Blowoff Tube

[kevin]

What's the best way to clean the gunk out of these things?

[fretlessman71]

To get after it as soon as you go back to an airlock. Hot water and dishsoap and let it soak is what I've done. If it's been a day or so and things have dried out, PBW might be helpful, but I'm not sure if that stuff is okay with food grade plastic.

[kevin]

kind of what I was thinking fill the wash tub with hot water and let it soak.

[wortchillergoal]

You could attach a string, longer than the tube, to a wash cloth. Pass the string through the tube and then pull the cloth through.

[ray m]

I'd definitely get some PBW, especially if it's already dried. That stuff works great. I've let vinyl tubing soak for 24 hours many, many times with no ill effects.

[danno]

if you're using cheap plastic tubing, throw it out and get some more. I'd hate to lose a batch to an infection because some 10 cent a foot tubing didn't get clean...

[wild]

There are hose scrubbers (brush on a long wire) sold at most LHBS. It just depends on the ID of the hose.

Wild

[kevin]

70 cents a foot this is thick heavy duty tubing

[toneyc]

I've got a couple of those hose cleaner brushes and IMHO, they suck. They're never long enough for the piece of tubing I'm cleaning, and they're a real bear to reverse the direction once you've stuffed them into a tube as far as they will go. I've also tried the string and cloth patch idea. Getting a string downa a wet piece of tubing is a nightmare. A piece of wire works better than string, but it still sucks.

Hot water and PBW seems to work very well.

:D
Toney.

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by kevin
70 cents a foot this is thick heavy duty tubing Well, at $0.70/ft, that means that a 7 ft. tube is about $5. It's a small price to pay, but one that will remind you to soak your tube as soon as you're done with it if you have to do it too many times.... ;)

[Lamprey]

I just removed a blow-off tube Saturday. I rinsed but there was still gunk stuck to the inside. I soaked in PBW for about 15 minutes...then it rinsed clean :D

[pjviitas]

1. Soak in sanitzer for at least 3 days.
2. Soak in the hottest possible tap water till it cools down.
3. Let dry.

Note: Make sure the entire tube inside and out is submerged while soaking.

I am not sure here but as long as your yeast takes quickly, and your blow-off tube is visually clean and sanitized I would'nt worry about it too much.

[fuji6100]

1. Soak in sanitzer for at least 3 days.

Depends on which sanitizer you are using. You wouldn't want to let a plastic tube sit in an acid based sanitizer for 3 days. Plus, a sanitizer won't work if the surface isn't clean. Better to use a good cleaning agent first, then sanitize for the recommended time after.

Some PBW for a few hours should be more than sufficient. I've had a severe case of the lazies and not cleaned things immediately before and PBW even gets hard dried crud off in very little time.