Do you clean your mash tun?

[StarCityBrewMaster]

Now I know to give it a good wash out with water, fill and let it drain to rid it of previous grains but I am curious if you all oxiclean your mash tun?

I ask because everything that comes from the mash tun is going to be boiled anyway so I don't see the need to "thoroughly" clean it. But at the same time I'm in learning mode and figured it's always best to ask before assuming anything.

 

[HarkinBanks]

I have a pump on my CB20 system, so I send hot oxyclean through the entire system after a brew, including the mash tun. I don't think you need a sanitized mash tun, but a clean one is certainly a good start to any brew day.

 

[Wellshooter]

I use a cooler, I dump the grain, rinse, let dry, then blow out any dried husks that are left. That's all. It's water soluble sugar so a good rinse is all I think it needs.

 

[willynilly]

I pump Oxi through my entire system (RIMS, BK and MLT) to clean it, so that is all it gets.

 

[rtt121]

"Well, a lot of the taste comes from this old skillet. I've never washed it." Bernie Focker

 

[Denny]

I recently realized that it was 5 years since the last time I oxicleaned my cooler, so I broke down and did it again....once every 5 years is pretty much my ROT. Usually, I just dump out the grain and rinse it. And I never let it sit full of grain....I usually empty it within about 15 min. of when the mash is done.

 

[lpdb185]

I dump, rinse, then fill with about 2 gallons of starsan/water and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I hook up to my pump and run it through my pump, lines, CFC, and into my fermenter. The MLT doesn't have to be sanitized, but it is easy to use it to pump sanitizer through everything else while waiting on the boil to start up. After brewing, I just rinse the leftovers out of the kettle and then run some oxyclean/water through the whole system, minus MLT.

 

[samc]

maggots, got them from an incomplete clean up once. now use hot oxy & rinse well.

 

[vfinch]

90% of brewing is cleaning... so therefore I clean my mash tun. I clean it with the solution I make up for cleaning my boil kettle.

 

[arturo7]

rinse, knock off the clinging grain with a scrubby, rinse

 

[Jumbo82]

rinse, knock off the clinging grain with a scrubby, rinse

+1. Haven't found a need to do a more thorough clean.

 

[lackey2000]

You know, so much equipment demands such spotless cleaning that as a matter of principle, I neglect my MLT as much as possible.

 

[eriktlupus]

the only thing i do is rinse all the grain/husks out and flip it over to dry.

 

[iamopie2]

the only thing i do is rinse all the grain/husks out and flip it over to dry.

Same here. Take the hose to it and blast out all the old grains and turn it over to dry

 

[wilserbrewer]

maggots, got them from an incomplete clean up once. now use hot oxy & rinse well.

Well if that isn't both ends of the spectrum...I take the middle ground w/ a good rinse and wipe and rinse...visually soil free.

 

[joety]

rinse, knock off the clinging grain with a scrubby, rinse

+2, whatever comes out of the hot water side of the faucet is enough to dissolve any remaining sugars. I also leave the lid open an inch or so (Rubbermaid coolers have a nice balancing point at about an inch) between brews to make sure it drys and you aren't treated to a blast of moldy/mildewing air when you crack it open.

 

[JOHN51277]

I rinse with water and let it sit upside down while I finish brewing. By the time I get the wort into the primary, it is dry and ready to use next brew day.

 

[philrose]

I'm using a plastic cooler, every now and then I'll throw some oxyclean in and soak for a couple hours. Makes the thing much prettier, sometimes theres a little discolor where my false bottom sits that gets a little unappealing. I do this stuff when I'm breaking kegs down and I'm on a cleaning kick.

I brew about 2-3 times per month and maybe do this every six months or so. otherwise its sprayed out with a beefy fireman's nozzle and set upside down to dry