Mildew on grain mill

[troglodytes]

We unfortunately got some water in our basement a little while back. None of my brewing equipment was directly exposed, but the high humidity caused some areas to start developing mildew. I was having a look at my equipment and the only thing that appears to have a potential issue is the wooden base under my grain mill. There is some collected grain dust on the underside that appears to have a slightly green/grey tint to it. Do I need to worry and replace the base, or should I clean and sanitize, or should I not worry as its strictly a pre-boil piece of equipment?

 

[ancientmariner52]

We unfortunately got some water in our basement a little while back. None of my brewing equipment was directly exposed, but the high humidity caused some areas to start developing mildew. I was having a look at my equipment and the only thing that appears to have a potential issue is the wooden base under my grain mill. There is some collected grain dust on the underside that appears to have a slightly green/grey tint to it. Do I need to worry and replace the base, or should I clean and sanitize, or should I not worry as its strictly a pre-boil piece of equipment?

Brush it off, wipe it with bleach or rubbing alcohol, and forget about it. As you say, it's preboil, so the only real issue is the understandable desire to do something about it. [emoji2] Keep your powder (and your malt) dry!

 

[tnlandsailor]

ancientmariner52 is probably right, but the paranoia in me says that mold has tendency to spread. If your mill is in the same place as say, an empty fermentation vessel or some transfer hoses - even though you sanitize these before use - mold can be tenacious. There are posts all over this forum about brewers who have mystery infections but describe detailed sanitation procedures. If you can easily treat the wood with a brush and some bleach, i would do that at the very least. It's an easy and cheap thing to do. For what it's worth, I take a leaf blower to my grain mill after every use to blow all the dust off. Keeps the mice away too.

 

[TennBrewer]

If you clean the board with bleach, rinse it really well, then rinse it some more. When bleach gets into wood it turns it into a cotton-like fiber board. I had some outdoor bleach which may have splashed a little on a wooden shelf. Totally destroyed it.

 

[RPh_Guy]

mold has tendency to spread.

This is true.
Mold spores are everywhere. There's absolutely no way to get rid of them or prevent them from spreading.
The only way to control mold growth is by keeping humidity low.

Wipe off the mold/powder. ... Get a dehumidifier for the basement or some fans circulating the air to help it dry.

 

[DownstairsBrewing]

If you clean the board with bleach, rinse it really well, then rinse it some more. When bleach gets into wood it turns it into a cotton-like fiber board. I had some outdoor bleach which may have splashed a little on a wooden shelf. Totally destroyed it.

Use oxalic acid, not bleach. You will get the same effect, but no damage at all to the wood fibres - this problem comes up in boatbuilding and restoration all the time.