Rinsing with tap water?

[Oahu]

Do I desanitize things when I run tap water over them? Like if I want to clean the excess cleanser from my autosiphon can I rinse with unboiled water? Or does tap water leave things sanitary after it dries? What do you guys do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PT Ray]

I use Quat which is a no rinse sanitizer. I actually prefer not to rinse not because of possible contaminants in the water but from the additional handling of the equipment required to rinse it.

 

[El Pistolero]

Do I desanitize things when I run tap water over them? Like if I want to clean the excess cleanser from my autosiphon can I rinse with unboiled water? Or does tap water leave things sanitary after it dries? What do you guys do?

Thanks in advance!

Unless you're using a "one-step" cleaner/sanitizer, your equipment is NOT sanitized after cleansing. You need to rinse the cleanser of thourghley, then sanitize. If you use a no rinse sanitizer (like Iodophor or Quat)) then don't rinse after sanitizing.

 

[Cheesefood]

I bought some Star San which is no-rinse, but it bubbled up like soap while I was adding water. When I dumped it all out, there was bubbles left on the bucket so I gave it a rinse. I was worried that the sanitizer residue would kill my yeast. Is that a silly worry, or a valid concern?

 

[El Pistolero]

I haven't used Star San, but I guess if I could see the residue, then I'd probably rinse it just like you did. But, they couldn't get away with labeling it as "no rinse" if a small amount of residue was going to harm your yeast.

 

[Sasquatch]

Understand that what we're shooting for is sanitized, but not sterile. As soon as your stuff hits the air, it's getting covered in micro organisms. The idea of rinsing with municipally supplied tap water is that the stuff is chlorinated enough to be sterile in the pipe. Which is to say, go ahead and rinse with it. What you've done with your sanitizing solution is wipe out whatever little colonies of greebies are beginning to live on your equipment. Then when you brew, you add yeast which quickly takes control of the environment and eradicates the chances of survival for any other type of organism.

 

[El Pistolero]

The idea of rinsing with municipally supplied tap water is that the stuff is chlorinated enough to be sterile in the pipe.

I hate to disagree with someone much more experienced than myself...but I don't believe that anyone claims that chlorinated water is sterile. I'm not saying rinsing is necessarily a bad thing, but if the concentration of chlorine in tap water was high enough to sterilize, then you could just use tap water as a sanitizer...and we all know you can't do that.

Oahu...what I've done when I felt compelled to rinse what's already been sanitized is to boil a large pot of water then dip the stuff I want to rinse in that. That way at least you're rinsing with water that you know is sterile.

 

[Sasquatch]

Go ahead and disagree with me, EP. What you say makes sense - if water was THAT chlorinated, then we could sanitize with it... so maybe it's treated some other way I don't know about. All my books say tap water is basically sterile. Fact is, I don't really know, but what I do know is if I don't rinse that pink $hit out really really good my beer tastes like swimming pool.

Boiling is probably the safest for your rinse water.

While we're yakking, does anyone know what ozonation does in terms of microbes? Can yeast access oxygen from ozonated water??

 

[bikebryan]

I hate to disagree with someone much more experienced than myself...but I don't believe that anyone claims that chlorinated water is sterile. I'm not saying rinsing is necessarily a bad thing, but if the concentration of chlorine in tap water was high enough to sterilize, then you could just use tap water as a sanitizer...and we all know you can't do that.

Not to mention that if the concentration of chlorine in tap water was high enough to cause it to be sterile, it would wreak havoc on you when you drank it!

 

[vtfan99]

I bought some Star San which is no-rinse, but it bubbled up like soap while I was adding water. When I dumped it all out, there was bubbles left on the bucket so I gave it a rinse. I was worried that the sanitizer residue would kill my yeast. Is that a silly worry, or a valid concern?

I use Star San religiously. The foaming is expected behaviour as it enables the sanitizer to get into small cracks or crevices in the surface of the equipment. And the bubbles/residue will not harm anything. I agree that it doesn't make any sense....the solution is strong enough to kill bacteria, but it won't kill your yeast...which is also bacteria....weird huh?

Anyway, I have poured cool wort into my carboy that had lots of residual foam from the sanitizer. There were no ill affects whatsoever. Here is the website for Five Star, the makers of Star San.

Also, one way to reduce the foaming is to add the Star San to the full carboy/bucket/etc rather than putting the Start San in first and filling with water.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

i clean my equipment then use iodaphor as a sanitizer for at least 5 minutes. if i have time i let it air dry, if not, no biggie. i've never had off flavors from contamination or sanitizer residue.

 

[Walker]

Before any step in my brew process, whether it be boil day, racking day, or bottling day, I always start my morning boiling up about 3 gallons of filtered tap water and letting that cool. Then I put it into sterilized 1 gallon jugs and sit it to the side.

I use this water for rinsing things off later in the day.

-walker

 

[Dude]

Understand that what we're shooting for is sanitized, but not sterile. As soon as your stuff hits the air, it's getting covered in micro organisms. The idea of rinsing with municipally supplied tap water is that the stuff is chlorinated enough to be sterile in the pipe. Which is to say, go ahead and rinse with it. What you've done with your sanitizing solution is wipe out whatever little colonies of greebies are beginning to live on your equipment. Then when you brew, you add yeast which quickly takes control of the environment and eradicates the chances of survival for any other type of organism.

Rinsing after you sanitize completely negates whatever you used to sanitize in the first place. FYI--tap water is not sterile.
We've had numerous discussions about this on this forum, and unless the water is above 170 degrees its not suitable for sterilizing.

 

[Igorstien]

I also thought Five Star made RHUM.....

 

[bikebryan]

Rinsing after you sanitize completely negates whatever you used to sanitize in the first place. FYI--tap water is not sterile.
We've had numerous discussions about this on this forum, and unless the water is above 170 degrees its not suitable for sterilizing.

170 degree water won't really sterilize. If it did, then hospitals wouldn't spend tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars on high-pressure steam and autoclaves to use it in.

170 degree water may be OK to sanitize with though.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I use Star San ...the solution is strong enough to kill bacteria, but it won't kill your yeast...which is also bacteria....weird huh?

Yeast is not bacteria...it's a fungus.

 

[Dude]

170 degree water won't really sterilize. If it did, then hospitals wouldn't spend tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars on high-pressure steam and autoclaves to use it in.

170 degree water may be OK to sanitize with though.

I stand corrected.

 

[Sasquatch]

Don't get me wrong Orrelse - I'm not here to start a fight - BUT is your claim that my equipment is just as dirty after I sanitize it and rinse with hot tap water as it was before?

Our water is highly treated. Therefore, Cholera isn't the problem it was. Nor Typhus, nor any of the kajillion bacteria that can knock us on our arses without blinking, like E. Coli. Is the tap water dead sterile? Okay, probably not. Is it clean? Yes.

 

[El Pistolero]

Don't get me wrong Orrelse - I'm not here to start a fight - BUT is your claim that my equipment is just as dirty after I sanitize it and rinse with hot tap water as it was before?

I think all anyone is saying is that your equipment is probably, ever so slightly, cleaner and more sanitized before the last rinse than after. Peace.

 

[Cheesefood]

OK, but think about this:

After making your wort, how sterilized it the water you add to it? I hold my hose to the Pur water filter so that I can fill my bucket. Is this an unsterile method? Do you guys sterilize all your water before making beer?

 

[Sasquatch]

Cheese, you'll find that lots of guys here boil every drop of water that becomes their beer.

Pisto - I hear ya. And all I'm saying is after that rinse, it's so clean.... I could even make beer in it!!

 

[El Pistolero]

OK, but think about this:

After making your wort, how sterilized it the water you add to it? I hold my hose to the Pur water filter so that I can fill my bucket. Is this an unsterile method? Do you guys sterilize all your water before making beer?

I use bottled spring water, so if it isn't sterile I'm suing wally world.

 

[Cheesefood]

Something to think about next time. H-S water is only $5.00 for 5 gallons.

 

[El Pistolero]

Wally sells his spring water for 69 cents a gallon, as does Herman Edward Butts. I don't know who this H-S guy is...can you trust him?

 

[Cheesefood]

Wally sells his spring water for 69 cents a gallon, as does Herman Edward Butts. I don't know who this H-S guy is...can you trust him?

You trust Wallys?

 

[El Pistolero]

No, I just check the prices at wally's to make sure I can still trust Mr. Butts.

 

[Cheesefood]

No, I just check the prices at wally's to make sure I can still trust Mr. Butts.

He doesn't own any stores in my area. We have Dominick's and Jewell though.

 

[El Pistolero]

Something to think about next time. H-S water is only $5.00 for 5 gallons.

Seriously tho, the gallons are better while you're still doing partial boils. I keep a couple right a freezing, one at fridge temp, and one at room temp. Then when it comes time to cool the wort to pitching temp I can do it with just the water and a quick ice bath.

 

[Walker]

I just found out that the LHBS here sells their own reverse osmosis water for $0.25/gallon.... the only catch is that you have to bring your own jug.

and to think I was paying the grocery store $0.69/gallon for distilled water.

-walker

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

I use bottled drinking water too from Wally World. I pay $0.59 gallon. Your gettin' screwed El Pistolero! ;~)

all-grain brewers "should" have done their water calculations right and not have to add water after the boil :~)