can i use a possibly infected bucket to sanitize other equipment?

moving on to glass carboys since my bucket seems to possibly carry bacteria. i always used the bucket though to sanitize and clean other equipment. i also used it to measure sparge/strike water. can i still use it this way if it has harbored bacteria?

zodiak3000 said:

moving on to glass carboys since my bucket seems to possibly carry bacteria. i always used the bucket though to sanitize and clean other equipment. i also used it to measure sparge/strike water. can i still use it this way if it has harbored bacteria?

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I wouldn't. Sure, you might be boiling the water you measure in it, but it may be in the same area as post-boil stuff. And I wouldn't use an infected piece of equipment to sanitize other gear for sure.

If you feel you must use it, you could always do what I do with "retired" buckets- use them for grain storage or to hold the crushed grain after crushing.

I guess I agree with Yooper in principle. . . if you know that your bucket is infected, why take a chance?

But the real problem with plastic buckets is that the scratches can harbor yeast in spots that the sanitizing solution can't get to them. So if you fill it with solution, and your equipment is immersed. . . any bacteria that leaches out of the cracks will be killed before it touches your equipment.

Buckets are cheap, a batch of 5 gallons of beer and the time spent is well worth buying a new bucket. Don't risk it if you think it is infected.

I just retired my two buckets. No signs of infection, but I did notice small nicks on the inside when I was cleaning them. No idea how it happened, but better safe than sorry. Now I use them to measure strike/sparge water, hold crushed grain, and measure pre-boil volume. Once they serve their purpose they stay away from all my post-boil equipment.

Sour Bucket??

(Using Star San) Ive Found that you dont need to soak your equipment in a bucket. I Mix up gallon Batches of star san with distilled water(lasts along time) and put some in a spray bottle. Get yourself a nice large foil roasting pan or large tray and liberally spray down your equipment

phenry said:

I just retired my two buckets. No signs of infection, but I did notice small nicks on the inside when I was cleaning them. No idea how it happened, but better safe than sorry. Now I use them to measure strike/sparge water, hold crushed grain, and measure pre-boil volume. Once they serve their purpose they stay away from all my post-boil equipment.

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I just retired a bucket that smelled sour. I mean, all of my buckets have smelled a little so I don't throw them all away that smell. This particular bucket smelled stronger than the others and sour. It is now a storage bucket.

I suppose the smart thing to do would be to buy a new bucket since you really aren't looking at much cost. That being said, I've used the same bucket for sanitizing for longer than a decade and haven't had one unplanned infection.