Boiling Hoses

[PhineasJWhoopie]

We put our hoses in boiling water to cleanse them and now they've changed from translucent to white. Did we ruin them? Was this a change at the molecular level? I'm just unsure if they're cool to still use.

Hosed in Pittsburgh.

 

[Golddiggie]

What kind of hoses are we talking about here??

I don't boil my silicone tubing. I simply give it a good soak in PBW, rinse well and then let dry. Anything that will touch the wort, post boil, gets a good dunk in StarSan before being used. IMO, boiling is overkill UNLESS they've been used for a brett, or got an infection (and are silicone)...

 

[ultravista]

I've boiled my vinly and silicone hoses, yeah they change color a bit but I don't really care. As long as they are clean ..

 

[audger]

vinyl and other types of plastic will absorb water, and the hotter/more plastic they are, the easier it is for water to permiate deeper in. the white color could be from the water itself, or from minerals in the water. its not anything dangerous, it just doesnt look new anymore.

if you let them dry for a few days or weeks, they may clear up to some degree.

this is one of the many reasons not to use vinyl tubing.

 

[Zeppman]

I was just about to create my own thread about this until I read this one:

I have about 6' of vinyl tubing that I use on my cold side when transfering from the boil pot to the caryboy. I've had this for several years now (poor practice, I know), and last night, as I was preparing for today's "after work brew day", I noticed it had a smell... like grains/beer (nothing bad). What can I do to this to clean it? I haven't had an infection yet, but I'm only assuming its a matter of time. I plan on buying some new tubing ASAP, but I can't get it tonight, and I want to brew tonight.

Can I boil it? Oxyclean doesn't seem to completely clean it, which makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong, because oxyclean seems to work for everyone else...

Advice?

(and I am planning on going to all silicone soon)

 

[PhineasJWhoopie]

Thanks for the answers. I thought the vinyl hoses would still be okay but better safe than sour-y.

 

[audger]

Can I boil it? Oxyclean doesn't seem to completely clean it, which makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong, because oxyclean seems to work for everyone else...

if its vynal, its probably been absorbed some distance into the walls of the tubing, and nothing is going to get that out of there now. its not simply "crap on the inside surface" that can be removed.

vynal is ok in some instances, like if you need a quick hose for something and immediately rinse it out after. but anything in prolonged contact with vynal is going to be absorbed into it.

 

[Golddiggie]

Do NOT boil vinyl tubing. Only boil silicone tubing, since it's made to withstand those temperatures. I don't even use vinyl to drain my mash tun (silicone all the way). Once things are chilled, vinyl is good/safe...

Zeppman, you can try oxyfree and a good StarSan soak for the ancient tubing. Personally, unless you have no other option, I would delay the brewing until you've replaced that aged tubing.

Whenever a blow-off tube, racking tubing, or any other vinyl tubing looks questionable, or has an odor to it (I'm rather sensitive to bad smells, so I probably detect them earlier) I toss it and go with new. I typically check out any tubing I'll be using at least a day or two before the brew day, leaving me more than enough time to get replacements from the LHBS. That is, IF I don't have more on hand already. I make it a practice to have 5-10' of racking tubing on hand at all times. When I go to the LHBS (which isn't too far from where I live) and I know I don't have more than 5' in reserve, I get more. It's so bloody cheap (per foot) that [IMO] it's silly to not have some on hand.

I also make sure to have extra silicone tubing on hand. Right now I have about 10' of 1/2" ID silicone tubing in reserve. Mostly because my system isn't in a final form, so I never know when I'll need to cut a length to use.

BTW, I received some items that the person who had them before would boil to 'clean' them... Let me tell you, a couple of hour soak in PBW had a LOT of stuff coming out of them... IF you plan to 'clean' via a boil, also include a scrubbing with that, while hot, and then put the items back in for some more time. But, if you don't feel like dealing with 212F+ items, just mix up a batch of PBW with hot tap water and give them a soak. I would also include a scrubbing of the items, and another soak if needed.

 

[Zeppman]

Advice taken, thanks.

 

[aomagman78]

Your tubing most likely turned white because the plasticizers within it (small molecules that are much like the polymer) were vaporized. Plasticizers are used in polymers, especially tubing, to give flexibility to the chains. They do this by coming between polymer chains in a way that promotes inefficient packing and creates amorphous regions. When the plasticizers leave, and at elevated temperatures, the plastic is allowed to relax into a more crystalline state (known as annealing). Crystals diffuse light, making them appear opaque, and are less flexible than their amorphous state. . . probably more information than you wanted.

The plasticizers may be not good chemicals, however, as long as you are not drinking the water you boiled them in, no harm done. So I don't think you have ruined the tubing.

 

[PhineasJWhoopie]

Actually aomagman78, that is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.

 

[aomagman78]

Glad I could help.