My first query here please.

[Jasii]

HiYa Friends,

This is my first query here:
I just acquired a fermzilla 30L PET fermenter. Am going to brew a 2 gallon Kombucha. My process for cleaning/sanitation will be:
# Use of boiling water will not be recommended as it is a PET jar hence
# Wash with unscented soap & rinse with warm water (70degress C)
# Leave it to air dry upside down on a clean paper towel
# Sanitise with Brewing sanitiser Anphossan suitable diluted 5 ml to 3 litres water.
# Leave it upside down to drain
# Start primary fermentation.

Can members suggest any further additions to my above process please?

Thank you for your time,
Kind regards,
Jasii

 

[IslandLizard]

Can you please add your Country to your user profile?
That way all that want to reply know you don't have access to sanitizers and cleaning products commonly available in the U.S.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jasii]

Can you please add your Country to your user profile?
That way all that want to reply know you don't have access to sanitizers and cleaning products commonly available in the U.S.

Thanks in advance!

Done Sir! Thank you for bringing it to my notice. Now to evaluating my basic process. You got any more pointers for me?
Regards,
Jasii

 

[IslandLizard]

Done Sir! Thank you for bringing it to my notice. Now to evaluating my basic process. You got any more pointers for me?
Regards,
Jasii

Cleaning and sanitizing are 2 different processes, needing 2 different chemicals.

• Cleaners are excellent at... cleaning.​

• Sanitizers make surfaces sanitary ("bug free"), and keep them that way as long as they remain wet with it.​

For sanitizing most homebrewers here in the U.S. use either Five Star's StarSan, or Iodophor or a similar Iodine based sanitizer.

To clean beer brewing equipment we prefer to use "Oxiclean Free," or (homemade) PBW.
Oxiclean Free is a mixture of Sodium Carbonate (commonly known as Washing Soda) and Sodium Percarbonate (a loosely bound oxygen atom attached to the washing soda molecule), to clean our equipment. The "Free" means it's unscented.

Oxiclean is a very good cleaner and degreaser while the oxygen that's released when dissolved in (warm) water helps in breaking down biofilm and other organic residue. It needs to be rinsed well, before sanitizing. It leaves no scent or foam killing residues as some household soaps can. Now foam is not an issue with Kombucha.

Since your PET fermenter is very smooth, take care not to scratch or abrade it. Soaking and gently swirling lukewarm water with some dissolved cleanser (washing soda or Oxiclean, etc.) in it is your friend. Use a soft, soaked cloth to carefully wipe off any leftover more stubborn patches, but longer soaks should have loosened them up. Don't scrub, soak longer instead!

Sanitise with Brewing sanitiser Anphossan suitable diluted 5 ml to 3 litres water.

https://www.arishtam.com/product/brewing-sanitizer-food-grade/From the link, this looks similar to the Starsan we use here.

Remember, you don't need buckets full of Starsan/Anphossan. I'm sure it's pricey enough.
2-3 liters of the working solution in a small container is fine, and use a small soft washcloth to mop it onto surfaces. And use a (dedicated) spray bottle filled with it. The solution should remain active for several weeks to months even, as long as the pH remains under 3.

 

[IslandLizard]

# Leave it upside down to drain

You should NOT let it dry, to remain sanitized the surfaces should remain wet with it. Just drain out your sanitizer (recapture it for future use) and fill the fermenter with your tea ASAP. Don't fear the foam it helps keeps your surfaces sanitary too.

 

[IslandLizard]

# Wash with unscented soap & rinse with warm water (70degress C)
# Leave it to air dry upside down on a clean paper towel

I wouldn't go above 50C on PET. That's also about the max temp our skin can handle without burns. Too hot for your hands, too hot for PET. You can use 2-3 liters of warm water and a soft washcloth to wipe/clean internal surfaces, rather than using all that water...

PET is very smooth, after cleaning with "soap" and rinsing (well) a few times, just drain and add sanitizer. Let sit for at least 1 minute (or longer) make sure all internal surfaces are kept wet for 30-60 seconds at least.

 

[IslandLizard]

I just acquired a fermzilla 30L PET fermenter. Am going to brew a 2 gallon Kombucha.

That's a fairly small amount in a big fermentation vessel.
Please ask in our Kombucha Forum if that excessive headspace can be a problem.
There will be a lot of air above your fermenting tea and scoby. I would be concerned about mold starting to grow in there.

Do you have a smaller container like a large glass pickle jar, or 2? It needs a wide mouth or you won't be able to retrieve your scoby later on.

 

[Jasii]

IslandLizard Thank you for your time and your comprehensive replies. Indebted!
The points mentioned are all valid and accepted. Thank you once again. Now off to the kombucha forum for a read.....
Kind Regards,
Jasii

 

[jerrylotto]

I have the same fermenter. A few things I changed - drilled a hole in the lid and added a ball lock gas connection next to the bubbler hole - epoxyed the thermowell into place and silicone sealed a temp probe inside of it. I use iodine as my primary sanitation solution - and it does a great job revealing where your cleaning process failed - so I can iterate between cleaning and sanitizing until there is no iodine stain on the inside. Recommend getting a few spare 0-rings for the ball collector and one spare for the lid. I also use teflon tape on every thread to seal and make it simpler to disassemble for deep cleaning.

 

[Jasii]

@jerrylotto Thank you for pitching in to help. Is it possible to post some pics of your mods so that I can deepen my understanding?
Kind Regards,
Jasii

 

[jerrylotto]

@jerrylotto Thank you for pitching in to help. Is it possible to post some pics of your mods so that I can deepen my understanding?
Kind Regards,
Jasii

Sure

 

[Jasii]

@jerrylotto This does not look like the fermenter that I have. (Will post pic of mine in a bit).
I assume the ball lock gas connection is for connection to a keg. Am I right in my thinking?

 

[jerrylotto]

It is for connecting a CO2 tank for purging head space, or connecting a gas line to another container or keg to pressure equalize closed loop transfers.

 

[jerrylotto]

PS - my unit is made by Fastferment - different manufacturer and similar but not identical. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[IslandLizard]

I have the same fermenter.

<cough>

PS - my unit is made by Fastferment - different manufacturer and similar but not identical. Sorry for the confusion.

Glad you cleared that up!
The FastFerment is a substantially different fermenter. It's also a 6 year older design, but it did start a trend, didn't it?

At the time, when they just came out, some of us at our group grain buy were looking into buying a few FastFerment units (trying to eek out a "bulk order") but somehow glad that didn't pan out... They're not easy to stick in just any fermentation chamber. I can stick 2 buckets (or carboys) in my full size (top freezer) ferm fridge, but it would only fit one Fastferment, and barely, due to the height, with the cage and such.

 

[jerrylotto]

But they are easy to float in a garbage can filled with water and maintaining a constant temp water bath controls the wort temps much better than air IMHO

 

[IslandLizard]

float in a garbage can

I almost stopped reading there, thinking... the more obvious.
Never thought of it being a clever temp control solution and it has the needed depth!

Similarly I use a large Igloo cooler as a temp control jacket. It fits 2 buckets or carboys side by side. Sometimes one just needs an additional ferm chamber...
Just dope it with frozen water bottles or use an aquarium heater to control temps.