sanitizing tubing in oven

[GoHawks]

It should be possible to sanitize tubing/equipment in the oven correct? My warm setting is around 160-170* which is not far off from mash temperatures.

mesophiles (microorganisms that thrive in temperatures 70-90*, which therefore are the ones that infect our brew) start to die off around 140*.

I know its common practice to do this with bottles but what about tubing and brew ware?

(I would never put a glass carboy in the oven)

Thoughts?

 

[Golddiggie]

Depending on the tubing, it could melt when it gets close to those temperatures. IF you're talking about silicon tubing, then it's safe up to about 450F... IF it's vinyl tubing, it will melt on you.

IMO, just give it a good soak in StarSan before you go to use it. I run StarSan through my siphon tubing right before using it, as well as through the bottling tubing before filling the bucket. I then wrap the bottling wand with a StarSan soaked [clean] towel to keep it safe until I'm ready to bottle.

If this is for use pre-boil, you don't need to worry so much. Get it clean and store it. For post-boil use, it needs to be sanitized. Just do what's not going to destroy the tubing.

Also, for bottles I simply fill them with StarSan solution, drain and place them on the bottle tree until being filled (shortly after that). For kegs, I put enough StarSan inside, make sure it completely covers the inside, drain, fill with CO2 (low pressure) and then fill with brew. Top off with CO2 (replacing any remaining atmospheric air) and make sure the O-rings have a good seal going on.

IMO, it's not difficult to have things safe/sanitary for brewing. You just need to be smart about it and not over-think it. Using the proper solutions goes a long way in this. Using a no-rinse sanitizer (StarSan for one) is a huge plus.

 

[Yooper]

For oven sanitizing, bottles are usually heated to 350 for an hour. I would never put my tubing in an oven- it's easy to just sanitize by pouring sanitizer though clean tubing.

 

[GoHawks]

Thanks everyone.

I was more thinking on the lines of post-infection sanitation... as in using the oven as a safety sanitation on top of a fluid sanitizer of choice.

You wouldnt want to put tubing directly on an oven rack. Put if you could suspend it in the oven it should work at those temperatures.

 

[Yooper]

Well, tubing is cheap. If I actually get an infection, it's time for action. I'd bleach bomb everything not plastic, and toss all plastic. I'd just buy all new tubing if I had an infection issue. Tubing can easily be replaced, while carboys cannot.

 

[Yooper]

It should be possible to sanitize tubing/equipment in the oven correct? My warm setting is around 160-170* which is not far off from mash temperatures.

mesophiles (microorganisms that thrive in temperatures 70-90*, which therefore are the ones that infect our brew) start to die off around 140*.

I know its common practice to do this with bottles but what about tubing and brew ware?

(I would never put a glass carboy in the oven)

Thoughts?

I was going to also say that some of the biggest infectors for our beer are lactobacillus, pediococcus, and wild yeast. While most lacto will be killed at 145 degrees, certainly not all strains will. That's how you can get a sour beer, even if you mash at 155. Lacto will NOT necessarily be killed by a low temperature sanitation.

 

[Golddiggie]

SS fermenters, especially sanke keg based ones, can be boiled...

100% agree that vinyl tubing should be tossed if you even suspect there's an issue. I toss mine when I cannot get it clean enough for my liking. It's cheap per foot, plus I usually have some extra on hand (just in case). Silicon tubing can be either cooked in the oven, or boiled as well, to kill anything in it. Although a good soak in PBW and then StarSan seems to do a fine job.

 

[GoHawks]

I was going to also say that some of the biggest infectors for our beer are lactobacillus, pediococcus, and wild yeast. While most lacto will be killed at 145 degrees, certainly not all strains will. That's how you can get a sour beer, even if you mash at 155. Lacto will NOT necessarily be killed by a low temperature sanitation.

You are absolutely correct about bacillus..

Bacillus species are spore formers. You will kill the mother cell by the initial heating process but the spore will be fine.

Once temperatures reach favorable conditions the endospore will morph into another daughter cell and thats where you can get contamination.

Thats why when they ferment milk they heat it up (to kill the mother cell) cool it down (to initiate the spore to form a daughter cell) then heat it back up again before the daughter cell has a chance to form a new endospore

Sounds like too much work though.. New tubing would be much easier.

 

[audger]

why bother with the oven and possibly melting things? pile up everything you have to sanitize into your boil kettle, fill it with water, and boil it.

problem solved.

 

[AnOldUR]

It should be possible to sanitize tubing/equipment in the oven correct?

Don't know if I'd trust the oven, but I do toss my tubing in the dishwasher on the antibacterial setting with no soap.

Tubing is fine, but I've deformed carboy caps. :cross:



edit to say:
Melted a racking cane too . . .

 

[malkore]

well its 103F outside not counting the heat index.
and the price of electricity is ever increasing.

just doesn't make sense to deviate from a proven wet no-rinse sanitizer like star san.

 

[GoHawks]

well its 103F outside not counting the heat index.
and the price of electricity is ever increasing.

just doesn't make sense to deviate from a proven wet no-rinse sanitizer like star san.

Lookin forward to Nov 26th