HomeBrew Cleaning & Sanitation Guide with Hints & Tips

[@brennie80]

Daniel SAN I see what you did there really love your dry humour David

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Haha thanks :)

[@jamesgoacher1606]

Wholehearted agree with changing the cleaning product now and then (I can't spell occaisionally) I suppose it is a variation on Ccrop ratation. I have never considered StarSan to be expensive with 2ml/Litre a bottle goes a long way. I have always had a philosophy of cleaning/sterilising after brewing and also before brewing. I would have also thought that reducing the possibility, even probability of scratching and stainless stell is just as susceptible as much as possible. I was surprised by some of those max times you mentioned, need to modify some of my process.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks James :)

[@thirutheboss1212]

Excellent explanation…

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you 🍻🍻🍻

[@kenfowler1980]

Great video David

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Ken :)

[@alanman5328]

Very informative video and very well made. Many thanks.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear Alan, many thanks :)

[@caper3232]

Excellent David! Thank you.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Bryan :)

[@Brewermb]

Hi, I have been using VWP for cleansing and sterilizing, and sodium metabisulphite for finale pre-bottling sterilization for many years, with no problems.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks for sharing

[@MetalGuru785]

Hmm. Interesting David. I’ve been leaving my equipment soaking in sodium percarbonate for days, I hope it hasn’t killed my brewing equipment? These some top tips in this video. Thanks again. Cheers

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks :) Yes, no need to do that :)

[@beerman1957]

Leaving equipment with chemicals is potentially damaging to the surfaces. In chemistry we have a saying. “More is usually worse”.

[@karrea4128]

Thanks for making the video David, very informative.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear Jennifer, many thanks :)

[@AstroHAM]

Another great educational video!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Ferry :)

[@YorkshirePeacocks]

Hello have you done a recipe writing/style video for English Dark Mild? I plan on attempting a Wheeler recipe for Dark mild for my next brew in a bag . Great videos.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Not yet! But I have put out a recipe video back in time on this channel. Sorry for the late reply, YT has some errors with message reporting recently so I only just got to see this!

[@MeFee100]

Great video as always David. But would you consider to widen up spectrum of sanitation for beer line and tap agents? I personally use TM Desana MAX from Austria with great results.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you. I simply run cleaner, then water then sanitiser through my beer lines. No issues so far in decades of use :)

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

Good information!! Definitely more important than some understand 👍🍻

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Brian and yes it sure is!

[@billzens3664]

I made up a 5-gallon solution of Starsan which that I have been using over and over when I purge/sanitize my kegs. On a regular basis I run a pH on the Star San and if it gets above 3 I will add some more to the carboy it is stored in. Of course I also add water when it gets lower than 5-gallons as I also use that solution in my spray bottles. Is that OK, or should I simply dump my Starsan on some sort of regular (every 3-4-6 months...) basis?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Sorry for the late reply, YT has some errors with message reporting recently so I only just got to see this! No need to dump it unless it becomes dirty or the ph is too high.

[@HowaboutFrank]

Very informational and on point as usual. Although the contrast hit me yesterday as I was brewing a raw ale: we're using these space-age materials and powerful cleaners, religiously sanitising, all while inspiring our homebrews from traditional recipes where the idea was to "toss fire-hot rocks in the wort bucket". I am exaggerating, but it makes me wonder if we go overboard with the sanitation...

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you :) It is well documented that beer brewed in older times had a high spoilage rate. These days, if you follow cleaning and sanitation you can reverse this :)

[@chrissbenitez]

If I have never used this product after brewing but just before brewing and of course i have off flavors on my beers, could I fix this by cleaning them from now on or should I replaced the equupment?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Which product are you referring too?

[@chrissbenitez]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew sorry, these products the PBW and the san star.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I would try a good cleaning first and then see 🍻🍻

[@chrissbenitez]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew thanks a lot

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

🍻🍻🍻

[@AitaOMila]

Hi David hanks for this excellent video. I am myself a bit extreme on sanitation and follow practices similar to the ones you described and have not had a contaminated batch in the last 3 yrs....so yes the more care one put on this the more one is assured all will go well with the rest of the process. I have two question: (1) what do you recommend as a steel passivation practice. Have not done any but since I change my fermentar to a Stainless steel I am trying to understand its importance and best practice. (2) question 2 it is Krazy but would like to ask. After you have done your fermentation successfully and if you are going to carbonate in the keg with compressed CO2. What would be the effects of boiling your fully fermented wort before kegging and before dry hoping. Why I ask this...with this crazy covid situation we are living i was wondering if the hops I received via mail may have been mishandled and therefor contaminated. So if I dry hop for 3 days, then reboil my wort after fermentation for one minute then cool down fast and keg I could be out of the woods with a potentially contaminated hop? so the krazy question is what happened to my fermented wort if I reboil it if I am not going to carbonate in the bottle. Sorry for the crazy con capital K question.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Sorry for the late reply, YT has some errors with message reporting recently so I only just got to see this! 1) Most items like this have already had this treatment. Best to check with the manufacturer. 2) There really should be no need to do this with regular worts. Hops preserve beer :)

[@CM-ef8fu]

Hey David. What are your thoughts on TSP (Trisodium Phosphate)? Thank you :-)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

It can be useful for passivation of certain SS equipment.

[@xatazch]

Hi im new to brewing. How do you know if your brew is infected under fermenting?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Pierre, yeast can look odd. Best to go by smell and taste. It will be quite obvious then.

[@poisonpotato1]

Do I need to disassemble Npt fittings to clean them

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Running cleaner through them will work but a strip down clean every few uses will be a good idea.

[@user-mr9tw6dj6h]

so, lets say i have mixed star san to 1 gallon of water to sanitise my fermenter before i pour in my wort, can i keep/ retain those water + santiser for use in the next 1 month when i bottle my beer? if yes, how do i safely keep it?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes you can. Store it in a food safe container with a screw lid. Test the PH before using. As long as it is under 3.5 then it will work. After this it's time to mix up a new batch. I do this in 5L and 10L amounts and it lasts for months. Just make sure you use it on clean items only.

[@KiboTennis]

Thanks for the overview. Can I store and reuse cleaning products in solution?

[@beerman1957]

You can reuse but make sure the pH is at the proper level. At some point you do run out of hydrogen potential due to oxidation.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Sorry for the late reply, YT has some errors with message reporting recently so I only just got to see this! Cleaners you cannot be sanitizers mostly you can as long as the PH is at the right level.

[@diegodelatorre9280]

One question, once star san is diluted how much time it will be useful or "active"

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Usually for some months. The only way to know is to monitor the ph. If its below 3.5 then its still good to use. Just make sure you store it in something with a lid. I use 5-10L plastic containers that are food safe.

[@diegodelatorre9280]

Great thanks!

[@lisacarruthers9649]

Just received my G40 today. I am going to do my first clean with PBW as per your 'first clean' video, but my question is, can I use bicarbonate of soda going forward. If so, what strength do you advise please?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Congrats Lisa 🍻 I would go with sodium percarbonate. Very popular and very effective. For something stronger you can go the PBW or similar route. These are mostly sodium percarbonate but with some extras that can be beneficial.

[@TFS6750]

Again thanks for an interesting video :) Relative to FZ, I have seen that you have used GF High Perfomance Cleaner to clean it. I did not know that it should only be used for a maximum of 20 minutes (I usually leave it for days due to lack of space in my room) and I have not been affected by the FZ (or detect something bad). But there is a problem: if you follow the manufacturer's recommendations (GF) it is necessary to have the solution hot and this is not valid for FZ. (conflicto de recomendaciones) How do you solve it? Does using it cold have the same cleaning capacity? (I usually add it at 40ºC ...) Does another good solution and cheaper could be (for FZ) sodium percarbonate 40C, rinse and Starsan? or better GF HPC? TY

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Sorry for the late reply, YT has some errors with message reporting recently so I only just got to see this! I use it the same for both systems, no problems :)

[@TFS6750]

David Heath Homebrew ok ty, but what temp in FZ?

[@paulrobertson9439]

Very useful thank you :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear Paul, thank you :)

[@ElectronAbacusEnsemble]

An informative, objective analysis was presented by vetting parsimonious alternatives. Buy the cheap stuff and work harder. Mmmyeah, been there, needed that, in a scrounge. Labor versus thrift. All economic classes can brew safely with this wiseman. Off topic, makes me wonder how we got sauced before chemistry.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you and yes it is always about informed choices :)

[@gunasuppiah759]

Thanks for the video, David. I'm wondering if I can use 70% alcohol to sanitize kegs before transferring finished beer into them. I'm currently using starsan but am concerned about the dissolved oxygen present in the dilution water. I'm thinking of just spraying the alcohol onto the inside surface of each keg before filling it. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you.

[@TheLolstyle]

Oxygen dissolves better in alcohol solutions than in water. Spraying makes the contact surface of the sprayed liquid pretty huge, which means more oxygen intake. So spraying anything in it without letting it dry increases oxygen intake. I always just soak in starsan for couple of minutes, and then just let the whole thing leak out & dry upside down.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

:)

[@Heybat]

I use mild solution of sodium hydroxide. It should be handled with a lot of care.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

For sure! Mild is wise also :)

[@andrewaldsworth191]

Hi Dave my brother is thinking of buying an all-in-one brewing system what do you think of the hop Cat 65l can you let me know so if this is worth an investment🇬🇧🇬🇧🍻😁🇬🇧🇬🇧👍😖😧😥😷🇬🇧🇬🇧👍☠🐕🐶😁🐕

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Ive been promised a test unit for some time now. The last I heard was recently and that was that I should get one for testing in August.

[@itterman]

PAA is another one I use also. Its normally used in professional breweries (It kills lacto so if had a sour in a keg use this for cleaning!). Iodophor at non rinse strength (25 PPM) will kill corona virus. Starsan will not. Just to be extra careful I have been using either PAA or Iodophor first with longer contact time or about 1 hour to ensure no possible issues with Corona Virus.. and then rinse with Starsan as I share my beer and want to ensure its clean as possible.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great, thanks Bruce.

[@veljacvetkovic]

What's about NaOH 3% solution and citric acid 5% solution after that? Ofcourse good rinsing after every stage.

[@beerman1957]

Citric acid isn’t considered a complete sanitizer. Phosphoric acid would be better.

[@beerman1957]

Also sodium hydroxide is really toxic and there are safer alternatives such as Sodium Percarbonate.

[@TheLolstyle]

@@beerman1957 It isnt toxic. It's just highly corrosive. Using a diluted NaOH solution can be helpful if you have really dirty equipment. But ofcourse a lot of rinsing is needed after that. So why bother removing big dirt by hand?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

:)

[@A2an]

👍😊👍

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Allan :)

[@donaldsheppard7489]

Please note that none of the products you recommend are available in the UK except at vastly inflated postal charges from the U.S.A

[@davidpotter6564]

It's true that StarSan and PBW are hard to get hold of but all the other brands are available. I just switched from PBW to Chemclean and it seems to be the same stuff. Managed to get a 2.5kg tub for under £20 too!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Donald but I did not recommend 5 star products, I used them as a well known starting point only. There are cheaper versions of the same thing that I did recommend though :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks David. Yes, alternatives offer great savings for sure :)