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[duskb]

It happened again. My syphon hose had a bit of mold growing inside it and I didn't catch it until it was too late. This time I might be lucky though.

I had just finished cooling a batch and had run some water from a hose I thought was santized into the fermenter to top the beer off and I noticed the black stain insdie it and pulled off. I probably got the better half of 4 ounces into the bucket before I caught the mistake.

I have not pitched the yeast yet but thought maybe I can reboil for a bit and recool the beer to kill off any bacteria before I pitch. Or should I roll the dice and hope that none of the mold made it in there?

Damn brew hoses....get me everytime.

 

[TipsyDragon]

i say boil it.

 

[duskb]

i say boil it.

I read alot of stuff in the archives that said a high yeast count (which I probably have since I have a mean starter) usually will overtake wild yeasts and spores. Since this situation involves a known contamination, I boiled it up to 170 and crashed it. I hope it doesn't affect the flavor too much. It's a Witbeir. The last Wit I made a year ago got infected too but I never figured out why.

I'll update my results in 4 weeks to leave a record in the archives for the next guy.

 

[duskb]

I read alot of stuff in the archives that said a high yeast count (which I probably have since I have a mean starter) usually will overtake wild yeasts and spores. Since this situation involves a known contamination, I boiled it up to 170 and crashed it. I hope it doesn't affect the flavor too much. It's a Witbeir. The last Wit I made a year ago got infected too but I never figured out why.

I'll update my results in 4 weeks to leave a record in the archives for the next guy.

For the record. I kegged the Wit a few days ago. Still green but no infection along the way and if the hop content was affected by the boil I can't taste it. I guess I can say "when in doubt, boil it."

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I say the bigger issue is, why are your hoses molding?

I have used the same silicone hoses for nearly 3 years and have yet to have any issues.

Maybe it's time to upgrade? Or re-evaluate you hose cleaning regime?

 

[duskb]

I say the bigger issue is, why are your hoses molding?

I have used the same silicone hoses for nearly 3 years and have yet to have any issues.

Maybe it's time to upgrade? Or re-evaluate you hose cleaning regime?

Man, if that isn't the $1 million question I don't know what is. I have been battling this problem for over a year now. I've tossed at least 3 hoses at this point.

I flush the hoses immediately after use and sanitize it before racking but for whatever reason there's always a bit of condensation left over deep in the line that just takes a long time to dry out. I think this condensation over time becomes a bed for mold growth. I'm going to have to chalk it up to the fact that I live a mile from the beach and it's always overcast.

I wish there was a way to run a cleaning cloth through the line to make sure it got wiped down after washing, sort of like a bore snake for guns, I just don't know of any other way to get in there and otherwise clean it.

 

[COLObrewer]

Starsan after use before storage, then again prior to usage. Oxyclean soak gets all the stubborn particulates out of the hoses.

 

[dirtdigger]

Starsan after use before storage, then again prior to usage. Oxyclean soak gets all the stubborn particulates out of the hoses.

+1 to sanitizing after cleaning, before storing

 

[GuldTuborg]

I generally hook my hose over the blade of a ceiling fan after use. It's always dry within an hour or two. Just don't turn the fan on high unless you really like loud, "whooshing" noises. Oh, and make sure you get as much water as possible out before doing this, unless you like your walls soaking wet.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Unless you find that bread goes moldy very quickly in your home I wouldn't blame the issue on environmental factors.

You could fashion a cleaning/drying cloth for your hoses. Take a string or thin rope slightly longer than the longest hose you need to clean. Tie a fishing weight, (or other small weight source) small enough to easily fit through the hose, on one side. On the other side of the string tie the corner of a small piece of cloth. Then you just drop the weight in the hose, let it run all the way out to the other end, then pull the cloth through. The problem you'll run into is finding a cloth that will compact enough to fit through the tube without getting stuck. I'd go with silk (which quickly absorbs water) or an eyeglass lens cleaning cloth cut down small enough to fit.

 

[duskb]

Unless you find that bread goes moldy very quickly in your home I wouldn't blame the issue on environmental factors.

You could fashion a cleaning/drying cloth for your hoses. Take a string or thin rope slightly longer than the longest hose you need to clean. Tie a fishing weight, (or other small weight source) small enough to easily fit through the hose, on one side. On the other side of the string tie the corner of a small piece of cloth. Then you just drop the weight in the hose, let it run all the way out to the other end, then pull the cloth through. The problem you'll run into is finding a cloth that will compact enough to fit through the tube without getting stuck. I'd go with silk (which quickly absorbs water) or an eyeglass lens cleaning cloth cut down small enough to fit.

Actually, ironically we do. Probably not as bad as some spots but were lucky to get a week and a half out of a loaf of bread before it starts going south on us.

Now that I think about it I have alot of bore cleaning sponges for my shotgun that might allow me to rig up something like that. I also have some spare velvet floating around from a job I did that might work too.

I've been doing the cleaning with Oxyclean and sanitizing thing fairly regularly. It's not enough. The fouling in the tube is obvious (lots of spottiness and discoloration that wipes easilly off if you can get to it) and appears regardless of how well I try to clean it. (I have had a similar issue getting old krausen out of my airlocks too.) Those hoses weren't meant to cleaned on the inside but for us brewers it's key.

I think your idea of rigging something up is probably my best long term solution and I have everything on-hand except the fishing weight which is easy to get. I'll try it and report back.

 

[biochemedic]

I generally hook my hose over the blade of a ceiling fan after use. It's always dry within an hour or two. Just don't turn the fan on high unless you really like loud, "whooshing" noises. Oh, and make sure you get as much water as possible out before doing this, unless you like your walls soaking wet.

This sounds like an automatic SWMBO-repellant...

 

[cockybitz]

I read alot of stuff in the archives that said a high yeast count (which I probably have since I have a mean starter) usually will overtake wild yeasts and spores.

Usually is the key word here. There's no knowing what the rogue micro will eat as a source of food, and if it isn't the same as what brewing yeast eat, they aren't eating and multiplying apples-to-apples. That is what causes gushers.

 

[eanmcnulty]

I hold my hose near an end and spin it around a bunch of times, then turn it around and spin it the other way. The water flies out, leaving very little behind. That dries very quickly.

 

[bsdx]

I have swung my hoses around outside too to try to dry them out or at least reduce the size of the water droplets. Lately I've been leaving them submerged in star san until the next time I brew, no worries about drying, storage, or getting it back out for the next brew day. So far the equipment has been fine. Found out it was a bad idea to swing the hard plastic from the autosiphon to try to dry it out, while effective it added a ton of stress fractures so I replaced them.

 

[marcelo]

See how I do when I finish making the beer, while iodine in it, then the last thing that went through the hose, was the sanitizer, then, I use a small soft brush, cotton that is sold for cleaning pipes tied to a fishing line with a small weight at the other end of line, to facilitate. and yet always leave the hose drying hanging by one end so that the liquids evaporate easily, without getting stuck in it.

 

[JJL]

Man, if that isn't the $1 million question I don't know what is. I have been battling this problem for over a year now. I've tossed at least 3 hoses at this point.

I flush the hoses immediately after use and sanitize it before racking but for whatever reason there's always a bit of condensation left over deep in the line that just takes a long time to dry out. I think this condensation over time becomes a bed for mold growth. I'm going to have to chalk it up to the fact that I live a mile from the beach and it's always overcast.

I wish there was a way to run a cleaning cloth through the line to make sure it got wiped down after washing, sort of like a bore snake for guns, I just don't know of any other way to get in there and otherwise clean it.

Do you hang your hoses to let them dry out after cleaning them? Hanging them allows all of the excess water to drain out of them over time. I just run a little soapy water through them after I'm finished and then hang them up. Then I siphon star san water through them before I use them the next time. Never have any issues. All I use is the regular vinyl tubing from the hardware store.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I do blow out my hoses and systems with an air compressor. And we do have dry air.

 

[duskb]

Do you hang your hoses to let them dry out after cleaning them? Hanging them allows all of the excess water to drain out of them over time. I just run a little soapy water through them after I'm finished and then hang them up. Then I siphon star san water through them before I use them the next time. Never have any issues. All I use is the regular vinyl tubing from the hardware store.

Yes to all. I air dry the hose after a good clean rinse and follow the exact procedure you do (save that I use Idophor instead of Starsan).

I really think the issue is related to humidity. I used to live in an arid climate and if you left anything out for more than a hour it's be totally dry. Here by the beach it's not the same story. Stuff is always damp. If I'm able to get in the hose and clean it out like some of you have mentioned I think I'll be ok.

 

[GuldTuborg]

This sounds like an automatic SWMBO-repellant...

Not surprisingly, it scares off the cats much more than SWMBO. She likes constant background noise, I like quiet. Care to guess how often the TV is blasting random crap no one's watching around my house?