deep cleaning???

[Redpappy]

Out of curiosity, how many brews/months do you go before you do a deep cleaning on your equipment. I mean tear the Kettle completely apart to clean all the valves, hoses and what nots....

So what got me thinking about this, well As I was gathering my equipment together for my brew today, I really started looking at all the holes that I don't really scrub. And I am thinking it is due for a good cleaning. Now I only have a 10Gal kettle, so it is not like it is to big, but big enough to be a pain(well for me)

I know, cleaning is up to ones own discreation, so I'm asking for opinions. For anyone that do respond, if you don't mind, please add on where you store your equipment, i.e. garage, basement, shead, back porch covered?.

 

[Irish1225]

I clean it every brew... not out of necessity but for storage.

I store my stuff in the basement and it still needs better organization. I still have the boxes for some of my equipment so I tear it down so it fits in the box (my Spike kettle for example). Things stack better in boxes lol.

I mean, I get that hot-side equipment doesn't necessarily need it, and I don't CIP, but even with cleaning after every brew there is some hop and trub junk stuck in the pickup tube, nipples, etc...

 

[akpingel]

I would also like to hear everyone's experiences with this. I have just started using my all grain system with 3 keggles and I wonder how frequently I need to break down the weldless fittings for a deep clean? Right now my cleaning process is very slow, taking me about an hour to get everything scrubbed rinsed and sanitized.

 

[Nemanach]

All of my fittings are soldered but on the hot side I never disassemble it. I wipe down the inside to get the gunk off, blow some water through the fittings and then let it dry. I'm not too worried about it being perfect on the hot side as everything gets boiled.

 

[pvpeacock]

After 3 infections in a row, I discovered that it was my brew kettle ball valve. Running hot water through it and a brush after each brew session was not enough. So I replaced it with one of these:

Now it's simple to disassemble the valve each time I brew.
I also have two SS Brewtech conical fermenters. These get taken apart (except the weldless thermowell) each time I keg a beer, soaked in PBW and then run through my dishwasher on the sanitize cycle (except the actual conical body itself of course). My mash tun just gets hosed out and put away.
Finally, my kegs get completely taken apart, soaked with PBW and get keg lubed about every 3-4 uses unless I can tell they are really dirty.

 

[Redpappy]

After 3 infections in a row, I discovered that it was my brew kettle ball valve. Running hot water through it and a brush after each brew session was not enough. So I replaced it with one of these:
View attachment 632156
Now it's simple to disassemble the valve each time I brew.
I also have two SS Brewtech conical fermenters. These get taken apart (except the weldless thermowell) each time I keg a beer, soaked in PBW and then run through my dishwasher on the sanitize cycle (except the actual conical body itself of course). My mash tun just gets hosed out and put away.
Finally, my kegs get completely taken apart, soaked with PBW and get keg lubed about every 3-4 uses unless I can tell they are really dirty.

With your valve, do you let soak a few hours, or just tear it down, rub it down, and reassemble? I use a SS 3 piece ball Valve. Right now I just run water and PBW through. My hose that I transfer with I let it soak in some PBW for a few min. and let air dry. (no pumps as of yet)

 

[pvpeacock]

Most of the time, I just take it apart, rinse it with hot water and use a brush to clean it. I don't soak it in PBW. I have not had any crud build up in it compared to what I found in my old ball valve when I took it apart.

 

[cfrazier77]

After 3 infections in a row, I discovered that it was my brew kettle ball valve. Running hot water through it and a brush after each brew session was not enough. So I replaced it with one of these:
View attachment 632156
Now it's simple to disassemble the valve each time I brew.
I also have two SS Brewtech conical fermenters. These get taken apart (except the weldless thermowell) each time I keg a beer, soaked in PBW and then run through my dishwasher on the sanitize cycle (except the actual conical body itself of course). My mash tun just gets hosed out and put away.
Finally, my kegs get completely taken apart, soaked with PBW and get keg lubed about every 3-4 uses unless I can tell they are really dirty.

Where did you get that valve?

 

[pvpeacock]

Brewers Hardware

 

[cfrazier77]

Brewers Hardware

Thanks

 

[kevink]

After 3 infections in a row, I discovered that it was my brew kettle ball valve. Running hot water through it and a brush after each brew session was not enough.

You can also just run boiling wort through the valve for a few minutes during the boil to take care of anything that's in there.

 

[day_trippr]

I confess that I have not disassembled any of the 12 ball valves on my 3v2p rig since I built it years ago.

Even writing that seems crazy, but I've never had an evident infection, I do a lengthy recirculation during the run-up to a full-on boil and then another during the cool-down phases (even my hop stands are at a temperature and duration compatible with sanitation). I do a hot PBW recirculation quarterly, what I can visualize looks sparkly clean, so I've convinced myself what I can't see looks the same

Ultimately the exposure risk is the path out of the chilled BK to the fermentors. As I've been favoring my IC vs my PC a big chunk of risk no longer applies. That leaves the BK drain valve and the wort pump and valve. One of these days I might crack open those two valves and see how they look, but the last time I replaced the thrust washer on the wort pump after a PBW cycle the head was clean as a whistle...

Cheers!

 

[kevink]

Yeah, the only time you really need to take a valve apart is when it's brand new to get all the nasty grease out of it.

 

[processhead]

Ultimately the exposure risk is the path out of the chilled BK to the fermentors. As I've been favoring my IC vs my PC a big chunk of risk no longer applies. That leaves the BK drain valve and the wort pump and valve. One of these days I might crack open those two valves and see how they look, but the last time I replaced the thrust washer on the wort pump after a PBW cycle the head was clean as a whistle...

Cheers!

I think this statement about exposure risk is generally true for most of us, as is the risk of placing any potentially contaminated tools or gear in the fermenter while transferring cooled wort.

With my system, I am doing gravity transfers from the hot BK through a CFC directly into the fermenter, so the path is relatively direct with no pumps, extra valves or piping to add to the risk of exposure to pathogens. For me, the more direct the transfer path, the less risk involved.

As a added sanitizing step, I run hot wort through my cleaned tubing and CFC prior to racking into the fermenter.

I realize that my system might not work for everyone, but my well tap water is cold enough that a single pass through the CFC gets me down to pitching temperatures pretty quickly.

 

[pvpeacock]

http://brulosophy.com/2014/11/13/problem-identification-or-helping-a-buddy-stay-in-the-hobby/

This article is why I checked my brew kettle ball valve after I had 3 infections in a row. I would have thought that the boil would kill anything in the valve, but apparently the shield on my burner protected it just enough. When I tore my ball valve open, it looked very similar to the pictures in the article. Yuck!