Keezer Kontamination issues

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DarksideFermentation

DarksideFermentation

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I just scored a massive chest freezer on craigslist that will hold all of my fermenting kegs, carboys, and bottles. enough space for about 10 corny kegs and a CO2 tank. i could hang out in there with some friends and beers.

anyway. since i already have a kegerator i was just wanting to use this as a fermentation closet. i got a thermostat from AHS and set it to 65. within a week everything was covered in mold, from the beer that spilt down the sides during kegging/racking. i sprayed everything down with diluted bleach water and wiped them clean.

is this a common problem or do i just need to be certain ive wiped down everything before it goes in there?

i would love to post a picture of my setup but it seems i cant post because i guess i am a newb? haha. maybe someone can help me out with that.
 
i put a tub of damp rid with a false bottom, as per instructions, in there after i cleaned everything. so far so good, its definately clumping up and absorbing moisture.

i was worried about the bits of mold that are in the grove around the lid/oring of my corny kegs. there was definately mold down there, but i sprayed everything down with 10:1 WATER:BLEACH and that hopefully got it. if the kegs are air tight with delicious carbonated beer, then none of the mold/bleach water would have got in right?

i want this to work, its too hot here in tejas and i want to travel this summer and let my beers age away.
 
DarksideFermentation said:
......i was worried about the bits of mold that are in the grove around the lid/oring of my corny kegs. there was definately mold down there, but i sprayed everything down with 10:1 WATER:BLEACH and that hopefully got it. if the kegs are air tight with delicious carbonated beer, then none of the mold/bleach water would have got in right?
quote]

I hope so.:)
Click to expand...
 
One thing that creates a lot of condensation is opening the lid too much. Rather than using bleach directly at your beer you could consider Star San in a spray bottle. Id spray the fittings on the questionable kegs down a few times. As long as they are holding pressure you should have no problems.
 
starsan... of course. much better than bleach. old habit i guess, but normally im dealing with non-food related laboratory conditions where 10:1 is perfect.

sorry to get off topic, but how do i upload pictures? or do i have to wait?
 
if you host the picture on say... photobucket or the like - you can use IMG tags to put the photo in your post.
 
Txbrew said:
In order to have images and videos parse using the IMG tag and video tag you must be a member for 30 days and have 25 posts. After you reached this milestone the access will happen immediately.
Click to expand...

I don't think the IMG tags will work until you have 25 posts.
 
FWIW, I have started to use a tub inside my freezer for the spills and blowoff messes. Much easier to pull the tub out and wash it down than to clean out the freezer.

Also, between batches, you might unplug the box and let it dry thoroughly. Once dry, apply a bead of silicone adhesive/caulk to all the seams. This will keep the seams from rusting up over time since the box is being used at above freezing temps.
 
makes sense, i saw the gallery so i figured you could upload straight to this site. i think i still have an account on picassa. i can post links, but it looks like i have to wait a month to imbed in a post. bummer

good call on the silicon. i think i need to up the amount of damprid too. i was just a little shook up is all, thanks for the help.
 
Post the links and I'll embed them for you (or someone else ;s)
 
DarksideFermentation said:
i got a thermostat from AHS and set it to 65. within a week everything was covered in mold, from the beer that spilt down the sides during kegging/racking. i sprayed everything down with diluted bleach water and wiped them clean.

is this a common problem or do i just need to be certain ive wiped down everything before it goes in there?
Click to expand...

The problem is you spilled beer and i assume it was left there . At 65° there should be no real problem with condensation . The mold is feeding on the beer
 

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