Wort chiller

[Schwagg]

I just got a wort chiller for christmas and I wasn't sure exactly how I needed to sanitize it. Do I need to soak it in the iodophor or should I sanitize it by letting it sit in the boiling wort for a while? I am a sanitizing FREAK and I sanitize everything before I start. That brings up another question: If boiling is enough to sanitize the operation, do I really need to sanitize the pot and spoon if they will already be sitting in boiling water? How long will I need to boil the wort chiller before it is sufficiently sanitized?

 

[Kaiser]

I assume its an immersion chiller (big coil of copper tubing): Put int into the boiling wort about 15min before the end of the boil. This will sanitize it. I make sure that there is no water in the chiller in order to have the boil resume as fast as possible.

Pot and spoon don't need to be sanitized separetely since the boiling wort will do the trick. You don't have to work sanitary untill the wort has cooled down. That's what I like about the brewing time before chilling the wort.

Kai

 

[usmcruz]

I just got a wort chiller for christmas and I wasn't sure exactly how I needed to sanitize it. Do I need to soak it in the iodophor or should I sanitize it by letting it sit in the boiling wort for a while? I am a sanitizing FREAK and I sanitize everything before I start. That brings up another question: If boiling is enough to sanitize the operation, do I really need to sanitize the pot and spoon if they will already be sitting in boiling water? How long will I need to boil the wort chiller before it is sufficiently sanitized?

What kind of chiller is it? Is it a counterflow chiller, or immersion? Both can go into a santizing idophor solution, but i have the therminator and you have to dunk it and move it around to get all the air bubbles out. If its a copper immersion chiller then boiling would be the cheapest way to go instead of wasting the idophor. I dont sanitize my brew kettle, i just make sure its clean and the heat will do the rest to sanitize. I leave my spoon in the kettle to keep it sanitized. Its perfectly fine to do it that way. 4 years and no infections. 2 or 3 minutes in boiling water is sufficient but i would do it for 5 to be safe.

 

[Schwagg]

Thanks for the reply, usmcruz. It is an immersion chiller. I figured that boiling it would sanitize it enough, but I didn't want want to ruin the batch. I will just make sure that it's clean to the eye before boiling it for 5 minutes.
I normally make 5-6 gallons of sterilizing solution in my primary fermenter and I use that to soak everything else. I then pour that into my brew kettle to sanitize the pot. Will that sanitize everything, or is the sanitizing agent "spent" after sanitizing the primary fermenter?

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

i use an immersion too, but i always clean/sanitize it just to be overboard. i keep a 5 gallon bucket full of sanitizer while i brew any way, so i dunk it in there prior to putting it in the boil w/ 15 min left. but the boil alone will do the trick.

 

[usmcruz]

Thanks for the reply, usmcruz. It is an immersion chiller. I figured that boiling it would sanitize it enough, but I didn't want want to ruin the batch. I will just make sure that it's clean to the eye before boiling it for 5 minutes.
I normally make 5-6 gallons of sterilizing solution in my primary fermenter and I use that to soak everything else. I then pour that into my brew kettle to sanitize the pot. Will that sanitize everything, or is the sanitizing agent "spent" after sanitizing the primary fermenter?

Your sterilizing solution is still good and thats a smart way of doing it, because your recycling the sanitizer, but after about 2 to 3 days the sanitizer starts to decline. brew on brother

 

[Kaiser]

I then pour that into my brew kettle to sanitize the pot. Will that sanitize everything, or is the sanitizing agent "spent" after sanitizing the primary fermenter?

If it's idophor, it's good as long as it looks amber in color.

check out this link on Idophor:
http://kotmf.com/articles/iodophor.php

Kai

 

[bikebryan]

Thanks for the reply, usmcruz. It is an immersion chiller. I figured that boiling it would sanitize it enough, but I didn't want want to ruin the batch. I will just make sure that it's clean to the eye before boiling it for 5 minutes.
I normally make 5-6 gallons of sterilizing solution in my primary fermenter and I use that to soak everything else. I then pour that into my brew kettle to sanitize the pot. Will that sanitize everything, or is the sanitizing agent "spent" after sanitizing the primary fermenter?

There is absolutely no need to sanitize your brew pot. You are going to be boiling your wort in it for 60 minutes, which is more than enough to take care of any nasties you need to worry about. If you have an immersion chiller, just drop it into the boiling wort about 15 minutes before the end of the boil and you'll be good to go. No need to waste sanitizer on either of those items.

 

[david_42]

This has been mentioned before: make certain the chiller is empty before putting it in the pot. They will spit hot water otherwise. I store mine upside down to be on the safe side. I learned the hard way!

 

[usmcruz]

There is absolutely no need to sanitize your brew pot. You are going to be boiling your wort in it for 60 minutes, which is more than enough to take care of any nasties you need to worry about. If you have an immersion chiller, just drop it into the boiling wort about 15 minutes before the end of the boil and you'll be good to go. No need to waste sanitizer on either of those items.

He is not going to sanitize his brew pot. He was just stating what he did before he knew that he could boil the chiller and sanitize the pot in one.

 

[The Happy Mug]

This has been mentioned before: make certain the chiller is empty before putting it in the pot. They will spit hot water otherwise. I store mine upside down to be on the safe side. I learned the hard way!

Scalded the skin of your feet like me, did you?

 

[bikebryan]

He is not going to sanitize his brew pot. He was just stating what he did before he knew that he could boil the chiller and sanitize the pot in one.

Read the post I quoted - or at least this part:

"I normally make 5-6 gallons of sterilizing solution in my primary fermenter and I use that to soak everything else. I then pour that into my brew kettle to sanitize the pot. Will that sanitize everything, or is the sanitizing agent "spent" after sanitizing the primary fermenter?"

It certainly says they are sanitizing the brew kettle for some bizarre reason.

 

[dblee50]

If it's idophor, it's good as long as it looks amber in color.

check out this link on Idophor:
http://kotmf.com/articles/iodophor.php

Kai

A good article on iodophor. It's good to know the sanitizing practices I've been following for the last few years aren't hurting me or the beer. thanks

 

[Lost]

Scalded the skin of your feet like me, did you?

Good to know I'm not alone - but I got sprayed right in the crotch as I was stirring in the aroma hops. I won't do that again.

BTW starsan will keep much longer than iodophor.. If you want something that's no rinse, quick, will keep and be resusable then you might want to check out some starsan.

 

[The Happy Mug]

Okay, it hurt just to read that.

 

[Walker]

hey there, jovial drinking vessel...

your name seems to change with every post you make!

-walker

 

[The Happy Mug]

Just got around to changing it. I hadn't changed it since my birthday.

Next up: The smiling stein!

 

[Brewiz]

Good to know I'm not alone - but I got sprayed right in the crotch as I was stirring in the aroma hops. I won't do that again.

Just make sure you have the hoses are hooked up first!!!!