I have two plastic fermenters that seem to be permanently stained at the high krausen point in each. I’ve tried using PBW a couple times and the stain won’t come off. I’ve also put the fermenters upside down on a boiling pot for over 30 minutes to let the steam remove the stain. That wouldn’t work. There is no grit or surface dirt on either one… just that ring of stain that won’t go away. Will the stain cause a problem? If so, any word on how I can remove it?
Which kind of plastic fermenters?
They are from William’s Brewing.
If it’s just discoloration it shouldn’t be a problem. All of my buckets have a brownish hue to them. Just make sure they are clean and sanitized.
Bleach may take some of the stain out but as long as it’s just discoloration I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s much more important to clean the buckets gently and avoid scratching (i.e. only use a soft rag or sponge, not a scouring pad). I don’t store the buckets nested, for the same reason.
Bleach does it for me but for badly stained and “aromatic” buckets sodium hydroxide will make it sparkling new after an 8-10 hour soak.
[quote]sodium hydroxide will make it sparkling new after an 8-10 hour soak.
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Would that work on a vinyl blow off hose?
Sure, so will bleach. A heavy dose of bleach, soak in hot water and be sure to rinse with hot water as well. Good to go…
Dave
Cool, PBW doesn’t quite get the hop stains out no matter how long I soak.
I rinse bleached items extremely well and let any fermenters that it’s used on air out until there’s no chlorine smell.