Infected bucket for starsan storage

[Sadu]

Not sure if this is a silly question or not.

I got a filthy infection in a plastic bucket - maggots, flies and a good 3" crust on top that looked and smelled like rotten vegetables.

Needless to say I won't be brewing in that fermentor again.

However I do need something to keep 5+ gallons of starsan in for purging kegs. This is the right size and has a spigot which is handy.

Would this fermentor be ok for that? Obviously I'd nuke it clean first, but a bucket of starsan isn't going to get infected is it?

 

[seilenos]

A plastic bucket with spigot is $17.

If you are right and there isn't an issue: you will save $17.
If you are wrong that there is an issue: you could infect every piece of your equipment and at least one batch of beer.

 

[augiedoggy]

bleach it first and maybe set in the sun for a bit for UV treatment and to kill smell and you will realistically be fine.

 

[IslandLizard]

That!^
Some good detergent, scrub, rinse, bleach for a few days, followed by high UV exposure for a week. You could probably ferment in it again.

Now I did step on that bottom spigot one time more than it could handle, so no more of those after that small flood.

 

[shoengine]

I thought the whole point of using buckets was that they were disposable when they get an infection? Pitch it.

 

[Batteman87]

Why chance all your time and effort on it? I would suggest buy another bucket. Lowes etc has food grade buckets with lids. You can do what you want of course but I would hate for something get infected after a brew day and then waiting 2-6 wks and come to the realization you should have spent $20. But at least you made a sour beer. You might like sours lol. Good luck!

 

[RPh_Guy]

"But at least you made a sour beer."

^ This is a joke by the way.

"Sour beer" doesn't have maggots or smell like rotten vegetables.

I would trash the bucket.
Cheers

 

[balrog]

My plastic buckets tend to take on at least a little beer smell, so I am uncomfortable with the thought of some maggot smell. However, a 100ppm bleach solution with hours of contact time will pretty much obliterate anything.

But personally, I would always wonder...I vote replace it.

 

[mongoose33]

A plastic bucket with spigot is $17.

If you are right and there isn't an issue: you will save $17.
If you are wrong that there is an issue: you could infect every piece of your equipment and at least one batch of beer.

They're less than that. A plastic bucket w/ lid is about $4-5. He can re-use the spigot.

I wouldn't fool with something like this--I'd toss it into recycling. There are times when reusing something is smart and moneywise. This is not one of those times.

 

[Murphys_Law]

I use a Homer bucket for star San storage. Dirt cheap. I’m not overly worried about “food safe” in this instance.

if you want to use your maggot bucket for something then maybe a trash can in the garage, a junk pail for yard work, soak car parts or something.

 

[day_trippr]

Ugh. That's just rude.
Seriously, I could only get through the second sentence of the OP's post before I ended up here.

Drop a MOAB on that bucket...nuke it from orbit...kill it with fire. Whichever.
Too disgusting to keep around...

 

[jcav]

I would toss it too! Buckets are cheap, ruined batches of beer isn't. Plus you will always know there were maggots in it.....

John

 

[augiedoggy]

I thought the whole point of using buckets was that they were disposable when they get an infection? Pitch it.

Its a grossly exaggerated concept that plastic has to be disposed of once theres an infection.
The reality is theres a lot of ways to sanitize it fairly easily without throwing everything away and constantly buying new equipment like many retailers would love you to do. scratches are different scenerio but a smooth surface can easily be sanitized. dont forget this would be used for storing acid.

I think a lot of you folks would be surprised if you worked in a restaurant... they clean and resues plastic all the time even if something was forgotten or went bad in it.. whats the inide of your fridge made of? ever find mold in it under the crisper drawer if something leaked or it sat unplugged? do you throw away your plastic lined fridge or kegerator when this happens?

That said If it were me and the bucket had maggots or dead mice in it Id probably ditch it but not so much for practical reasons more than psychological ones as others mentioned...

I know an old timer who brews a large amount of sours as well as regular beers with the same plastic... no issues with contamination.

 

[TechFanMD]

They have HDPE buckets 5 gallon buckets at walmart for a couple of bucks in the paint section, the lid is a dollar or two more. Drill a hole and install your spigot.

 

[IslandLizard]

They have HDPE buckets 5 gallon buckets at walmart for a couple of bucks in the paint section, the lid is a dollar or two more. Drill a hole and install your spigot.

For 100% liquid purging kegs you need close to 5.5 gallons of Starsan.

 

[shoengine]

Its a grossly exaggerated concept that plastic has to be disposed of once theres an infection.
The reality is theres a lot of ways to sanitize it fairly easily without throwing everything away and constantly buying new equipment like many retailers would love you to do. scratches are different scenerio but a smooth surface can easily be sanitized. dont forget this would be used for storing acid.

I think a lot of you folks would be surprised if you worked in a restaurant... they clean and resues plastic all the time even if something was forgotten or went bad in it.. whats the inide of your fridge made of? ever find mold in it under the crisper drawer if something leaked or it sat unplugged? do you throw away your plastic lined fridge or kegerator when this happens?

That said If it were me and the bucket had maggots or dead mice in it Id probably ditch it but not so much for practical reasons more than psychological ones as others mentioned...

I know an old timer who brews a large amount of sours as well as regular beers with the same plastic... no issues with contamination.

I get your point, but there is a cost-benefit ratio here. Tripping over quarters to pick up pennies.

 

[augiedoggy]

I get your point, but there is a cost-benefit ratio here. Tripping over quarters to pick up pennies.

? Hows cleaning the bucket out and a bleach rinse costs more than buying new 6 gallon buckets, drilling holes for spigots and plastic hardware? Is it that hard to clean out a bucket?

Hell Ive never used bleach on any of my plastic and im still using most of it from 5 6 years ago when I started...

If something is all scratched up then yeah I could see retiring it or using it for something like what the OP mentioned. How likely do you suppose a bucket of starsan is going to get "infected"... Its purpose is literally to disinfect things guys..

 

[TechFanMD]

? Hows cleaning the bucket out and a bleach rinse costs more than buying new 6 gallon buckets, drilling holes for spigots and plastic hardware? Is it that hard to clean out a bucket?

Hell Ive never used bleach on any of my plastic and im still using most of it from 5 6 years ago when I started...

If something is all scratched up then yeah I could see retiring it or using it for something like what the OP mentioned. How likely do you suppose a bucket of starsan is going to get "infected"... Its purpose is literally to disinfect things guys..

I think the issue here goes beyond just sanitation. This is maggots, mold, and a strong odor. My fear wouldn't be infection, but what odors and such are carried with it. The point is that the cost of a new bucket is very low given the level of disgusting this bucket is.

 

[TechFanMD]

For 100% liquid purging kegs you need close to 5.5 gallons of Starsan.

He could buy two buckets for $8

 

[augiedoggy]

I think the issue here goes beyond just sanitation. This is maggots, mold, and a strong odor. My fear wouldn't be infection, but what odors and such are carried with it. The point is that the cost of a new bucket is very low given the level of disgusting this bucket is.

I get what your saying , but again its sanitizer thats being stored in the bucket not beer... after bleaching there really shouldnt be any odors and the bucket will be clean. especially if he puts it out in the sun for a few hrs.

Again if you take the unfounded "feeling and perception" that it will forever be gross because it was once very dirty out of the equation, your left with the fact that this bucket would work fine to store a mild acid such as starsan without any actual ill effects as long as its not all scuffed up and rough inside.

This is one of those things were people go by emotion and not necessarily logic. I assume the OP is trying to look at it logically here or he wouldnt have asked.

There are often far nastier things that have come in contact with the grain and hops your using in your beer... heck lets talk about the fact that much of the water may likely have been raw sewage at one time that was treated.. As gross as mold or maggots are the chemicals in the plastic will (unlikely but) realistically be more likely to cause you actual harm in many cases.

 

[IslandLizard]

I think the issue here goes beyond just sanitation. This is maggots, mold, and a strong odor. My fear wouldn't be infection, but what odors and such are carried with it. The point is that the cost of a new bucket is very low given the level of disgusting this bucket is.

My go-to (non-magic) all-purpose cleaners are Surf (old fashioned laundry detergent powder), (Industrial) Degreaser (Sam's Club), washing soda with some lye added, together with a few non-scratching stiff nylon scrub brushes and a little elbow grease. Bleach and UV (from our good old sun) finish the job with little or no effort.

I have a sturdy plastic bucket that got a huge rust spot in the bottom (my own fault). A year of old, used-up Starsan stored in it has dissolved most of that, it's hardly there anymore.

 

[ncbrewer]

Bleach and UV (from our good old sun) finish the job with little or no effort.

What bleach concentration and soak time do you use to kill the infection without leaving bleach soaked into the plastic?

 

[IslandLizard]

What bleach concentration and soak time do you use to kill the infection without leaving bleach soaked into the plastic?

One cup in 5 gallons. Real, Chlorine (Hypochlorite) based bleach.
I've left them for at least a week, possibly longer. Every now and then stirring it up and scrubbing the bucket walls with a long-handled brush. A (new ) toilet brush with a piece of PVC pipe over the handle, same one used for cleaning kegs on the inside.

After thorough rinsing I leave it outside in bright sunlight for a week. No chlorine smell left, or transferred to water left in there for a few days (judging by nose and taste).

 

[TallDan]

I almost always keep 2.5G of starsan in a 6G bucket, usually uncovered and near my beer stuff. At my old house, we had a seasonal mouse problem. One day, i went into the basement to get a beer and noticed a dead mouse floating in the starsan. Of course I disposed of the mouse and dumped the starsan.

I ended up with the same kind of cognitive dissonance that is being discussed here. On one hand, I just dumped a dead mouse out of this bucket, on the other, i just dumped 2.5G of sanitizer out of it.

I decided that the starsan won that fight and continued to use the bucket for that purpose.

In my case it required no cleaning effort. If i had to clean a mess out of it, I probably would have just thrown the bucket away and got a new one.

 

[Sadu]

OP here, sorry for the slack response.
Seems like this is one of those polarising questions, I thought it might.
First up, plastic fermentors cost NZD$50 including the shipping where I live, which is around USD$30 or so.
I'va accepted that this is no good for fermenting in, just looking at other possible uses for it. My brewery is very DIY and I don't like chucking things out that still have some service left.

As it turns out I have 2 of these buckets and the second one got a crack at the bottom, also no good for fermenting. I think I'll use them both for storing grain in, help keep the critters away. The starsan thing may or may not be a good idea, but this is a more practical use anyway. thanks for the replies