Homemade PBW Recipe

[30Bones]

Thanks, little less 7th Gen I see. Perfect.

 

[TexasWine]

So I have gathered all the ingredients for the recipe on post 1

Simple as mixing 96oz Oxy, 4# TSP/90 and 45oz 7th Gen dishwasher detergent?

Or use the simplified recipe, linked below.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=8101103

 

[TexasWine]

Double post.

 

[Rileysowner]

You're in Canada, TSP isn't banned here. You don't have to find TSP/90. You can buy the real thing here. Go to Home Depot, it's in the cleaning product section. It's in a blue carton, shaped like a milk carton.

My issue is finding the Seventh Generation Dishwasher Powder. Any alternatives for that in Canada.

 

[TexasWine]

My issue is finding the Seventh Generation Dishwasher Powder. Any alternatives for that in Canada.

Yes, skip it! See recipe at the link below.

Or go with the simplified recipe linked here.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=8101103

 

[griffi]

I agree with Texaswine; I’ve been using 7 parts oxyclean free to 3 parts tsp90 and it’s been working great for the last couple years!

 

[Rileysowner]

Then I will just go with the 70/30 split and see how it works. I am not sure on the current hardness of the water here. It used to be quite hard, but the water was mainly taken from local wells. Then the doubled up the pipeline from Lake Huron, and shut down the wells. I think the water is far less hard than it was then, so I will see how well this works.

 

[brewprint]

What is it that the dishwashing powder does anyway?

Honestly I think that plain oxyclean versatile may work better than this mixture. It seems like I have to use a lot more of it.

 

[Horseflesh]

I don't think the dishwashing powder helps. If I remember previous posts correctly it also contains citric acid, which will fight with the basic solution we're trying to create. It also has salt, and I don't want to soak any of my metal parts in salt water.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The 7th generation provides surfactants and chelators... components in the PBW formulation. They help dissolve oily deposits and remove hard water buildup.

These components ARE worth the effort in my opinion, from a chemical standpoint. And they are needed to replicate something close to the PBW formulation and not just a substitute cleaner.

Yes, the citric acid isn't ideal but it's not enough to matter. I reduced the amount I added to my mixture.

P.S. Whether salt water will cause corrosion is dependent on the quality of your stainless. It should be fine unless soaking for extended periods. (7th gen doesn't rust the inside of the dishwasher for example)

 

[Rileysowner]

The Oxi-clean/TSP mix seems to work quite well for me without the 7th Generation. It may work better with it, but since I cannot easily find it around here, I will stick with this for now.

 

[actionjackson905]

My issue is finding the Seventh Generation Dishwasher Powder. Any alternatives for that in Canada.

Canadian Tire

 

[Rileysowner]

Canadian Tire

I have checked around here, but not even the little packets are at Canadian Tire around here. The Oxi with TSP works fine for me, not haze so our water must not be that hard.

 

[brew703]

if one were to mix up a small batch by weight and only using Oxy and TSP/90, would the following work? I figured this would last me quite some time.

1 lb oxy
4.8oz TSP/90

 

[soccerdad]

IMO .. yes

 

[griffi]

if one were to mix up a small batch by weight and only using Oxy and TSP/90, would the following work? I figured this would last me quite some time.

1 lb oxy
4.8oz TSP/90

I do 70/30 so I would do 6.8 oz of tsp90..

 

[Mordhaus]

Not sure about all Target's, but in DFW, they have 3.5lb tubs of Oxiclean Versatile Free for $8.49 each and when you buy two, you get a five dollar gift card. They also carry the Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent for $6.49, making it $1.49 if you put the gift card towards it.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Just tried out my batch of OxyFree/real TSP/7th Gen last night on a filthy kettle after a high gravity brew resulted in a thick layer of gummy scorched hot break on my elements. I filled it to the rim with water, added two scoops of the stuff, heated to 180 and let it recirculate for 30 minutes. When I drained it I expected to have some scrubbing to do, but to my surprise everything was sparkling clean. So happy this worked out so well, my CIP routine is simple and takes care of itself while I clean up everything else.

 

[Bilsch]

If you can find the TSP/90 (sodium metasilicate) it works even better then TSP. I thought 5 Star probably used it because of phosphates but it turns out the metasilicate just out performs it. The one downside though is the dust really burns your nose, just like when using real PBW.

 

[jtratcliff]

Not sure about all Target's, but in DFW, they have 3.5lb tubs of Oxiclean Versatile Free for $8.49 each and when you buy two, you get a five dollar gift card.

Here in SoCal, the Kroger brand "oxygen cleaner" posted upthread is ~$4 for a 3.5 lb tub..

Available at the the Kroger owned supermarkets like Ralphs, Food4Less, etc.

I just pick up 2 tubs today at Food4Less for $3.99 each.

 

[Mordhaus]

Here in SoCal, the Kroger brand "oxygen cleaner" posted upthread is ~$4 for a 3.5 lb tub..

Available at the the Kroger owned supermarkets like Ralphs, Food4Less, etc.

I just pick up 2 tubs today at Food4Less for $3.99 each.

Yeah, I didn't see that part of the thread until after I made my purchase over the weekend. I finally read the whole thread today.

Kroger is huge here and where we buy most of our groceries. I'll be looking for their brand oxi cleaner on our next trip.

 

[Jambro64]

So all you Oregonians that want to buy this recipe, I found the
7th Heaven 45 oz powder at BiMart for $4.99 a box
Kroger Brand Oxyclean 56 oz powder at Fred Meyers for $4.39
Red Devil TSP/90 1lb powder at Fred Meyers for $3.99

So I am going to try this recipe:
one 56oz bucket of the oxyclean (56oz)
two 1lb Red Devil TSP/90 (32ox)
1/2 of the 45oz box of the 7th heaven (24oz)

Total cost is $10.88 for 7lbs or $1.55 per LB.

@FloppyKnockers
@bradleypariah

 

[aeviaanah]

So all you Oregonians that want to buy this recipe, I found the
7th Heaven 45 oz powder at BiMart for $4.99 a box
Kroger Brand Oxyclean 56 oz powder at Fred Meyers for $4.39
Red Devil TSP/90 1lb powder at Fred Meyers for $3.99

So I am going to try this recipe:
one 56oz bucket of the oxyclean (56oz)
two 1lb Red Devil TSP/90 (32ox)
1/2 of the 45oz box of the 7th heaven (24oz)

Total cost is $10.88 for 7lbs or $1.55 per LB.

@FloppyKnockers
@bradleypariah

What are you using for dose rate?

 

[Jambro64]

What are you using for dose rate?

I think it says 1 oz per gallon somewhere in the thread.
I haven't mixed them yet but hopefully there is a scoop in the oxyclean.

Jim

 

[Jambro64]

Works quite well. Might be able to fit two recipe amounts in the one container.

And there was a 1 oz scoop in the oxyclean. YAY.

 

[whosradl]

The simplest recipe is 70% sodium percarbonate and 30% sodium metasilicate. It's working well for me. A few pages back I posted Amazon links to the cheapest chemicals I could find.

I found a 5 lb bag of sodium percarbonate and a 2.5 lb bag of sodium metasilicate on Amazon as per your suggestion. Is there any harm to just mixing both bags fully together? It would be 66.66% SP and 33.33% SM instead of the 70/30 split.

 

[Horseflesh]

I would be surprised if those proportions resulted in some kind of disaster. My bucket of powder is probably not mixed perfectly and I bet I've used off proportions because of that.

You do need to be careful not to let un-dissolved powder sit on the items you're cleaning as some, like aluminum, can be etched by the sodium metasilicate. Your mix will be a bit more prone to that. Just make sure to use hot water and dissolve all the powder before you walk away to let things soak. (I damaged an aluminum baking pan this way, but have been cavalier with glass and corny kegs and not had a problem.)

 

[b-boy]

Aluminum definitely is a problem with this stuff.

I never soak for more than an hour or so. If you leave it overnight, you'll end up with an interesting looking pot. Mine has tiger stripes.

 

[IslandLizard]

I found a 5 lb bag of sodium percarbonate and a 2.5 lb bag of sodium metasilicate on Amazon as per your suggestion. Is there any harm to just mixing both bags fully together? It would be 66.66% SP and 33.33% SM instead of the 70/30 split.

Close enough!
Or save some metasilicate out for next time you mix a batch. Or add when some extra will benefit, like recirculating through your hoses and chiller. I actually add some NaOH to that mix when recirculating boiling hot for a few hours.

I would be surprised if those proportions resulted in some kind of disaster. My bucket of powder is probably not mixed perfectly and I bet I've used off proportions because of that.

You do need to be careful not to let un-dissolved powder sit on the items you're cleaning as some, like aluminum, can be etched by the sodium metasilicate. Your mix will be a bit more prone to that. Just make sure to use hot water and dissolve all the powder before you walk away to let things soak. (I damaged an aluminum baking pan this way, but have been cavalier with glass and corny kegs and not had a problem.)

Aluminum is amphoteric and will dissolve in both acids and alkalis. Its passivating oxide is not very resistant to them either, or even chlorides (salt). So don't let aluminum objects soak for extended times in them. Best is to clean, use some detergent if needed and work quickly, rinse off thoroughly with water, then dry and leave exposed to air where the dark gray passivating oxide is (re)formed. Aluminum kettles and objects can last a lifetime or longer when handled correctly.

 

[MidniteFlyer]

The latest recipe is as follow

all Oxi Laundry Booster, Free Clear: 2x 52 Ounce tubs
Red Devil 0265 TSP 90 Heavy Duty Cleaner: 1x 4-Pound bag
Seventh Generation, Free & Clear Auto Dish Powder: 45 ounces (of a 75 Ounce box)

Wow, 569 posts in this thread! Spent the last hour reading these posts. So is this the latest recipe that we all agree on?