Stainless fermenter with fine scratches - ok to use?

[Lblamboy]

I’ve heard scratched up plastic fermenters can harbor bacteria- is there a similar concern on a stainless conical fermenter like this one? I got it free, but don’t want it to be expensive! Lol

The pics are dried out - it’s less obvious after a little cleaning, but there’s no doubt there are lots of fine scratches in the walls

Thoughts?

[Demy]

Meanwhile, you're a lucky guy....I envy you. It looks like limescale buildup or something, use citric acid or wine vinegar or a lemon to try to dissolve that stuff. Even if it were used like this there is no problem in our hobby... if for beer I would be worried but for a product that will be distilled I wouldn't be worried.

[MooseMan]

Lucky indeed!

As Demy says, not a problem in our hobby really, but if you can easily get rid of it you should try.
First off I'd fill with water to above where the marks are, and try boiling it with something in the water, like shells or chips of grit or something. A small splash of NaOH would also help I think.
Then wash well and do the same with just water, and citric acid.
You might find that it will clean up nicely.

[8Ball]

I’ve heard scratched up plastic fermenters can harbor bacteria- is there a similar concern on a stainless conical fermenter like this one? I got it free, but don’t want it to be expensive! Lol

The pics are dried out - it’s less obvious after a little cleaning, but there’s no doubt there are lots of fine scratches in the walls

Thoughts?

I exclusively use plastic, scratched up fermenters of the orange 10G water cooler variety. I make sure that they are good and clean before dumping anything in them. Never have a problem. The couple of times I picked up a lacto infection was almost certainly introduced by the grains. After use, I give them a good rinse with a water hose, then a quick soap & water wash (with a green scrub pad no less), then spray with StarSan (@ 2-3 ml/L), then air dry in the sun. Rinse before using. Done.

[Lblamboy]

Lucky indeed!

As Demy says, not a problem in our hobby really, but if you can easily get rid of it you should try.
First off I'd fill with water to above where the marks are, and try boiling it with something in the water, like shells or chips of grit or something. A small splash of NaOH would also help I think.
Then wash well and do the same with just water, and citric acid.
You might find that it will clean up nicely.

It’s a conical fermenter and the legs have some plastic base - I will try to pull them out so I can put a flame under it without making a mess!

I’m not familiar with shells or chips of grit - what am I aiming to do with that? Is that to draw out any organisms that might be hiding in crevices or to smooth the surface or something? I’m similarly unsure of what NaOH would do - is that just for a strong cleanser effect? I was considering boiling a bit of PBW in it (it has a cool lid that has latches and can be airtight later) and then taking a little steel wool to it possibly - thoughts?

[Lblamboy]

I’ve heard scratched up plastic fermenters can harbor bacteria- is there a similar concern on a stainless conical fermenter like this one? I got it free, but don’t want it to be expensive! Lol

The pics are dried out - it’s less obvious after a little cleaning, but there’s no doubt there are lots of fine scratches in the walls

Thoughts?

I exclusively use plastic, scratched up fermenters of the orange 10G water cooler variety. I make sure that they are good and clean before dumping anything in them. Never have a problem. The couple of times I picked up a lacto infection was almost certainly introduced by the grains. After use, I give them a good rinse with a water hose, then a quick soap & water wash (with a green scrub pad no less), then spray with StarSan (@ 2-3 ml/L), then air dry in the sun. Rinse before using. Done.

It has an airtight lid with latches so I am hopeful, too, that the scratches won’t be a big deal (In actually hoping for some lacto with my UJSSM generations in another fermenter!). Like you, I kinda assume a good cleaning and bit of Starsan would probably do the trick for anything I’m fermenting and this conical might make some AG ferments a little easier to deal with?!

My kids are doing meads and ciders too, though - I’m not sure if scratched fermenters are more problematic for those musts…hmmm.

[Lblamboy]

Meanwhile, you're a lucky guy....I envy you. It looks like limescale buildup or something, use citric acid or wine vinegar or a lemon to try to dissolve that stuff. Even if it were used like this there is no problem in our hobby... if for beer I would be worried but for a product that will be distilled I wouldn't be worried.

I cleaned it a bit last night and then put it in the dishwasher with a sanitize mode and a solid dose of PBW - about to check it now, but didn’t think about citric acid wash - Thansk! I’m gonna hit it with anything I can do easily and am also debating doing a boil with PBW and maybe taking some fine steel wool to root out any lingering bacteria!? I’m just guessing on what might help clean it out though.

[Deplorable]

I’m similarly unsure of what NaOH would do - is that just for a strong cleanser effect? I was considering boiling a bit of PBW in it (it has a cool lid that has latches and can be airtight later) and then taking a little steel wool to it possibly - thoughts?

Google is your friend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide That should take the calcium deposits out of it without ruining anything. and for God's sake, dont put a flame under it. Its a fermenter, not a cooking pot. Long rubber gloves, a scotchbrite pad and some muriatic acid or caustic soda, along with a little elbow grease should clean that right up.

[Salt Must Flow]

Your basic toilet bowl cleaner will quickly dissolve minerals from stainless, but may require a little bit of scrubbing. Afterwards a thorough cleaning would be wise. Some of those thicker, gel toilet bowl cleaners that smell like bleach can be more mildly acidic and take longer to work.

[NormandieStill]

Steel wool is not a great idea as you risk leaving deposits of non-stainless steel which will then rust, and can (apparently) contaminate the stainless.

[Demy]

If it is a deposit of limescale and stuff like that I recommend an acidic substance... I think the product you call PBV is alkaline based (but I could be wrong).. same thing with caustic soda, so I would do an acid cleaning and then possibly use those products.

[Lblamboy]

I’m similarly unsure of what NaOH would do - is that just for a strong cleanser effect? I was considering boiling a bit of PBW in it (it has a cool lid that has latches and can be airtight later) and then taking a little steel wool to it possibly - thoughts?

Google is your friend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide That should take the calcium deposits out of it without ruining anything. and for God's sake, dont put a flame under it. Its a fermenter, not a cooking pot. Long rubber gloves, a scotchbrite pad and some muriatic acid or caustic soda, along with a little elbow grease should clean that right up.

Lol - I also looked up NaOH on Wikipedia too - it’s been many years since I worked in a University Research Chemistry lab, and I couldn’t figure out why NaOH (heavily basic) would pull out Calcium cations from a Carbonate residue - normally I would expect the need for an acid to draw out residuals from some Calcium Carbonate (I am assuming that whiteness is from lime scale of some sort, as someone noted, which would most likely be Cal Carbonate, I think)…looking at the wikipedia didn’t help on that regard. I’ll try the citric acid approach first and see how that goes.

Maybe it’s a Calcium sulfate residue or something though (it wouldn’t be shocking for a brewer to add gypsum to his water). I don’t have lye or NaOH on hand right now though.

[Saltbush Bill]

I think you might be over thinking the sanitizing a little.
I don't think your scratches and white coating are quite up to the standard of this Rum ferment at at Hampden Estate
http://www.rumgallery.com/travel--life/ ... ious-photo

[MooseMan]

Ok sorry if I've added confusion.

Back to basics then.

As it's a conical, forget boiling with it, I assumed it was a big pot and saw an element hole.

You should be able to get it to an acceptable finish on the inside with just warm water and a Scotchbite pad, or even the abrasive side of a washing up sponge.

Citric acid will be good as a finish cleaner, as it protects the stainless long term by adding a protective outer layer.

Don't ever use wire wool on stainless steel, it will contaminate and make it rust if left long enough out of use.
Don't ever use muriatic (Hydrochloric) acid on stainless steel. This acid will trash metals, even just the fumes from it.

[Lblamboy]

Citric Acid soak took care of almost all of it. The picture doesn’t show a few small areas well, but it’s “almost” totally gone now.

Also, this site has good info on passivation of stainless for those who may be interested.

https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/en-us ... vation-FAQ

[MooseMan]

Great job LB it looks superb!

You got yourself a really nice freebie there!

[Saltbush Bill]

Citric Acid soak took care of almost all of it.

Just for the record , if citric did the job then backset or dunder would have done the same thing.

[Mr_D]

Hey,

I've had similar experiences with some of my stainless steel kitchen utensils. The key is thorough cleaning and sterilization. Stainless steel is less prone to bacterial retention than plastic, even when scratched, thanks to its non-porous surface. For your fermenter, I recommend a careful cleaning with a product suitable for stainless steel, followed by meticulous sterilization. Avoid abrasive materials so as not to worsen the scratches. Proper sterilization after cleaning should eliminate contamination risks. Thus, even with scratches, your fermenter remains safely usable.

This approach has worked well for me in the past, hoping it helps you too!

Good luck!