Paint strainer usage for biab

[InLimbo]

What could a curtain possibly harbor that wouldn't be destroyed in a 60 min boil?

My concerns have nothing to do with sanitation. Since when does boiling a chemical make it safe? I'm not talking about pathogens. I'm talking about toxins like BPA that are in plastics. Talk to a chemical engineer about the properties of plastics sometime. There is a reason that there is a separate grade of plastic that is deemed food grade.

I have been using paint strainer bags for years for hops in my boil and rarely do shorter than a 75 minute boil. I'm not buying the "food-grade" argument at all. If someone doesn't want to use them out of personal preference, I'm not going to tell them otherwise but they are used by a huge number of folks and I've never had a problem or heard of anyone having a problem with them.

I bet toxins like BPA enjoyed the extra 15 minute bubble bath that you're provind them. A "huge number of folks" used to believe asbestos was safe too. At the end of the day, why risk it? If someone wants to use non-food grade items out of ignorance, then have at it. Food grade denotations exist for a reason. But when the only reason not to use them is to save a few dollars despite the risks of toxins leaching, you're just claiming ignorance.

 

[Stauffbier]

My concerns have nothing to do with sanitation. Since when does boiling a chemical make it safe? I'm not talking about pathogens. I'm talking about toxins like BPA that are in plastics. Talk to a chemical engineer about the properties of plastics sometime. There is a reason that there is a separate grade of plastic that is deemed food grade.



I bet toxins like BPA enjoyed the extra 15 minute bubble bath that you're provind them. A "huge number of folks" used to believe asbestos was safe too. At the end of the day, why risk it? If someone wants to use non-food grade items out of ignorance, then have at it. Food grade denotations exist for a reason. But when the only reason not to use them is to save a few dollars despite the risks of toxins leaching, you're just claiming ignorance.

You might want to consider giving up breathing! Heck, the bi-products that are in your food are likely as bad or worse. All sarcasm aside, I don't think any small amount of whatever might be leaching out of my bag can be worse than drinking alcohol, smoking an occassional cigar, eating some sort of fast food, or any other vice I might have. We're not talking about boiling in asbestos bags here!

 

[tre9er]

Would a pillow case be any good as a bag for BIAB?

I think it would be too fine and probably not let much liquid out when it was time to squeeze. Curtain sheers can be found anywhere, make sure they're polyester, or go to any fabric store and get a yard or two of voile cloth. LHBS or online brewing supply stores sell grain bags, too.

 

[tnsen]

ok...let me pose this question.....is there a "food grade" bag available??...as it looks to me , everybody is using either a paint strainer of some sort, or else curtain material....as of yet I have not seen a brew bag that claims to be of "food grade" material....I could be wrong . I just have not run across one yet.....Tom

 

[Horseballs]

horseballs....did you have both bags in the pot at the same time?...or do 2 differant boils...just trying to learn a bit b4 I plung....Tom

I did two bags in one pot full volume mash. No sparge, just squeezed the bags and started the boil. I clipped the bags to the pot using binder clips, on opposite sides of the pot.

 

[TimpanogosSlim]

My concerns have nothing to do with sanitation. Since when does boiling a chemical make it safe? I'm not talking about pathogens. I'm talking about toxins like BPA that are in plastics. Talk to a chemical engineer about the properties of plastics sometime. There is a reason that there is a separate grade of plastic that is deemed food grade.



I bet toxins like BPA enjoyed the extra 15 minute bubble bath that you're provind them. A "huge number of folks" used to believe asbestos was safe too. At the end of the day, why risk it? If someone wants to use non-food grade items out of ignorance, then have at it. Food grade denotations exist for a reason. But when the only reason not to use them is to save a few dollars despite the risks of toxins leaching, you're just claiming ignorance.

One of my best friends is a chemistry professor at a decent state university, actually. Has a lot of industry experience, including some plastic injection molding. He tells me that the "food grade" designation on plastic almost always means that the same process was used, with more testing, and more paperwork, and the potential that a batch will fail and thus not receive the food-grade certification.

BPA isn't a toxin in the usual sense. What's wrong with BPA is that your body thinks that it is estrogen. It is probably one of several factors causing females to grow breasts at an earlier age than they did 30 years ago.

So I'm here to say that you're so afraid that you're not even afraid of the right things. Phthalates are where the (tiny) danger is, and any phthalate based plastic will corrode and release phthalates. Even BetterBottles, because the yeast chews on the plastic. really. Sort of. electrochemical attack from the enzymes used by yeast to break down sugars also breaks down plastic just a little bit.

Unless you're a child or a pregnant woman it's generally not worth losing sleep over. Read here: http://www.epa.gov/teach/chem_summ/phthalates_summary.pdf

With regard to paint strainer bags, they are made of nylon. Nylon is pretty harmless stuff, provided that you keep it away from strong acids, chemical oxidizers, and temperatures in excess of 555 degrees fahrenheit.

I say throw 'em in the washing machine with your kitchen towels and then let them drip dry before using.

 

[TimpanogosSlim]

ok...let me pose this question.....is there a "food grade" bag available??...as it looks to me , everybody is using either a paint strainer of some sort, or else curtain material....as of yet I have not seen a brew bag that claims to be of "food grade" material....I could be wrong . I just have not run across one yet.....Tom

My mother has "cheese cloth" that is made from old curtains that were literally woven from glass fiber, with the selling point that it is impossible light it on fire -- with enough heat it just eventually melts, at the same temperatures that glass melts.

As far as i know, nobody makes that grade of glass fiber fabric anymore, or has in 40 years or more.

But if you're straining juice out of grape must, there's nothing like it.

 

[allclene]

Here's a question for everyone. I want to use a bag for my hops in the boil and am considering all possibilities. A friend of mine uses his wifes old nylons (washed of course). He cuts the legs off and uses them like bags. What do you all think of that? Is it okay or not? Who has a good source for brew bags? And finally, sounds like people are using the same bag more than once. So what would be the limit on reuse? And what about flavor imparting on other beers if reused?

 

[CS223]

Here's a question for everyone. I want to use a bag for my hops in the boil and am considering all possibilities. A friend of mine uses his wifes old nylons (washed of course). He cuts the legs off and uses them like bags. What do you all think of that? Is it okay or not? Who has a good source for brew bags? And finally, sounds like people are using the same bag more than once. So what would be the limit on reuse? And what about flavor imparting on other beers if reused?

I use the 1 gal paint strainer bags. Been using the same bag over & over. I just dump the hops, rinse it out and wash it in PBW with the rest of my utensils. It's just as clean as it was when new, cheap and available and not stretchy like nylons.

 

[wheathead]

Here's a question for everyone. I want to use a bag for my hops in the boil and am considering all possibilities. A friend of mine uses his wifes old nylons (washed of course). He cuts the legs off and uses them like bags. What do you all think of that? Is it okay or not? Who has a good source for brew bags? And finally, sounds like people are using the same bag more than once. So what would be the limit on reuse? And what about flavor imparting on other beers if reused?

I can’t attest to your friend's wife’s nylons, but I don’t see why not. The hop bags I’ve purchased from Brewmasters Warehouse are a little too short. For BIAB bags, I get my 5-gal paint filter bags from Home Depot (2 per package). After several uses, I’m finally using the second one. First one developed a small hole, probably from squeezing the heck out of it to drain. After a good wash with detergent and rinse, the bag is pearly white again. I go outside and flick the bag to get rid of any stray grains before the wash.

 

[allclene]

Looking on line I find the brew bags for just over 4 bucks a piece. Of course thats an order deal so there's shipping and tax. Home depot is looking up! The nylon thing dont look right to me they stretch and seem to hold your hops in a tight ball. I think they should be loose so you get max efficiency out of them.

 

[halfbrew70]

My concerns have nothing to do with sanitation. Since when does boiling a chemical make it safe? I'm not talking about pathogens. I'm talking about toxins like BPA that are in plastics. Talk to a chemical engineer about the properties of plastics sometime. There is a reason that there is a separate grade of plastic that is deemed food grade.

I work addff in a chemical factory ikiyhjh AND use a 5 gal 345tgf paint strainer and there 4g6 isn't anything wrong giduf9 with me.

 

[halfbrew70]

I work addff in a chemical factory ikiyhjh AND use a 5 gal 345tgf paint strainer and there 4g6 isn't anything wrong giduf9 with me.

Hey, like you, I also work in a chemical factory and BIAB with a paint strainer and there isn't anything wrong with me either! ...wait....oh... Never mind.

:cross: