Do I need a new Fermenter???

[traviswalken]

I recently purchased a Spiedel HDPE fermenter. I really like it. Unfortunately, I just discovered mold on top of my latest batch. It is in primary.

Do I need to throw away my nearly new fermenter? Or can I just clean with Oxy clean and sanitize with Starsan. I also considered filling it with boiling water prior to starsan.

I am worried I will just carry the infection into the next batch and ruin another batch.

What do you guys think???

 

[hunter_le five]

Clean the hell out of it, and then sanitize (the hell out of it) and you should be fine.

No sense throwing the baby out with the bathwater... er, or something like that. It might have ruined your beer, but the fermenter should be salvageable if you're careful.

 

[WayFrae]

I think you will be fine with cleaning and sanitizing it especially since it is new it should be really easy to clean it all out.

 

[Warthaug]

I normally suggest getting a new fermenter, simply because a failed sanitation attempt equals two ruined beers - each at a cost of a replacement fermenter. But, as the others above suggested, it should be possible to clean & sanitize it effectively. Do a vigorous and thorough cleaning, and follow that with an equivalently vigorous and thorough sanitation cycle.

If that doesn't do it, replace the fermenter.

Bryan

 

[flars]

Keep the fermentor, but look over your cleaning and sanitizing regime. Something is terribly wrong in your process.

 

[traviswalken]

Keep the fermentor, but look over your cleaning and sanitizing regime. Something is terribly wrong in your process.

I think I know why my batch got infected. I had a couple fermenters in my temp controlled freezer. One of the fermenters had some blowoff that got a little out of hand. I was a little lazy and didn't clean it up right away...it started to mold. I heat my fermenter with a light bulb which blew out. As a result, the ferm chamber dropped about 15 degrees. I believe the liquid in the fermenter shrank and sucked in air.

2 lessons learned. Clean up fermenter messes right away. replace light bulb with reptile mat.