Tube smell

banks741938 · Mar 5, 2015

I just got through brewing a batch of iPa and apple cider and am about ready to bottle the iPa and send cider to secondary and noticed that my siphon tube has a smell of the iPa that I used to rack from kettle to primary. I made sure to wash and sanitize and dry the tubes. Will it be okay to use the siphon tube to rack to bottles and cider to secondary even though it has a smell. It look like brand new no mol or anything. I'll be sure to sanitize before. Just dont want to impart any off tastes/ infections to brews. Thanks!

flars · Mar 5, 2015

Plastics will retain some aroma, but the plastic will not give up the aroma unless there is very long term contact. Some one with an excellent tongue, may be able to detect hop aroma added to distilled water with long term contact, but for any beer it would be undetectable.

banks741938 · Mar 5, 2015

Thanks that is what I was hoping to hear!

mrgrimm101 · Mar 9, 2015

I replace my tubing about once a year for this reason..plus new hoses are cheap. I started out using Iosan as a sanitizer, and that made my hoses a light orangey tint. I've since switched to Starsan and I love it.

After every batch I let me hoses and other equipment soak in a bucket with Oxyclean free. This seems to help a little with the discoloration, but the smell doesn't really go away. Just make sure to hang it so it dries and don't store it with moisture still inside.

fuelish · Mar 9, 2015

LOL.....at first when I read the thread title, I thought I was in a guitar amplifier forum....heh

But, yeah, as stated above, as long as clean and sanitized, the brief contact time will not impart any aroma/flavor to whatever is next to be siphoned....and replacing from time to time is not a bad idea...racking canes and bottling wands can develop micro-cracks in them - might be able to harbor nasties, no idea, as I've never had a problem with infections of any sort, but...yeah, it's cheap insurance, and you'll always have an emergency backup, just...in....case

mrgrimm101 · Mar 9, 2015

I've found 5/16" and 3/8" tubing on ebay for very cheap. The standard, clear PVC is about $1.50 for a 3 foot section, plus shipping. The high-temp silicone runs about $1.50-$2.00 per foot, plus shipping. Either way, it's cheap enough that I replace my transfer hosing about once a year. I use the high-temp silicone at the bulkhead lever on my cooler MLT.