Bad Batches - Oxy Clean?

[khaos]

i to am having an issue with oxy clean residue in my carboy ..have a pumpkin ale sitting in the carboy right now and decided i should check on it (it's been in there 2 weeks) and well i hit it with a lite and what do i see what looks like little white spots all around the inside bottom edge of the carboy! i washed this carboy with oxy clean free and star san right before i racked my beer to it! My question is will it lead to any off flavors in my final product? i rinsed this thing out with hot hot water 4 times before i sanitized it. should i move it to another carboy or just let it sit and have a homebrew!

 

[wilsojos]

One thing you can try next time is also doing a final rinse with water and vinegar. I'm also not sure that the white spots are oxyclean.

 

[BuffettPack]

I had the original problem with oxyclean, but never noticed white spots in my brew. Just a really off taste. I ruined 3 batches before I corrected it. My latest batch Emma's Brown Ale (Northern) hasn't been that great either. Its at least drinkable. I really rinsed the carboys out after that batch and won't use Oxyclean again on my bottles or carboys.

 

[khaos]

Yeah i think i jumped the gun it was yeast settling on the sides... Check it today clear and mighty tasty

 

[tgmartin000]

My standard oxy clean routine is soak 24 hours with about a half scoop, triple rinse, soak in water 24 hours, triple rinse.

Then of course I pee on them.

 

[khaos]

Tgmartin000 how the heck did you know about the peeing on them to sanitize?

 

[revco]

Then of course I pee on them.

LOL.

I primarily use PBW because it leaves a bit less slime and it also doesn't leave the white powdery residue. Any acid, not just vinegar, will cut the slime...I use diluted citric acid (lemon juice) because it's I'm not as paranoid about rinsing 80 times like I would be with vinegar. Also, using a bottle washer on your carboy is gold.

I'm inclined to think it might be something else, personally, if cold crashing the yeast in the beer for 48+ hours isn't fixing it. How sure are you that you're fermenting between 60-65? How long are you fermenting? Are you racking to a bottling bucket before bottling or straight to bottle? Are you being careful not to suck your cake into the bottle as much as possible? Not saying they're related, just what I can think of to flush out possibilities.

 

[Unibrow]

Oxy Clean is a BEAST! It cleans glass and plastic perfectly - just make sure you rinse a few times to get it off.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I also clean the carboys with oxy clean (I'll dump an entire scoop in, sometimes two) and let it sit for weeks. Then I dump it, give it a quick rinse, and then add star san and swish it around for several minutes before I add any wort to it.

.

That's probably your problem... Oxyclean is going to dissipate over a day or two and after a few days, it is basically just water with Oxyclean residue in it. Over a couple of weeks, you are probably building up layers of nasties in the inside of the carboy... which require re-cleaning. A simple rinse, nor a splash with Stan-san will do that.

Oxyclean is a cleaner and Star-san is a sanitizer... two different things.

If you're going to use Oxyclean, just use super hot water and let it sit over one night. Hit it with a carboy brush to be sure, rinse a couple of times and then just let the dry carboy sit for the "weeks". If you want, put a peice of plastic wrap over the opening so that no dust or anything gets in it.

then, when you're ready to use it, then use star-san to sanitize.

 

[andycr]

I use a plastic carboy. I've never used the brush b/c soaking it in oxy clean for a week does the trick as far as getting the residue out. Unfortunately, I haven't been thorough enough with the rinsing.

I always just use 2 tablespoons of PBW in a 3 gallon carboy. 12 hours and everything's fallen to the bottom.

 

[OldBunny]

I prefer to use One-step which seems to leave less residue than Oxy-Clean.

I mix it with very hot water and let it sit until it cools down (a couple of hours). Then I rinse using my jet bottle washer, also using very hot water, and let the carbon drain and dry. I then cover the mouth with a piece of plastic wrap or a stopper if one is handy.

 

[Ogri]

I prefer to use One-step which seems to leave less residue than Oxy-Clean.

I mix it with very hot water and let it sit until it cools down (a couple of hours). Then I rinse using my jet bottle washer, also using very hot water, and let the carbon drain and dry. I then cover the mouth with a piece of plastic wrap or a stopper if one is handy.

I thought One-Step was a no rinse sanitizer. I was under the impression you just sloshed around a mix of 4 quarts water to 3/4 Oz one-step in your fermenter for 15 or 20 minutes prior to adding your wort.

 

[OldBunny]

I had been using One-Step as my sanitizer, but wasn't entirely happy with it. Film and powdery residue were my main issues. One-Step is basically the same as Oxy-Clean, so a solution degrades over time. I now use it as a cleaner, but may switch to PBW when I run out.

For final sanitizing, I now prefer to use StarSan. I make up a 5-gallon batch and keep it in an old bottling bucket. That way I can immerse small objects and hoses or run out a gallon or so into a carboy I want to sanitize. I also keep a spray bottle on my workbench for last-minute sanitizing of things like hydrometers, something you can't do with One-Step or Oxy-Clean.

 

[CBelli]

I use hot oxiclean... 1/3 scoop to a FULL carboy....
I fill it all the way with hottest tap water and let it sit 24 hours.
Then rinse well with warm water usually 3 times
(i usually add 1 gallon hot water ...shake, empty repeat x3 )

If I forget to rinse, and the oxi is in the carboy for a week or so,
then it does form white scale on the walls of the carboy.....
the easy way to remove this is with a vinegar & warm water rinse.

 

[tgmartin000]

Tgmartin000 how the heck did you know about the peeing on them to sanitize?

shhhhh! It's a trade secret.