DIY is what is all about as a hombrewer and especially at Brew-Dudes.
My latest wacky idea is to build a bottle washer and sanitizer. I hate bottling mainly for the washing of the bottles. Its just so tedious and I don’t like the mess I inevitably make in the kitchen with all the soaking, brushing, and rinsing. So I tried to think of a way to “automate” the process a bit.
If you have ever brewed at one of those Brew-on-premise places you have seen they bottle washing station they use. Its basically a large box with standing tubes that the bottles go over upside down. Then the lid is closed and the machine cycles sanitizer through the tubes and up into the bottles.
I figured I could build something just like it using a large bin for the box, PVC for the tubing manifold, and then use a submersible pump for to drive the whole system. I would use a series of buckets to hold cleanser (PBW), rinse water and sanitizer (Star-San). Then all I would have to do would be to move the pump from bucket to bucket along the process. I could envision making a 12-24 tubed manifold. I think the limitation would be the head pressure from the pump. But a good quality pump might be the only real investment in the system. I wonder if a march pump people use for brewing operations has enough head pressure for this type of setup. Then I kill two birds with one stone getting a pump for brewing and washing bottles.
Anyone else seen a homemade bottle washer unit like that? Links???
Aaron
Seems like a lot of work… personally, I like using my sink for sanitizing bottles because then my sink is a sanitary environment where I can lay down tubing and whatnot while I’m working.
Ted
It is a lot of work. I haven’t scrubbed my bottles in years. I hardly “clean” them at all. Just be one-up on the cleaning and you won’t have to wash them either.
After pouring the beer, rinse the bottle a couple times. Then put a drop of dish soap in and fill with hot water. When you have a number of bottles on the counter-top, go ahead and rinse them out thoroughly. I use my dish washer to drip dry them. Or you could use one of those bottle towers.
That’s it. When its time to bottle, just dip them in a bucket of sanitizer. I guess if you are bottling 10-20 gallon batches, then you’re dealing with loads more bottles than the average brewdude.
tommy
We run our bottles through the dishwasher which is probably a waste of water but it’s easy. Then drop a little sanitizer or bleach and water solution in each bottle swish around and pour out, spritz the bottom rack of the dishwasher with bleach and then dry the bottle upside down in the dishwasher. Never had a problem to date.
ben fairfield
I love DIY projects but we have been using the dishwasher as well. As long as your rinse them after the beer is poured out and you use the high temp wash setting on your dish washer the heat alone sanitizes the bottles. We then use iodine solution to sanitize again just for good measure. If you build one of these please let me know how it goes as i would be interested to see!
Bryon
I’ve started using Brewing Equipment Solution Treatment (B.E.S.T.) Basically over glorified iodine, but it works great! I first rinse out the bottles as I use them, then wash them in the dishwasher and store. On bottling day, they’re clean, but I dunk them in the B.E.S.T. and water solution and then drip dry them in the dishwasher… That’s it…
Kjell Wygant
My brother brews at Incredibrew often and their site led me to your posting…Here is a bottle washer unit I found for Brew On Premise type stores:
http://www.hdpcanada.com/bottlewasher.html
I’m sure the unit is expensive, but it definately helps with the whole mental picture.
Cheers,
-Kjell
http://www.rockhoppersbrewclub.com
Jon H
Hey all,
My big question is about contamination time. How long after being sanitized will a bottle lose its “sanitized-ness?”
When I transfer my fresh sanitized, wet bottles to the drying rack – how long do I have until I should bottle?
What is the safest way to store sanitized bottles?
Is it ok to poor the beer into a bottle that was sanitized with “no rinse-sanitizer even if its still wet? ” Can I poor the beer into a wet bottle or should I rinse and dry for best results?
Thanks all
-Jon
Mike
Jon H:
Nice questions. Here’s my take.
Once sanitized bottles will stay that way indefinately as long as they stay upside down and the bottles are not in a drafty enough area such that breezes can blow things back up into the neck of the bottle. Now that is in theory, and to me its not worth testing that theory. I have however sanitize bottle 1 to 2 nights in advance. Stored them on a bottling tree and used them to bottle without any noticable contamination issues.
Bottles should be stored upside-down on a tree. The stems of the the tree or rack should be sanitatry as they are indeed going into the bottle.
You should not rinse the sanitize out of the bottles unless you know you have sanitary water. Regardless of that though, its called no rinse for a reason and the couple mLs of liquid pose no threat to the beer. I normally do not wait for my bottles to completely dry prior to bottling.
Hope that helps.
BREW ON!
Light Sensors :
we always use pressure washers whenever we need something to get cleaned in a short period of time ‘
EspenL
Hello,
Have you had any progress with this idea? I am thinking along the same lines myself, but i also want to make crates to store bottles upside down so i don’t have to move them on and off the bottling tree as this is time consuming. My biggest challenge is finding a pump that gives enough pressure and that tolerates hot water.
Cheers!
Bill
If you’re using a no-rinse sanitizer, you want to bottle any time after the required contact time (I think it’s 2 minutes for Iodophor, 1 minute for Star San), ideally while the bottle is still wet, which is how you know it’s guaranteed to still be sanitary.