Eddiebosox
Well-Known Member
I seem to suffer from a constant case of the gushers. Bacteria infected bottles with the telltale ring around the liquid top indicating a secondary fermentation by wild yeast resulting in a thinner, and slightly acidic taste. I have been doing the same sanitation process for a while now but I must be missing something. Since I am not sure of gushers happen only from bad sanitation during bottling, or can happen during the move to the fermentor or racking to secondary, ill explain my whole process
Fermentor - bottling buckets and/or carboy. I usually clean it with some Oxyclean Free and then a good rinse with water. Once it looks clean to the eye I fill my entire bucket with an Iodophor solution and let it sit for at least ten minutes.
Racking to secondary - I clean the racking cane and tube in oxyclean, same with secondary fermentor.
Bottling. Rinse all bottles in OXyclean for a good hour or so to get labels off and clean up gunk in bottles. This is where I think the problem may occur. A lot of bottles have moldy junk at the bottom (I usually throw my empties in a box when I'm done and dont rinse). After an Oxyclean soak I dump out the gunk form the bottle and check the bottom of the bottle to make sure there's no visible signs of dirt.
I then fill a bottling bucket with Iodophor solution and soak bottles for a few minutes. Then remove and fill within a few minutes to make sure it doesnt dry out. I also soak the bottling siphons, tubes and fillers.
The only thing I've noticed is a small buildup in the racking cane of residue that Oxyclean didnt get rid of. This Last bottling day I did go in with a small wire brush to clean it. Other than that the only dirt I've ever seen was in the bottles before cleaning.
Does the gusher bug contamination only happen at bottling time?
Fermentor - bottling buckets and/or carboy. I usually clean it with some Oxyclean Free and then a good rinse with water. Once it looks clean to the eye I fill my entire bucket with an Iodophor solution and let it sit for at least ten minutes.
Racking to secondary - I clean the racking cane and tube in oxyclean, same with secondary fermentor.
Bottling. Rinse all bottles in OXyclean for a good hour or so to get labels off and clean up gunk in bottles. This is where I think the problem may occur. A lot of bottles have moldy junk at the bottom (I usually throw my empties in a box when I'm done and dont rinse). After an Oxyclean soak I dump out the gunk form the bottle and check the bottom of the bottle to make sure there's no visible signs of dirt.
I then fill a bottling bucket with Iodophor solution and soak bottles for a few minutes. Then remove and fill within a few minutes to make sure it doesnt dry out. I also soak the bottling siphons, tubes and fillers.
The only thing I've noticed is a small buildup in the racking cane of residue that Oxyclean didnt get rid of. This Last bottling day I did go in with a small wire brush to clean it. Other than that the only dirt I've ever seen was in the bottles before cleaning.
Does the gusher bug contamination only happen at bottling time?