Viability of Using a Dishwasher’s Sanitize Setting

[Yooper]

I use Star-San in my wife's dish washer frequently. I never had a problem with any foam escaping the dish washer.

If you get a chance, search for the awesome photos. I'm glad it wasn't my kitchen, but I"m glad she shared the photos with us!

 

[Jeff...]

If you get a chance, search for the awesome photos. I'm glad it wasn't my kitchen, but I"m glad she shared the photos with us!

I mix up one gallon batches in a pitcher and dump it in the bottom of my wife's dishwasher when I'm done with what I need to do for brewing.

She loads the dish washer like she normally would. We never had any issues with foam escaping the dishwasher.

I suspect it might be a problem if the door seal on a dishwasher is bad though.

 

[Yooper]

I mix up one gallon batches in a pitcher and dump it in the bottom of my wife's dishwasher when I'm done with what I need to do for brewing.

She loads the dish washer like she normally would. We never had any issues with foam escaping the dishwasher.

I suspect it might be a problem if the door seal on a dishwasher is bad though.

Of if someone just adds an ounce into the soap dispenser...................I think that's what she did.
The foam was really awesome in the photos. Plus, she could eat off her kitchen floors since they were so well sanitized.

 

[InspectorJon]

I'll add my experience. I triple rinse bottles immediately after pouring beer and drain upside down. I then store them upside down. Before I bottle I run the empty dishwasher through a rinse cycle to be sure there is no debris in there. I run the clean bottles through the sanitize cycle with no soap. On my machine I have to do an entire "normal" cycle to get it to accept the sanitize command. It won't sanitize on a quick or rinse cycle. I have never actually measured the temperature but the bottles will burn my hand if I try and pick them up immediately after the cycle stops. This has worked fine for a few years now.

 

[eric19312]

I had actually said “with NO Pods”

Sorry I was reacting to what @pvpeacock said in post 3


Also sorry if I joined the anti side in this not-intended-to-be-a-debate for no good reason. Clearly there are brewers who use their dishwashers to sanitize bottles so the question about viability is answered. Yes it is a viable solution to the need to have sanitized bottles for homebrew.

Whether it is best solution for you will depend on your specific situation. I kinda hate my dishwasher. I cook a lot and my dishwasher can easily see 2-3 loads a day. But I've had to have it repaired 3 times in 3 years. It's a relatively high end Kitchenaid and I bought it for having very good reliability score in Consumer Reports... Best $135 I ever spent was on the 5 year extended warranty on that thing as they are just not built for this level of use these days. For me it would not be all that viable because my dishwasher just doesn't have the excess capacity to take on bottle cleaning in addition to it's regular workload but your situation may be different.

One option OP you might have read about already that I would probably consider before the dishwasher option would be the oven. I've got one of those big Viking ranges with a large oven with 3 racks and a convection fan. I'm sure I could load that with bottles (a full 2 case batch for sure) and cook those for an hour. Have heard people that oven-sanitize bottles put a small piece of aluminum foil on the mouth before loading into the oven. That way you can sanitize when you want and store them sanitized. Not a good solution for swing top bottles but regular bottles would work pretty well I think.

 

[Jeff...]

Of if someone just adds an ounce into the soap dispenser...................I think that's what she did.
The foam was really awesome in the photos. Plus, she could eat off her kitchen floors since they were so well sanitized.

Yeah that would do it

 

[ncbrewer]

An alternative that works well for me:
I clean the bottles in advance. Then on bottling day, I use a vinator to sanitize one bottle while another is filling. There's no separate sanitizing operation. This works if you believe Charlie Talley's statement that Star San actually sanitizes for brewing purposes in 30 seconds. If you allow one minute of contact time, it would slow the operation down some.

 

[centralpabrewer]

This thread has been beaten into the dust, but I will add that I'm another of 'those guys' that have used a dishwasher sanitize and heated dry cycle for years now (actually on our 2nd dishwasher) and never had an infected bottle. I have had disastaticus contamination from saison yeast getting into my bottles from my transfer racking cane and causing bottle gushers but that's a whole 'nother topic.

JimRausch.
I am currently experiencing these same types of gushing issues. How were you able to determine it was a diastatic yeast issue? And what did you do to clear it up?

thanks

 

[JimRausch]

I am currently experiencing these same types of gushing issues. How were you able to determine it was a diastatic yeast issue? And what did you do to clear it up?

It all started when I made a saison using Belle Saison yeast. This was maybe 4-5 years ago. I didn't suspect the cause at the time but in not quite every batch, and not every bottle, and it would take time- months to a year. But I'd open a bottle and get a gusher. And, here's the key- the belgian yeast estery taste that I really don't like. I eventually narrowed it down to my bottling setup- racking siphon and/or bottling cane. I was semi-successful in getting rid of it by switching from starsan to betadine as a sanitizer at bottling time. But finally was able to eliminate it by getting a Stainless racking siphon that I can cook in the oven. Then this year, reading about saison yeasts and diastatic yeasts in general, it all made sense.

 

[centralpabrewer]

It all started when I made a saison using Belle Saison yeast. This was maybe 4-5 years ago. I didn't suspect the cause at the time but in not quite every batch, and not every bottle, and it would take time- months to a year. But I'd open a bottle and get a gusher. And, here's the key- the belgian yeast estery taste that I really don't like. I eventually narrowed it down to my bottling setup- racking siphon and/or bottling cane. I was semi-successful in getting rid of it by switching from starsan to betadine as a sanitizer at bottling time. But finally was able to eliminate it by getting a Stainless racking siphon that I can cook in the oven. Then this year, reading about saison yeasts and diastatic yeasts in general, it all made sense.

Thanks JimRausch. I have pretty much confirmed that I have a diastaticus yeast issue. I ordered all new plastic for my system, buckets, tubing, etc. I autoclaved all my stainless parts and I am waiting for the acid wash concentrate to show up at Tractor Supply. Once I have that I will acid wash all the buckets, kettles and other plastic fittings that I can't autoclave. Couple of questions.
What ratio of betadine did you use? Any reason you went with betadine as opposed to iodophor? And did you let the bottles air dry before filling? Did you get the Stainless AutoSiphon from BrewSensible? Or just a standard stainless racking cane?

 

[JimRausch]

What ratio of betadine did you use? Any reason you went with betadine as opposed to iodophor? And did you let the bottles air dry before filling? Did you get the Stainless AutoSiphon from BrewSensible? Or just a standard stainless racking cane?

I'm a Vet and have gallons of Betadine, which of course is iodophor. 1/2 oz. per 5 gallon is a no-rinse sanitizer. But you have to make it up fresh every time. When the color fades, it is no longer effective.
When bottling, I just drop the dishwasher door , set the siphoning bucket on the counter above, and attach the sanitized racking cane. My stainless autosiphon is from BrewSSSential. Got it at Homebrewcon last year. 20 minutes in the oven at 225 sterilizes it. My racking cane is still the standard plastic. I'm going to look into a stainless racking cane.

 

[JimRausch]

By the way, I drank a bottle of La Fin du Monde last night, and there was that estery flavor that I don't like and was stuck in my bottling system for a year or two. Never brewing a Belgian or Saison again, which is no big loss for me.

 

[centralpabrewer]

Thanks JimRausch.

Still working on cleaning and acid washing all my stuff. But I think I am there with you on the "Never brewing a Belgian or Saison again"

 

[Joshuah57]

I mix up one gallon batches in a pitcher and dump it in the bottom of my wife's dishwasher when I'm done with what I need to do for brewing.

She loads the dish washer like she normally would. We never had any issues with foam escaping the dishwasher.

I suspect it might be a problem if the door seal on a dishwasher is bad though.

I may be mistaken, but I believe most dishwashers pump out whatever water is in the dishwasher when the cycle starts. It could be that your dishwasher pumps your sanitizer out right in the beginning.

I also use the dishwasher to sanitize my bottles. I make sure the bottles are clean first and that there is no soap or rinse aid in the dishwasher. After maybe 500 bottles or so, I haven't had contamination yet (that I could taste that is).

 

[day_trippr]

I may be mistaken, but I believe most dishwashers pump out whatever water is in the dishwasher when the cycle starts. [...]

Yup. Every machine I've owned does that...

Cheers!

 

[Jeff...]

I may be mistaken, but I believe most dishwashers pump out whatever water is in the dishwasher when the cycle starts. It could be that your dishwasher pumps your sanitizer out right in the beginning.

I also use the dishwasher to sanitize my bottles. I make sure the bottles are clean first and that there is no soap or rinse aid in the dishwasher. After maybe 500 bottles or so, I haven't had contamination yet (that I could taste that is).

I put Star-San in the place where the detergent goes and close the door. Because mine does the same. Pumps out any water at the beginning of the cycle.