitizer as well as star san, my point being that saying "you aren't cleaning with star san" is a pretty trivial point when someone is explaining a sanitizing practice.

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Friend, in your first post, your problem was that you sanitized with Star San the day before and then sealed your carboy, which then crinkled up because of the difference in air pressure mentioned above.

This is unnecessary. Don't sanitize a day before and then seal your carboy. Clean immediately after using your equipment and then sanitize shortly before you will be using the equipment.

Or dismiss this advice, your choice

I saw the fermenter that the head brewer did the same thing with at Avery in Ft Collins Colorado...you are not alone.

Pappers_ said:

Friend, in your first post, your problem was that you sanitized with Star San the day before and then sealed your carboy, which then crinkled up because of the difference in air pressure mentioned above.

This is unnecessary. Don't sanitize a day before and then seal your carboy. Clean immediately after using your equipment and then sanitize shortly before you will be using the equipment.

Or dismiss this advice, your choice

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I thought that the reason was using hot water before sealing it up, and because of the residual hot air inside the carboy having less atmospheric pressure than the outside air caused the depressurization??

But you are saying that the residual star san left over in the carboy is actually the cause of the depressurization?

Brew_4iT said:

I thought that the reason was using hot water before sealing it up, and because of the residual hot air inside the carboy having less atmospheric pressure than the outside air caused the depressurization??

But you are saying that the residual star san left over in the carboy is actually the cause of the depressurization?

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No, as I said, it was the pressure. Caused by sealing the carboy. You sealed the carboy because you had sanitized the carboy a day or more before using it and you wanted to keep it sanitized.

If you clean immediately after using, then sanitize immediately before using, you won't need to seal your carboy between uses.

davefleck said:

Or, instead of an airtight seal, cover with aluminium foil

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^How bout this? Starsan is effective in cool water, too. And ALWAYS clean with something like one-step or oxiclean free before sanitizing.

Brew_4iT said:

I thought that the reason was using hot water before sealing it up, and because of the residual hot air inside the carboy having less atmospheric pressure than the outside air caused the depressurization??...

Click to expand...

You got that right. The hot water (hot Starsan in your case) caused the air inside the carboy to be hot, which contracted when cooled.

For peace of mind, there is nothing wrong with sanitizing carboys right after cleaning them. I actually prefer it, and do so with 1-2 gallons of Starsan after they are spotlessly cleaned. I drain but leave a pint to a quart of Starsan behind. I seal the opening with a rubber stopper or doubled up plastic wrap. So nothing can get in there or grow since it was sanitized already. When I'm ready to fill them with wort, I shake 'em up (sometimes adding more Starsan) and drain.

My carboy came with a crease in it from morebeer. Was too lazy to exchange it, so I just went with it. Yet to be a problem.

Most people consider cleaning to be getting rid of visible dirt, sanitizing to remove high percentage of bacteria. I think most people get Sanitizing, and Sterilizing mixed, or think they are synonyms.