Counter Flow Sanitation

[trevnkay]

What is the best way to clean and sanitize a Counter Flow Chiller? I have been running a mixture of Oxy Clean and Hot Water through mine to clean it and sanitizing with Boiling Water. The last batch I brewed had an off flavor (band aid). I want to do an extra good job on cleaning and sanitizing all my equipment before my next batch and was wondering if any one had a better method.

[Mashman]

For my chiller I cleanse it by running a mixture of PBW and hot water through it. To sanitize I use BTF iodophor. Your off flavor is phenolic, typically it is caused by infection. Iodophor should work better than boiling water. With boiling water you need something along the lines of a 10 minute contact time. With iodophor at proper strength you only need a 2 minute contact time.


Doug

[mjgarw]

When I get done brewing I simply run water through all of my tubing for about 5min and let it dry. The next time I brew I set everything up the night before and fill my mashtun with PBW and hot water. I then pump out of this through my pump, all my tubing, heat exchanger and CFC for 30min while my water filters and I weigh and crush my grain for the next day. Then I just blow water through the whole thing to rinse. I pump sanitizer through the tubing and CFC for 10min prior to the end of my boil. Never had any infections and it's not a big hassle.

[trevnkay]

Thanks for the advise, I used Iodopher this time.

[fizzyfred]

I usually clean the kettle and heat exchanger from the previous batch right after I dough-in a new batch. I'll mix 5 gallons of water and PBW in the kettle, heat it up to around 120, and then recirculate it through the heat exchanger back in to the kettle, making sure to spray the sides of the kettle. I let that run for about 30 minutes, scrub out the kettle with a soft scouring pad and draing the PBW into a bucket. I then repeat the above with just water for about 15 minutes to rinse.
Once the boil is done, I whirlpool and let it set for 30 minutes. During this time, I recirculate saniclean through the heat exchanger for about 15 minutes or up until its time to cool. After the wort is in the fermenter, I just pump warm water through until it is clear. It works great for me.