Ruined Fermenter?

[adeas]

I was gifted a 6 gal plastic fermenter that someone (wine maker) thought would be good to clean out with PineSol before they gave it to me (I think it had been sitting around for awhile and was kinda... funky).

Anyways, a few washes with OneStep as well as light bleach, I cannot get the PineSol scent out to save my life.

Any suggestions? Or do you guys think I should just junk it? I'd hate to put something in it and get the smell all in my beer... Makes an okay sanitizing tank though...

 

[maida7]

soak it overnight in a solution of oxiclean and hot water. And then see how it smells

 

[hamiltont]

Just keep using it for other things and the smell may fade. A long PBW soak might help. You might try moistening the inside and spreading Baking Soda on it as well. Sunlight can help speed up the process. Maybe someone with specific PineSol experince will chime in. Cheers!!!

 

[samc]

I wouldn't waste much time on it. Talk to the folks who have brewed in former pickle tubs.

 

[Red Clay]

The terpenes in PineSol (primarily Pinene => C10H16) are naturally derived solvents (hence the name.) They are very absorbable by polyethylene and polypropylene.They'll even pass right through and be detectable on the other side of a container, if given enough time!

I assume that this "plastic" fermentor is one of those two materials?

I hate to say it, but if it is one of those two plastics or another polyofefin/polyalkene, then you are probably out of luck. You could try the oxiclean method, though I'm not sure that will help without repeat soakings. I think hot water ~140F and a surfactant (Dawn) might reduce it if you let it soak for a few days, dump it, rinse it out and repeat several times. But I think it will take quite a number of cleanings to basically extract the solvent from the polyolefin material. If you are really serious, you could try solvent extraction of some sort. But I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper to buy a new one.

 

[maida7]

I think hot water ~140F and a surfactant (Dawn)

WARNING: PET plastics used in better bottles are not designed for temps over 140F. So be careful. Most hot water heaters are well under 140 so hot tap water is usually safe. But water heated on the stove could be a problem.

 

[rjwhite41]

A vinegar solution would be the only other suggestion I would have. I think it would be easier to just buy a new though.

 

[Homercidal]

I'd do the Oxi soak and see what happens. If it's detectable after that, I would not use it for fermenting. Buckets are cheap, and I prefer them to carboys for primaries. Sucks to lose something like that, but it's not worth the price of a batch of beer to find out it's no good. My 2 cents.

 

[Beer:30]

I couldn't tell by the thread if your fermenter is a Better Bottle or not. If it is, I would suggest that you read the care instructions on the BB website; otherwise, overnight soaks in PBW may create micorcracks that destroy the fermenter. Plastic is not as durable as glass for long soaks.

 

[Gregscsu]

Several hours in direct sunlight may help to break down the pine sol chemicals, UV rays do a pretty good job breaking down chemicals, bacteria, and odors.

 

[scottland]

assuming we're talking about a plastic bucket, at $11 I would just buy a new one.

 

[adeas]

All, thanks for the advice. It's not a Better Bottle, but a bucket-like wine fermenter (Buddy is a wine maker). I'll try the Oxi soak and sunlight when I get home (Visiting fam for a week for the holidays) and will report back!