Dissolvo, the Amazing Dissolving Blow-off Tube

[Chimerix]

This has happened to me twice now.

Take an ordinary blow-off tube. Let it do its job and become filled with funk. Soak it in a pail of bleach water for a few days to remove said funk. End up with a thick patina of white an all exposed surfaces of the tube, inside and out.

The first time, I blamed it on the bucket (some of you may remember my complaints about laundry detergent buckets and meadow fresh bottles). This last time, it was in a food-grade bucket.

Now, the hose itself I buy from City Mill. I don't believe that's the issue, but I believe in being thorough.

The white residue wipes off fairly easily, and has no real scent, but sure makes me not want to use that hose again.

 

[akueck]

How much bleach do you use? Have you tried a different cleaner (like PBW)? Plastics don't generally stand up well to prolonged chemical attack, so I'd try a shorter soak or a milder cleaner and see if that helps.

 

[wayneb]

I've had this problem before, years ago, when I used bleach for all my cleaning and sanitizing. I think that the chlorine reacts with stuff in the plastic to cause it to begin to disassociate. Remember that clear plastic tubing is PVC, PolyvinlyCHLORIDE. The addition of a huge number of chlorine ions must have some effect on the stability of the PVC in the tube. Anyway, after prolonged soaking in strong chlorine bleach the tubing eventually will disintegrate to the point where it will become sticky to the touch -- can't be good for subsequent cleaning away of organic residues!

Better to use one of the carbonate cleaners (like B-Brite) followed by a sanitizing rinse -- that can be bleach water, as long as you don't let it soak in too long, and you rinse it properly later. Even better is to use a product like Saniclean which will do a very good job of cleaning and sanitizing in one step.

 

[Oskaar]

What's the ID of your BOT? I just run scalding water through one of my faucet attachments depending on the size of the tubing, and then if there's something really obnoxious I just run some yarn through the BOT.

I sanitize with Iodophor, haven't changed the tubing in years. I do the same for my racking tubing. No infections, no problems of any kind. After a while the tubing picks up coloring from the iodophor but I don't ever get any aroma or flavor from the tubing.

Works like a champ.

Oskaar

 

[Chimerix]

ID=1", OD=1 1/4"

Tell me more of this Idophor... just noticed today that my LHBS carries same.

 

[MtnBrewer]

Blow off tubes are a thing of the past anyway. Use foam control.

 

[akueck]

Iodophor is one of the "no-rinse" sanitizers. You dilute some in water to about 12-25ppm iodide and that kills the little buggies in a couple of minutes. Let dry or just shake the drops off and use (I just shake, too lazy to wait). Easy. Keeps sanitizing until it's not yellow anymore. It will stain plastic parts, but it doesn't really matter. Also highlights crap you didn't clean out of the sink with a pretty purple color.

I'm tempted to switch to StarSan, which is another no-rinse that kills things with a pH of about 2. Totally harmless when diluted to higher pH, whereas iodide is not so nice for the local sewage microflora. Though I doubt it much matters in a city, Iodophor might not be the sort of thing you'd want to drain if you have a septic tank.

 

[Leonora]

I use Star-San as we are on a septic. I use a lot of sanitizer, it's the cheapest part of insurance against infection!

My septic is fine so far. I do dump yeast cakes and also some commercial septic system bugs in every six months or so.

I really like Star-San, although I am thinking of switching to the no-foam version which is a bit more expensive. But not having to deal with the bubbles would be nice.

Leonora

 

[Brewing_one]

Blow off tubes are a thing of the past anyway. Use foam control.

I don't think I would use that product. I have read that the action of yeast foaming actually cleanses the brew.