So, I want to get a diffusion stone to add oxygen to my wort. I’m hoping this will start fermentation quicker and result in a lower final gravity (?). I have two main questions and if I’m missing anything else, I’d like some pointers. Here it goes:
1. Do I need to sanitize the gas line prior to each use? ( I know I need to sanitize the stone)
2. How long should I blast the wort with oxygen and is the time going to be gravity specific? (IE, higher gravity, more oxygen?)
I’m looking at taking my brewing to the next level, I feel this is the next step for me. Water testing and treatment is next.
I never sanitize my O2 tubing - it should be fairly clean anyway, and if you are running it through a 0.5 micron diffusion stone that is going to filter out pretty much everything you would need to worry about. I don’t take the stone off the tubing in between uses either though.
How long to run the O2 depends on the flow rate. A minute or two is plenty for your beers. If you have a DO meter or a flow meter then you can be more precise, but I don’t think it’s really necessary for most people to go to those lengths.
I have an inline HEPA filter for my O2 line, although I doubt it’s really needed with the fine pores on the stone. I just dip the line and stone in Star-San to sanitize the external portion then in the wort it goes.
I don’t remember where I learned this from, but I let the O2 run for a minute for most beers. If the gravity is over 1.060 I run it for a second per point (so a 1.090 beer gets 90 seconds). But frankly, unless you can measure dissolved oxygen in your wort, your WAG is as good as mine.