I’m getting ready to do my first 5 gallon batch tomorrow. How do I sanitize the ball valve area? I will be using it to transfer the wort to my fermonster. Thanks!
Boil some water in it
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You mean close off the end and boil a little bit of water in the kettle?
Yes boil some water and run it through to initially clean it. After that just run some boiling wort through it while your brewing and dump it back in.
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Wow. I didn’t even think of running wort through it. So boil my water as I’m starting to brew, open to valve to flush it real quick and then again while I’m boiling the wort and add that back? I love these tips and tricks you don’t get from books as such.
Unless it’s really in need of cleaning you can run some boiling water through. Basically I just rinse mine out good with hot water after I brew then recirculate some boiling wort.
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After each brew I take mine off and let it sit in a bath of one step let it dry until the next brew, no problem.
I always squirt several shots of sanitizer in mine a minute or so before I transfer.
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When you rinse/clean the valve open it and shut it several times while draining. This will allow the water to blow out debris that would normally get caught by opening the valve all the way up.
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I don’t bother doing anything and have never had a problem from it. After boiling for an hour, that valve is gonna be really hot whether you run wort through it or not.
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Agree 100%. This is also how I do it, and haven’t had an issue.
Now if you’re using a pump and CFC, go ahead and recirculate boiling wort through it for 10 minutes at the end of boil. But as long as the ball valve isn’t super nasty and harboring insect life and small mammals, it’s going to be pretty sanitary after the boil.
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Thanks for all the replies. I kind of mixed everyone advice into one. I flush wort through it twice real quick while boiling, I sprayed the inside with sani right before I drained it and I filled up my tubing with sani and drained the first bit to get the sani out and turb that was in the port out before filing my fermonster. All in all, it turned out great. Side question, is my stick in thermometer too high? Wort is covering the bottom half of it. Just using ice to help bring the temp down and then I will remove it.
should be ok right there as long as the wort is partially up to it. Definitely don’t want to get it wet.
Cheers,
Ron
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My very first use of new equipment, I did a faux run to remove the manufacturing oils and such… PBW in that first run. After that when I take stuff apart after a brew day a good rinse, let it dry. When I brew again, to reassemble I just put it together… My take, its pre-boil. Sneezles61
Sure but if you chill in your pot and drain it’s not
Preboil. I agree with @denny though it’s probably hot enough during the boil anyway
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I boil in the kettle, so I will call it pre boil… I just recently switched to CFC… Sneezles61
Sure with a counter flow chiller it come out hot with a immersion the temperature is 70 or so. I would make sure it’s clean
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