Martin Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 Howdy, Don't know about you, but everytime I bottle, I think there must be a quicker and easier way to clean, sanitise and rinse bottles. And also a way to save some water. At present, I use a lot of water in the rinsing stage. I've been thinking of making a bottle washer/sanitiser thingo. A rack sitting above a container of some sort where I'd put six or so bottles in and have water jets spraying solutions into them. I think an old washing machine pump would be great to power the unit as it would give a good supply and is able to pump very hot water. You would just recirculate the water for the whole batch. first to wash them for 30 sec or so. Then change the water to a sanitising solution to give them a squirt, and then rinse with fresh water. Has any one made any gadgets for cleaning bottles to get more more efficiency? Just a thought..... Cheers - Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kai Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 No real automation gadgetry here. I make sure I have clean bottles before bottling day by either cleaning new bottles beforehand or using old brew bottles that have been rinsed right after use. On bottling day I line them up and pour metabisulphate solution between bottles, changing solution halfway through. After fifteen minutes I line them up on the sink, pour a small measure of boiling water into each bottle and over the lip, then drain and bottle. I probably use a third of a bottle's worth of water on each bottle, not counting the problem childs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wal1525228907 Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Oliver and Geoff have instructions to build a bottle cleaning device somewhere on their web page... I believe it just consists of something that resembles an upside down little bottler that blasts water into bottles. http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/ :) it's a good read with good reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Built this compliments of Oliver @ Geoff. Cost $12 for the tap connection, got the pipe from the plumber next-door plus his pipe bender. Stuffed up the first bend (had the pipe on back to front, but it\u2019s ok. Connects to the hot water and it is a beauty. I now rinse my bottles after drinking and I keep a bottle filled with water dishwasher powder already mixed, pour about 1/2 inch into the rinsed bottle. When I have 30 of these I then wash them out with this jem of a washer. The nozzle end had a thin wide screwdriver placed in the pipe and flattened with a hammer. Very easy to make. Had a bit of a problem with the connector, it was too small for the tap had to do a bit of reaming. Warren Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Howdy, Don't know about you, but everytime I bottle, I think there must be a quicker and easier way to clean, sanitise and rinse bottles. And also a way to save some water. At present, I use a lot of water in the rinsing stage. I've been thinking of making a bottle washer/sanitiser thingo. A rack sitting above a container of some sort where I'd put six or so bottles in and have water jets spraying solutions into them. I think an old washing machine pump would be great to power the unit as it would give a good supply and is able to pump very hot water. You would just recirculate the water for the whole batch. first to wash them for 30 sec or so. Then change the water to a sanitising solution to give them a squirt, and then rinse with fresh water. Has any one made any gadgets for cleaning bottles to get more more efficiency? Just a thought..... Cheers - Martin I've had good results using this: http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/afawcs0133827/CATID=0/SUBID=261/ID=577/SID=1461192492/productdetails.html http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/afawcs0133827/CATID=0/SUBID=261/ID=576/SID=1458660096/productdetails.html You just fill the tub with water, add a few drops of star san and away you go, then leave the bottles on the tree to drain for a few minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoptimus Maximus Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Howdy, I've had good results using this: http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/afawcs0133827/CATID=0/SUBID=261/ID=577/SID=1461192492/productdetails.html http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/afawcs0133827/CATID=0/SUBID=261/ID=576/SID=1458660096/productdetails.html You just fill the tub with water, add a few drops of star san and away you go, then leave the bottles on the tree to drain for a few minutes Totally agree get a good bottle tree(66 bottle - with a drain skirt to collect draining water) and a bottle rinser ($25 from Brewcraft in Richmond SA). I have my premixed StarSan to put in it to ensure I get the right strength mix. I am fortunate to have a permanent spot(in the cellar) to park my tree and after washing the bottles straight after using they go on the tree to dry. Then on the day it is just a rinse with starsan solution. I can easily rinse about 66 bottles in 10mins. Makes bottling a breeze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 I line them up and pour metabisulphate solution between bottles' date=' changing solution halfway through. After fifteen minutes I line them up on the sink, pour a small measure of boiling water into each bottle and over the lip, then drain and bottle.[/quote'] sodium met requires rinsing and will leave residue and by no means classed as a sanitiser but is a fine cleaner. +1 for the squirt tub and the bottle tree, more expensive than weggls but I can reuse my No Rinse Sanitser so am wasting less water overall I guess... Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Good work Warren, that should do the job nicely. Zombie thread!!..... after 7 years I hope Martin has sorted his bottle washing technique. [ninja] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 IF YOU DON\u2019T HAVE A PIPE BENDER YOU CAN USE YORKSHIRE 1/2 ELBOWS JUST CLEAN THE ENDS OF THE PIPE WITH STEEL WOOL, PLACE THE ELBOW ON AND HEAT UP WITH A GAS TORCH. SUGGESTS HOSE PIPE 7 INCHES, 2 OTHERS 5 INCHES, VERTICAL PIPE 9 TO 10 INCHES. PLACE THE WASHING PIPE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE OTHER 3 PIPES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Why are you yelling at us Warren [crying] (...and what is an inch [innocent] ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregT5 Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 An inch is one of those things you have to give to take a mile [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Muddy, to make myself heard. I was typing away not realising I had the caps on[pinched] An inch is a standard bloke's measument, for the uninformed[love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 An inch is a standard bloke's measument I always measure mine in cm. It makes it sound bigger [innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Loving Trent Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks for the picture Weggl I'm off to go build one in the work shop here at work[ninja] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Of The Dans Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Well, I learnt how NOT to clean PET bottles. I thought I had made a magical brew that was never going to empty my FV. After a while I realized the PET bottles had shrunk in the dishwasher... [pinched] Another lesson learnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I must say that is quite funny.... sorry. [biggrin] Do they still seal with the lids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Of The Dans Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Surprisingly, yes! I had to throw one coz the mouth of the bottle was too warped, but the rest are fine. And now I can fit more bottles in the fridge, even if some are a bit wobbly at the base.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb12 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 As soon as I've emptied a bottle I give it a good rinse, leave it upside down in a crate then on bottling day pour a bit of no rinse steriliser, give it a good shake, leave for an hour then tip out the no rinse and pour in the beer. Never had a problem with this method. Saves making or buying any fancy bottle cleaning gadgets[cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 ...if an inch is a standard blokes measurement....I am proud to say I am better than a standard bloke!....[cool] ...I used to work with an old bloke who had trouble coming to terms with metric...he would still be using quids if he could!...anyway, one day we were installing a genset in an out back power station, he wanted me to cut a piece of pipe for him, "How long?" I asked..."One metre, two and a half inches!" he replied Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 "One metre' date=' two and a half inches!" [/quote'] At least lengths are pretty standardish, either feet or meters. Where mass and volume are kinda interchangeable, imperial and US confusing it more. I had a wine recipe passed to me once, I forgot all about it until I saw your post, and I still have it: half bucket of elderberries on stems gallon of water 340g blackberry jam (no pips) 6 cups of sugar pinch of salt half teaspoon of yeast The odd thing is, after guessing all of it it made a damn fine wine... ps-i later found out that 340g blackberry jam was just a jar of jam, but she didn't want to confuse things because of different size jars of jam, so she put on the grams, lol... [crying] Some people's brains are just not made for measuring... On the actual topic though, I go way overboard with my cleaning. I rinse any stuff out after drinking, then on bottling day rinse them again and stick them in the oven for 20 minutes at 120C (glass bottles ofc). You could shatter the bottles and use them for surgery,but it takes a long timewith larger batches as my oven only holds 20 pint bottles. But I can't use too much sanitiser because I have a septic tank, and need to keep that 'fermenting' too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrockOhopter Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Good old 'elbow grease' sounds like the most reliable bottle cleaning method, works for me. I kept drawing up designs for the "Bottle-wash-O-matic 2000" for a while, then realised it was going to cost a crapload (and probably needed a name change). Rinsing bottles after use makes it heaps easier when Brew Day rolls around. All funny stuff though guys![lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 But I can't use too much sanitiser because I have a septic tank, and need to keep that 'fermenting' too... Starsan can be safely used in septic tanks without worry. some of this could well shorten your brewday. Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert 1525230019 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 What about cleaning the bottles/caps before first use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James1525230013 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Hi Robert, Before we get to the lids, There are a few words that are sometimes used to mean the same thing in common life, but in brewing should not be used the same way. Clean means free of all visible or detectable foreign material. This is not the same thing as sanitary or sterile. Sanitised means on top of being clean, is treated to ensure it is not contaminated with any micro organisms that may cause spoilage. This not the same thing as sterile. You cannot use a sanitiser on a dirty surface and expect results unless your product is also a cleaner. Some sanitisers destroy micro organisms, some just weaken them so much they can't multiply. A bug that can't multiply may still be eating your beer, but it can't spoil it unless it multiplies millions of times over first. Sterile means absolutely free of all biological entities. Sterile is nice, but only necessary for surgery. So getting back to the lids/caps, If they are new from a packet, they are already clean and might be sanitary, buy you don't know unless specifically marked and still sealed. So for caps, a dunk in your favourite sanitiser, according to the instructions, followed by a rinse in sterile water if needed is best. Phosphoric acid based sanitisers are probably great for lids as you have minimal contact time and no rinse, just dunk in a bowl of solution and use 2 minutes later straight from the bowl. Back to bottles, the mini bench top pump bottle washers with a tree is the way to go and pays for itself in time and effort very quickly. These have only one main moving part, a plunger and nozzle that allow water in the bottom and when pushed down with a bottle on them squirt a jet of water into the bottle. Products I use for washing include, Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), cheapest possible product, very powerful, very corrosive to skin and eyes, not to be used recklessly. Caustic soda bended with unscented household bleach(sodium hypochlorite solution), very cheap, very powerful cleaner and also sanitises powerfully. Must be used carefully as very corrosive to eyes and skin. Must remove all traces of bleach before contact with beer to avoid taint. Sodium Percarbonate, good cleaning and sanitising power. Only mildly corrosive to skin. Must be rinsed if used in concentrated form for cleaning stains, but can be left on some brewing equipment if used at a documented rate for sanitising only. Plain water and a soft cloth is often all I use for the fermenters to get them visibly clean first, and a tooth brush in the tap threads. Caustic soda to get anything I can't see. If going into storage, they get bleach to disinfect them and are drained, stored dry. If reusing immediately, a thorough boiling water rinse and back in to use. Zombie thread but it's been awakened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert 1525230019 Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 James Thanks for the info. I bought the kit off the "get rid of" table and the packaging had been opened and retaped so I couldn't vouch for the integrity or cleanliness of the contents. Conservative approach will be better. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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