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Best keg sanitizer choice for inline automated washer

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  • Best keg sanitizer choice for inline automated washer

    I have a single tank keg washer. It rinses with hot water, then with hot caustic, then with cold water. During the cold rinse there is a metering pump that will push a concentrated sanitizer into the water stream to serve as a sanitizing step. I just got that pump working and was looking for suggestions about a sanitizer. I use PAA generally, but I have concerns about the shelf life of a solution that might sit exposed to air in the chemical reservoir.

  • #2
    Hi Dave,

    We have a product called San Step, which is a non-foaming acid based sanitizer. (Okay, it will produce foam, but the foam breaks down so quickly that the product can be used in CIP systems.) The biocide is a surfactant system (organic fatty acids) in an acid medium. The product will remain effective as long as the pH remains below 4, so the buffering effect of dissolved CO2 will not deactivate it. In other words, air that will dissolve into the product won't cause it to stop working.

    In the interest of this not being a commercial message, let me touch on your concerns regarding PAA... You are right that over time it will lose efficacy, particularly at dilution, but it might not happen as quickly as you think unless the reservoir is completely open to the atmosphere. Any restriction at all that will help to maintain the atmosphere of the product will enable atmospheric equilibrium inside the container (meaning it will slow the process of the solution losing activity). Do you have PAA test strips? It might not be a bad idea to start with what you already have on the floor and then check the concentration at intervals (say every few days) and plot that over time. You may be surprised at how long it remains active.

    On the other hand, if your reservoir is metal or if your dip tube is metal, that will be a factor in catalyzing the degradation.

    If you think the San Step might be worth looking at, send me a PM with your email; I'll send you a data sheet and a sample to try out. And if you (or anyone else reading this) has any questions about either point above, let me know!

    Rick
    Last edited by Rickdude; 10-04-2019, 05:17 AM. Reason: Clarification/typos.
    LOGIC, Inc.
    Environmentally Friendly Cleaners and Sanitizers
    www.ecologiccleansers.com

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    • #3
      Chlorine Dioxide

      I use chlorine dioxide whenever I can. Measure the concentration from the sanitize cycle and adjust the concentrated chlorine dioxide concentration accordingly. If you don't keg every day, then just use the leftover chlorine dioxide in other brewery applications so that you don't have to deal with shelf life issues. Pretty straightforward and very effective.
      Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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      • #4
        Originally posted by gitchegumee View Post
        I use chlorine dioxide whenever I can. Measure the concentration from the sanitize cycle and adjust the concentrated chlorine dioxide concentration accordingly. If you don't keg every day, then just use the leftover chlorine dioxide in other brewery applications so that you don't have to deal with shelf life issues. Pretty straightforward and very effective.
        I prefer PAA myself, but would like to politely ask why you personally opt for the chlorine dioxide? I believe that PAA is considered a more "effective" or "powerful" oxidizer, and its efficacy is less impacted by organic material. I am by not means questioning the efficacy of chlorine dioxide, just wondering your reasons. It is portrayed by some as a cheaper alternative, and it may be in some one-pass circumstances, however all the documentation that I have seen with that conclusion compares direct peracetic and not a PAA/H202 blend that you would commonly find in use. I will also say that Chlorine Dioxide offers great bio-film removal.

        Personally I like to avoid all chlorinated products in the brewery simply because I have not needed them, and they pose a risk of corroding & stress fracturing the stainless. There are risk with all chemicals to be sure, but I don't always trust the "help" to follow instructions properly and PAA is simple and cost effective in our facility. We will add H2O2 as needed to boost detergents.

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