How to clean autosiphon?

[toneyc]

How do you clean that little bit of grunge that builds up at the bottom half inch of the autosiphon? The valve assembly doesn't seem to come off.

:eek:
Toney.

[DreamWeaver]

Well Toney, I thought someone else would answer this before now but I'll give it a go. The Auto-siphon is one of the more complicated pieces to clean, that and siphon hoses. I am a cleaning fool when it comes to my Homebrewing equipment. The best advice I know is to at least rinse it shortly (minutes) after using it, or any other gear as far as that goes. Not letting any gunk build in the first place. I clean everything before I use anything and then sanitize then I clean it again after use then store it only to clean it again before the next use. I had an issue with Oxi-Clean awhile back and had to soak mine in PBW overnight then I ran a cloth tied to a fishing line (new) with a small screw tied to it to get off the residue that the Oxi-Clean left behind. I also have a toothbrush and 2 toilet bowl scrubbers that I bought at the Dollar Store meant for my HB equipment only. A long soak then scrubbing should do. Any visible gunk has to go! If not, toss that sucker in the neighbors yard and get another one. :D

Hope that helped.

[shifty brewer]

I have a bottle brush that's long enough to reach the bottom. I use that to scrub it well. Then I put it in a bucket with really hot soapy water and siphon it all out into the sink. Then I rinse it the same way, minus the soap. Good enough for the girls I go out with.