Can I use a weaker solution than reccomended on the package? (2 ozs. per 1-2 gallons of water.)
I’m on a pretty tight budget and this stuff is spendy.
I always use less for cleaning bottles and carboys. I’m not afraid to let the bottles soak until I get around to jet rinsing them nor using a carboy brush to make sure the carboys are clean. i don’t spend more dollars than necessary either. Clean is clean.
Steve, experiment to see how much works for you…start small and work up if you need to. I use maybe 3 scoops for one of my 5 gal. buckets.
How much is that ounce wise? I got several 2 ounce packets at homebrewcon.
Remember, for any chemical cleaner (not sanitizer of course) effectiveness is the product of three factors: concentration, time, and temperature. Reducing one element in the triangle can be compensated by increasing one or both of the others. I rarely use ABW, PBW or the like at recommended strength. I mix hot, and soak as long as it takes to get stuff clean. The only place I might follow the directions, just to be safe, is in draught lines or other CIP applications where I can’t see what’s going on. Don’t waste your money. And if it doesn’t seem to be doing the job, you can always add another scoop later.
I just checked, the scoop that comes with ABW is 1 Tbs/0.5 oz.
I use 1 tbsp (1/2 fl oz) per gal for general cleaning/soaking and it works very well. IIRC that’s a quarter the recommended dosage.
An overnight soak with that solution brought some disturbing-looking deposits out of my chiller when I used it for the first time.
Overdoing it (any alkaline wash) on copper has disturbing effects indeed – there was reference to this just a few days ago on the forum, and, ironically, that reminded me to give my IC a good cleaning, with the same result. ::) But no worries. I likewise overdid the follow-up acid, and it’s never looked prettier since I built it. :) Again, concentration, temperature, time. BTW 1 Tbs/gal is also my default. Looks like Denny goes way more dilute, I’ll have to try that.
I don’t think it was over-exposure, it broke up when handled so I’m pretty sure it was bits of hop material that had been held up in some kind of biofilm the PBW couldn’t handle. :o
Eeeww. So glad I have an IC I can see the “business” surface of. But that’s why I don’t like to shave pennies on CIP applications.
A new chiller is definitely next up and I’ll go stainless. For now I’m limping along with my 3/8" copper and garden hose model from maybe 12 years ago.
And then a stainless head for the March and I’ll be all-stainless (except for the impeller, nothing you can do about that)… Someday. The pennies add up.
Sorry, no idea.
Another way to reduce cost is to buy in bulk. I used to buy 1lb at a time when I was starting off, then 4lbs, now 8lbs. Maybe one day I will work up to 50lbs. I also shop those chemicals on amazon because they are widely used.
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I just checked, the scoop that comes with ABW is 1 Tbs/0.5 oz.
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Cool, that makes the amount Denny recommends a little less than the two ounce packs I snagged at homebrewcon.
Back in the day 15-20 years ago, if this question was posted on the B&V, a poster with the handle of “Brewer with a Thick Wallet” would have replied…
Oh, you already know the answer.
Thank God things change…
Today’s prices for 5 lbs of ABW:
Amazon: $42.99
MoreBeer: 29.99
Big difference! I didn’t search all suppliers, so there may be even lower prices out there. It is worth looking around.
MoreBeer is the best I’ve found. Even if I don’t buy more stuff to make free shipping, the cost is negligible and way undercuts Amazon Prime. Like jkirkham said, one of these days I’m gonna get the 50lbs…