Cleaning Blowoff tubing and airlock?

[CortexBomb]

Hi guys,

Quick question:
When I was brewing a Hefe the thing was threatening to blow the lid off my bucket. So I cobbled together a blow off from some 5/16" tubing and the bottom of a 3 piece airlock. It worked like a charm.

Now my question is how to clean the stuff with the trub inside it? I have already replaced the tubing (as it was originally my siphon hose) but I would like to keep using the converted airlock and hose as a blowoff for the time being. It's friggin' impossible to get the trub out of the small diameter hose and airlock though. Any suggestions?

The underlying assumption here is that leaving any trub is going to create a very real risk of infection. I like having the blow off option, but I don't want to have to buy a few dollars in equipment every time I brew a batch either.

 

[GroosBrewz]

They make tiny little brushes for just such a purpose.. I have one with a long flexible metal handle that I use to clean out my siphon hose. Otherwise, soak it good in a disinfectent.. The stuff should eventually get soft enough that you can clean it off.

 

[BeerJorge]

They make tiny little brushes for just such a purpose.. I have one with a long flexible metal handle that I use to clean out my siphon hose. Otherwise, soak it good in a disinfectent.. The stuff should eventually get soft enough that you can clean it off.

+1. I got one of these too to clean up my siphon hose after each use... You just gotta make sure you dry the hose too to prevent any mildew from growing.

I basically take my hose outside and swirl it like a cowboy spinning a rope and that gets all the liquid out of the hose...

 

[TipsyDragon]

They make tiny little brushes for just such a purpose.. I have one with a long flexible metal handle that I use to clean out my siphon hose. Otherwise, soak it good in a disinfectent.. The stuff should eventually get soft enough that you can clean it off.

if your talking about the brushes i think you are those are for keg dip tubes not plastic or rubber parts. i would be afraid they would scratch the plastic and rubber giving bacteria and what not a place to hide. i would suggest a good long soak in PBW. then a good flush with hot hot water.

 

[Bentpirate]

It's just a blow off tube. Clean the best you can. I soak mine a light bleach solution or PBW - what ever is handy, rinse, brush if needed and reinstall. The idea is to use it during the first few days anyway, then switch to a standard air lock. With CO2 being the + pressure gas, nothing should be able to get sucked in the bucket / carboy

 

[GroosBrewz]

if your talking about the brushes i think you are those are for keg dip tubes not plastic or rubber parts. i would be afraid they would scratch the plastic and rubber giving bacteria and what not a place to hide. i would suggest a good long soak in PBW. then a good flush with hot hot water.

The brushes work fine on both plastic and rubber parts, without scratching. The brushes I use aren't necessarily made strictly for homebrew use. I have several different brushes, in different sizes and shapes, that I got from a lab supply company to clean just about all my equipment. IMHO, way too much time is spent worrying about slight scratches in plastic buckets, tubes, etc.. I have yet to hear a homebrewer say that a batch was ruined by some bacteria hiding in a small scratch in the carboy or bucket.

 

[steveo929]

I use the same thing and it definitely gets crusty after a strong fermentation. I soak that bad boy in Oxyclean and it's crystal clean in a few hours.

The tubing has somehow fused with the airlock and it's impossible to take off now

 

[CortexBomb]

Good suggestions guys, thanks.

I have some Oxyclean in the house, so I'll try the soak method first, if that fails, then it's time to break out the brushes.

 

[Soulrebel]

Three letters...PBW

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I agree with the Oxyclean or PBW. I have a Home Depot 5 gal bucket that I'll fill with hot water and either Oxyclean or PBW, and let it soak for a few hours. I'll then rinse by running water through the hose with a garden hose. I hang it up to dry, and when it's time to use it, I soak it for a while in Starsan before hand.

 

[dracus]

+1 to soaking in oxyclean.

The tube will come off if you get the whole thing hot. I had one like that I just left it together as a dedicated blowoff.

 

[BillTheSlink]

Oxiclean has never failed me. +1 for Oxiclean and there is no need to buy the expensive name brand either. Sun Oxiwash from Dollar General works just as well and it's $5.00 for a big old tub.

 

[HeuristicsInc]

hey, oxyclean worked like a charm. thanks everybody!
-bill