What is this film in my carboy and how can I get rid of it?

I have cleaned the primary with both oxiclean and PBW, and then soaked the carboy in StarSan for 3 days. I have also used a carboy brush. I can not get this film off. I have really hard water, but I think it is something else. I have not noticed any off flavors in my beers. Any ideas on what this film is or how to get rid of it?

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obv, my first attempt at posting images did not work.

LeftyMcGee said:

I have cleaned the primary with both oxiclean and PBW, and then soaked the carboy in StarSan for 3 days. I have also used a carboy brush. I can not get this film off. I have really hard water, but I think it is something else. I have not noticed any off flavors in my beers. Any ideas on what this film is or how to get rid of it?

obv, my first attempt at posting images did not work.

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Here ya go

It should look like this...



Without the asterisk.


It looks like dried foam, or maybe crystallization. Did you leave a cleaner in there for a long time? Have you tried scrubbing it?

Thank You!

looks like water spots or minirales

try CLR



but dont let is sit on thoes thermal meters it like most cleaners will wreck them

BTW you soak with PBW over night to remove stuck on gunk its a CLEANER not starsan
its just a sanitizer

I use plain white vinegar. Pour some in, put in a solid bung, and slosh it around for awhile. I just roll it back and forth on the carpeting and my carboy is sparkling clean. You have to rinse well but I like vinegar better than putting harsh chemicals in my carboys.

I use Oxyclean now so I haven't had the calcium deposits for a while.

It looks like dried foam, or maybe crystallization. Did you leave a cleaner in there for a long time? Have you tried scrubbing it?

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I don't think so. I used Oxiclean for an hour. And I used PBW for 30 min after the Oxiclean didn't do the job. I scrubbed with a carboy brush after the acidic Starsan didn't knock it out. The scrubing didn't do anything to it.

About a year ago, when I first started brewing I left Oxiclean in it over night and the carboy had some white residue. But I soaked it in a H2O/Vinegar solution and it disappeared.

Clayton said:

BTW you soak with PBW over night to remove stuck on gunk its a CLEANER not starsan
its just a sanitizer

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With hard water, Oxiclean can leave a white residue. Anything acidic takes care of it. That's why I used the Starsan.

It sounds like you've tried everything but a strong acid. What you may have are protein deposits and you may need to resort to the big guns. Get a gallon of muriatic acid from your local lumber yard or pool supply and try that. You may want to wear gloves and some eye protection before using it. If that doesn't clean it, nothing will.

Tom