Sanitizing ahead of time?

[RichC]

How far ahead can you sanitize? I've noticed that I spend a lot of time cleaning and sanitizing before I brew, and I was wondering, can I sanitize the night before so I can get right into brewing the next day? Or is letting things sit overnight risky?

[dparsons]

I clean right after I use my equipment and sanitize right before. If you use a no-rinse sanitizer I'd guess you have a little more leeway, but I don't know how much for sure. As for brewing, the hot side needs to be clean, the cold side needs to be sanitized. I sanitize my fermenter and transfer equipment during the boil or even get it started while the mash is sitting.

[Mill Rat]

I'm with dparsons. I'd not want things sitting around overnight. I find that I have enough time while I'm chilling the wort to sanitize the fermenter, racking hose, etc., that sanitizing right before I transfer doesn't lengthen my brew day at all.

[RichC]

Part of the problem is that I'm only doing partial boils, and I boil my dilution water ahead of time. I then need someplace to store that water. It goes into a sanitized bottling bucket.

But If I'm going to make enough sanitizer to do that bucket, I'm going to use it to do everything else as well.

Right now, with preboiling water, steeping grains and everything else, it feels like I'm taking almost as long as doing all grain would.

I've been rewashing eveything, so maybe I can move that to the night before. I could also get my water ready ahead of time. It takes a while to filter 6 gallons.

It would have been real nice if I could have preboiled 3 gallons the night before, but if I don't have a sanitized place to put it, I don't think it would be a good idea.

[Quin]

I santize buckets, lids, air locks, tubing etc. during the 30 min mini mash or 60 min boil.

I normally use bagged ice for dilution water. I have also frozen 2-3 gallons of boiled tap water for dilution. I ladle the wort onto the ice to minimize splashing.