Going all stainless was a tough choice to make since I don't know if I'm going to enjoy doing this but you know what, I jump right in and went with it!
So what did I do on cleaning day and what I learned.
First thing I did was clean all my stainless steel pot, SS Brew fermentation buckets and Wort Chiller. I followed the direction and started off with a TSP (Substitute) 2 Gallon batch to clean both the pot and S.S. Brew bucket. Both instruction for AMCYL brew kettle and SS Brew Bucket has the same exact instructions.
Cleaning:
Prior to your first time use you should wash the equipment with Tri-Sodium Phosphate (TSP) or substitute in hot water following the manufactures recommendations. After the TSP wash, rinse well and use a soft cloth to dry all surfaces.
Passivation:
It's a good idea to pasivate your stainless steel equipment with an acid based solution. Filling the vessel with StarSan at 1 oz per gallon of water or other acid passivation solution at the recommended strenght and at a temperature of 70-80F for 20 minutes, followed by an air dry is all that is needed.
Sanitizing:
We recommend you sanitize your equipment with StarSan or other acid based sanitize per the manufacturer's recommended directions prior to use.
I started my cleaning with the Brew pot.
1. The Brew Pot (AMCYL 8 Gallon Bucket) purchased from Homebrewsupply.com
Clean with the TSP solution using a Scotch Brite Blue sponge which is the non scratch version. Gave it a good scrub with the TSP and the water stated to turn a bit dark. Sorry didn't take any pictures but seems like all of the polish chemical is coming off :). After the TSP scrub, I took it to the tub and gave it a good rinse with the shower head and used a microfiber towel and wiped dry. Did the same thing for the SS Brew Bucket.
2. After the TSP cleaning I created a second rinse using a home made detergent. I didn't have any detergent that was none scented and didn't want to run to the store so I used Arm & Hammer Soda wash & Borax mixture. Created 2 gallon batch and started the second cleaning process of the Pot & equipment. Same procedure, gave it a good clean for about 5-10 minutes and took it to the tub and rinse well. ( I reused the solution later to peel off the beer bottle labels. The soda wash works great for that!).
After the passivation, I split the 2 gallon batch and created a 4 gallon batch bucket which I used during the brew day and dumped out since it was cloudy. (Need to buy P.H. strips, starsan solution to be effective is under 3).
4. SS Brew tech parts, you can break down all of the parts for the SS brew bucket and make sure to rinse all of the metal parts in an TSP solution and then dump it into an StarSan solution for sanitation including all gaskets.
For reference: O-Ring Size just in case you need it for your brew bucket.
- Thermowell O-Ring size = 16mm x1.8mm
- Brew bucket valve O-Ring size = 8.5mm x 1mm (smaller) and 16mm x.18mm for 3/8 ball valve.
http://www.ssbrewtech.com/products/copy-of-o-rings-for-brew-buckets
5. Lastly make sure you sanitize everything before you use the equipment. You don't have to for the POT since you're going to be brewing hot liquid which should kill most of the bad stuff during the boil. I would sanitize in starsan before you store for storage.
6. Before I did the actual boil I did run a test boil to make sure the water doesn't taste funky or metallic.
Things I learned from my first clean.
It did take a while to get everything clean, plus it was my first time so took my time to make sure I got it done correctly :).
1. StarSan solution, if you want it to make it last, best is Distilled water or purified water with all chlorine removed to get the most usage out of your solution. Also recommended that you purchase a PH Strip that can read below 4 so you can make sure your solution is still active. This is what I purchased ( Healthy Wiser 0-14 universal PH Strips) since I couldn't find any locally nearby.
2. Rinse everything well since some of the things you're using can be toxic. I'm trying to find other greener products. You can use Bar Keeper Friend to clean your stainless steel and passivate. Don't use it near the etching or logos. Also Citric acid can be another alternative.
3. Use a nylon tube cleaner to clean the SS Brew Tech parts. You don't want nasty stuff in your beer you might have a metallic taste from other reviewers.
4. Patients and have a beer and take a break!
5. Use chemical gloves when dealing with acidic solutions. You can find some at your local hardware store or click here to look for some gloves.
6. Try not to use scented soap since it may leave some funky taste to your beer if you don't rinse well. You can to clean your equipment but wouldn't use it inside beer bottles.
