Cleaning Fermenter Exteriors

[Vaultdweller]

Iv'e tried cleaning our tanks by hand with a caustic soda/dish soap mixture to make it tacky enough to clean off organic deposits. Needless to say, this is very laborious, and i even tried doing it with brushes on extension handles that won't scratch the tank but the brush bristles can't withstand hot water. The head brewer and I have discussed using a power washer with an acid based chemical to clean the tanks. Just curious as to what everyone else does to keep their tanks shiny. BTW they are 60bbl fermenters. Thanks!

[Jephro]

Simple Green

I use a soft brush attached to a pole you can get at Home Depot and Simple Green. I air dry, usually with just few water spots, and follow up with a Zep product called Spraluster. Spraluster is a "hard surface cleaner" that leaves a shiny waxed look that sheds water and keeps them looking good for quite some time. Sheila Shine is a great product too, similar to Spraluster and you can pick it up in most restaurant supply stores- the overspray is kinda messy tho and can cause a slip hazard.

[gitchegumee]

I'll second the Simple Green technique. We wash down and then spray sanitize with Quat once a week. Can't imagine organic soils that accumulate to the point of having to power wash them off. Cleaning is a continuous process. If you happen to spray some beer on a tank, wash it off IMMEDIATELY. How are you getting organic deposits such that they need caustic to clean them off?

[Vaultdweller]

I'll second the Simple Green technique. We wash down and then spray sanitize with Quat once a week. Can't imagine organic soils that accumulate to the point of having to power wash them off. Cleaning is a continuous process. If you happen to spray some beer on a tank, wash it off IMMEDIATELY. How are you getting organic deposits such that they need caustic to clean them off?

The building our brewery is in wasn't designed for brewing, and every night it becomes a sauna, so in the morning the tanks are all sweating. This makes soil accumulation inevitable. Trust me, the continuous part I understand, it's the laborious part I'm trying to correct. Appreciate your suggestions, another brewer I spoke with echoed the same ideas.

[calltmont]

I really like to use a chlorinated foaming caustic followed by a foaming acid. Leredes CRS and Leracid 288 are staples in my arsenal of chemicals.

[gitchegumee]

I brew in an incredibly hot and humid environment year round. Our tanks sweat continuously while in use. We still don't have organics adhering to our tanks--there's just and simply no soil in our brewery. We do have a problem with mold growing everywhere. If my employees skip a week of cleaning, I can tell easily. Foaming Quat seems to work well for us in keeping the slime at bay and from getting a foothold anywhere. This doesn't require scrubbing, high pressure washers, or the like. Don't know how mold survives/thrives in this environment without any obvious nutrition, but perhaps incidental grain dust is their source. I'd try the foaming solutions way before pressure washing. Hate to force soap into places it isn't supposed to be. Good luck!