Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 11:11:47 -0800
Reply-To: Ward Smith <wsmith@SAN.RR.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ward Smith <wsmith@SAN.RR.COM>
Subject: Re: A WARNING!!! (Was: Cleaning the water tank!?)
In-Reply-To: <BA35D296.A752%albell@uvic.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
As a home brewer I can add this:
Bleach kills! Good or bad, bacteria or pathogens, it kills them all. It
should disinfect quite well, and in small concentrations shouldn't harm
people. How many people do you know that have been killed by swallowing pool
water? Not many I assure you. The only problem we encounter as home brewers
with using bleach is that if you don't rinse it thoroughly you will kill
your "good" yeast that make the beer. As an alternative to bleach, we use
B.T.F. It is a concentrated Iodine based sanitizer.
Here is what's written on the label:
Active ingredients:
Butoxy polypropoxy polyethoxy ethanol-iodine complex (providing 1.6%
titratable iodine)....12.54 %
Inert ingredients....87.46% (mmmmmmm, inert ingredients)
Instructions on the back:
capful in 2 1/2 gal water = 12.5 ppm titratable iodine.
It also has a few other concentrations, but basically as long as the
solution is amber colored, there is sufficient iodine to sanitize. The only
scary part is the big warning at the bottom that says Harmful if Swallowed!
As home brewers, we let our equipment sit FULL of this solution for about 24
hours, and then drain and let dry. The only thing I remember that might be
bad is I think the iodine reacts badly with stainless if left in it for
awhile.
The bottle I have contains 33 fluid ounces and cost me $12.95 at a home brew
supply store.
Phone number at the bottom is:
National Chemicals, Inc.
Winona, MN 55987
1-800-533-0027
GL,
Ward
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
Of Alistair Bell
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 10:38 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: A WARNING!!! (Was: Cleaning the water tank!?)
Bob,
are you actually disinfecting, cleaning or deodorising?
A cup of vinegar, 250 ml of 5% acetic acid.
In, lets say 9 US gal of water , about 34 liters.
That about a 1:136 dilution, ie 34 liters of 0.037% acetic acid.
Certainly wouldn't want to trust that solution to do anything except leave a
slightly "vinegary" scent!
The effective concentration of the acetic acid would be even lower, some
would immediately react with compounds in the water or on the tank, leaving
even less to do any "disinfection".
Bleach, for all of its negatives, does do a good job on clean surfaces
Effectiveness is diminished by among other things, organics, ie dirt.
If you don't want to use bleach, look into the products that dairy farmers
use to clean their equipment. Most, I believe are quaternary ammonium
compounds. I use similar formulations as a bench disinfectant and as part of
my "spill kit", and they do "kill bugs dead" (when used correctly).
The dairy disinfectants (and cleaners and descalers) are designed to be
easily rinsed off and do not harm stainless steel (as does bleach).
Actually some home brewers are using the stuff.
Alistair
(not an expert but I do deal with respectable quantities of pathogens at
work)
on 30/12/02 9:50 AM, Bob Stevens wrote:
> "What concentration of vinegar is needed to act as a disinfectant?"
>
> I use a cup in about 8-10 gallons in the water tank. Let it stay there a
day
> or two while I drive it around, then, with the engine running, run a half
> gallon thru the faucet and let it drain in the sink. Cleans the sink and
> drain as well.
>
> Bob Stevens
> '87 Syncro Westy
