Threaded Connection Cleaning

[BryanEBIAB]

I recently reconfigured some of my fittings with PTFE+NPT threads and found an unsettling amount of gunk in the crevices. I’m not terribly concerned since it’s all hot-side and gets boiling wort run through it for at least 30 minutes each brew. So at least it’s sanitized gunk… I run hot PBW through everything after each brew but I guess nothing beats a brush.

So now I’m curious how often everyone dismantles and re-tapes their threaded connections to make sure there’s no nasties growing in there. It’s no small task!

 

[BryanEBIAB]

So, does no one take apart their threaded connections for cleaning? Where’s the tri-clamp crowd?

 

[T Murph]

I do take some apart but very rarely. Fortunately my current system has very few threaded fittings. And of course I have experienced the gunk issue you describe. I used a little stainless steel brush to clean the fittings and threads followed by a thorough cleaning with costic acid ( no days it's PBW ) followed by a sanitizing soak. They are a PIA but as long as you maintain good sanitization practices and avoid using them post boil you will be fine. Just keep watch on them and do a good deep clean after about a dozen batches or so. Happy brewing.

 

[BryanEBIAB]

After giving it a think I should probably upgrade my brushes with something a bit more task-specific.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Anything on the fermenter is taken apart and deep cleaned after every use. Those fittings are all TC with some camlocks. After a spraying down the inside of the big chunks I remove all of the valves and port fittings and soak in a hot PBW mixture, scrub with brushes, rinse then sanitize. The brew kettle gets scrubbed after use but I don't remove anything from it unless I see something that shouldn't be there.

I have seen that black gunk you have mentioned in spots like inside of an elbow. In an old fermenter it did ruin a couple of brewed batches so on the fermentation side I'd remove and deep clean all fittings before sanitizing. As Murph says keep an eye on everything, deep clean where needed. Get into a routine and stick with it. Other than some extra time you can't go wrong cleaning too much.

 

[Deadalus]

I recently reconfigured some of my fittings with PTFE+NPT threads and found an unsettling amount of gunk in the crevices. I’m not terribly concerned since it’s all hot-side and gets boiling wort run through it for at least 30 minutes each brew. So at least it’s sanitized gunk… I run hot PBW through everything after each brew but I guess nothing beats a brush.

So now I’m curious how often everyone dismantles and re-tapes their threaded connections to make sure there’s no nasties growing in there. It’s no small task!

About every ten brews on the hot side. I have one threaded valve on a fermenter (a fusti) that I was using irregularly but recently started using again. I will probably go with every 3-5 there. I can get a brush on it but I recently broke the valve itself down and didn't like the results as I hadn't broken it down before. The valve was previously used on the hot side and then only a few times on the fusti.

 

[BryanEBIAB]

Thanks, folks. So far, my only metal fittings are on the hot side. Cold side is just an Ale Pail fermenter which gets brand new crummy plastic valves every now and then.

 

[sibelman]

Another thread regarding infections motivated me to take apart my pump head and related threaded fittings and valves today, hence my reviving this necro-thread. I haven't noticed signs of infection, but that's no reason to wait until trouble appears.

Like others, I recirculate hot Oxy through all this stuff (and HERMS coil and chiller) after every brew.
Previous disassembly had shown only modest gunk but apparently it's been way too long. So I attach these mildly horrifying pics as a caution to others. Brew on!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Another thread regarding infections motivated me to take apart my pump head and related threaded fittings and valves today, hence my reviving this necro-thread. I haven't noticed signs of infection, but that's no reason to wait until trouble appears.

Like others, I recirculate hot Oxy through all this stuff (and HERMS coil and chiller) after every brew.
Previous disassembly had shown only modest gunk but apparently it's been way too long. So I attach these mildly horrifying pics as a caution to others. Brew on!

View attachment 829432View attachment 829433

It doesn't take much to ruin a batch of beer!

I had a bad batch recently - most likely a sloppy cleaning/sanitizing as I'm sure everyone has encountered at some point.

It's point that needs to be revived periodically - Thanks!

 

[Tropicpine]

So, does no one take apart their threaded connections for cleaning? Where’s the tri-clamp crowd?

Right here. Except for my pump head with NPT connections, my entire system is tri-clamp. After each use everything is completely dismantled and put in the dish washer. Before each use the system is sanitized after assembly.
My wife and MIL (who actually used to run a bioresearch lab, so does have some credibility) think I'm a looney, but the beer tastes great.

 

[Jocky]

The two ball valves on my kettle get stripped after every brew as that’s the one place that I know can retain a little wort.

They’re two piece ball valves so I actually leave the back half attached to the kettle and just unscrew the front bit that holds the ball. When I had a fermenter with a ball valve that would get fully removed and stripped. The pump is a blichmann one with the removable head, so that gets cleaned every brew too.

Otherwise the threaded fittings I have inside the kettle and mash tun don’t get removed all that much.

 

[sibelman]

There's NPT at many points in my system that I rarely if ever disassemble. Heck, the 90° camlocks on most of my hose ends have threads and Teflon tape.

I trust (or want to believe) that hot wort sanitizes everything during whirlpool, and that hot alkaline cleaning solution effectively removes residue. Foolish?

 

[day_trippr]

Foolish or not you're in plenty of good company

 

[Bobby_M]

If you recirculate 150F PBW through all the flow paths after brew day for about 15 minutes and then do the same with hot water, most of that stuff will get washed out. Ball valves specifically have to be in the half open position to be cleaned out and most people don't know that and leave them wide open.

If you let your valves and threads get nasty and acclimate soil batch after batch AND you don't move near boiling wort through those components prior to knocking out, then yes you can have a problem.

 

[sibelman]

Ball valves specifically have to be in the half open position to be cleaned out

Thanks, Bobby. From your previous posts on this, I only understood it's best to leave them half open to dry.

I confess that my (defective?) mental picture of these valves suggests that some of the interior could be "out of the loop" even in the half open position. Not so, it seems.

 

[Bobby_M]

In the half open position, the opening in the ball peeks into the body of the valve so cleaner that is traveling through will get splashed into that cavity and can clean the outside of the ball as well. You can probably assist in that cleaning by working the valve open and closed several times, but ultimately half open is the best passive way to get it done.

 

[day_trippr]

You can probably assist in that cleaning by working the valve open and closed several times

That's what I do, along with holding it in various degrees of "half or so open" to help the hot water scour what it can reach. I have a short piece of vinyl tubing hooked up to my brewery sink that maintains a tight fit inside the ball valve for the duration as long as I keep pressure on it

Cheers!