Sanitizing Conical Fermenter

All - Just picked up a 14.2 G Fermenator, and am wondering how I'm going to sanitize it on brew day. I typically use iodophor, but I'd like to not have to mix up 14 gallons of the stuff if at all possible. How do you guys do it?

Thanks,

Norm

Well I don't have one, so I cannot say by experience. However I do sanitize buckets and brew kettles and I can tell you I don't use 10 gallons of sanitizing solution to sanitize a 10 gallon kettle.

Personally I use starsan. If I were sanitizing that kettle I'd pour half an ounce into the bottom, turn on the water hose and spray the heck out of it till it foams up all nice with maybe 2-3 gallons of water. Then take a clean wash cloth, dip it in the solution, and wipe it all around the surface area of the interior of your conical. Keep dunking the cloth to keep it saturated with solution and make sure the entire area gets wet. Voila sanitized surface. Wipe down the lid and drain it all out through the ball valves to sanitize those.

You could even mix up say 5 gallons in there and have it deep enough to drop in all of your brew equipment for sanitizing while brewing, instead of having a bucket separate for that.


Austin Homebrew Supply <-- 32 oz for 17 bucks, should last forever.

Or just use the iodophor you have, but make a batch in a spray bottle, just spray all surfaces with it before xfering to the fermenator. Might use 1/2 oz each time. Stuff can sit in the bottle forever, no need to remake batches.

I have a 14.5g one. I mix up 2.5g and dump it in and swirl it around. I will take the cover off and make sure foam is everywhere and if I am concerned I have Star-San in a spray bottle and will spray down any areas that look like they need it.

all you need is a spray bottle and wet the Conical down. I use Star San and have a gallon in a garden sprayer at all times and a little spray bottle. You don't need to soak the item in sanitizer it just need to be wet .

+1 on the starsan spray bottle. The sanitizer that touches the surface is all you need. If you fill it up, all the volume is wasted sanitizer, so it makes sense to only use what's on the sides. Spray it down, let it run to the bottom and then open the valve to sanitize that.

Excellent - thanks guys.