A few quick questions

[spitfire]

Have a couple more questions

What is the best thing to use to clean a used pot? Say if I was to get a pot from a 2nd hand store. Use Oxy Free? Bleach water?

Stainless pot is better than aluminum? Will using an aluminum pot be bad?

Caps- Is it better to use regular caps or O2 absorbing caps?

Stainless spoon only or is it ok to us plastic?

Sanatizer how quick does this get used? Am I better off getting more than what might come in a starter kit so I have it on hand? I was going to use Star San, is there any additional cleaners I should order when order?

I had a few more but I forget them right now. I'm sure I will think of them soon.


Thanks
Jason

 

[BierMuncher]

• SOS pad for the grunge, Oxyclean for the stains, mild bleach solution for sanitizing.
• Aluminum is fine.
• I use O2 absorbing.
• Plastic is fine if not using in the boil pot.
• Again, I’ve used a mild bleach solution for over 100 batches…no issues.

 

[Edcculus]

What is the best thing to use to clean a used pot? Say if I was to get a pot from a 2nd hand store. Use Oxy Free? Bleach water?

Soap, water and elbow grease. You could boil some water in it before you use it too.

Stainless pot is better than aluminum? Will using an aluminum pot be bad?

Aluminum is fine. Its a little cheaper too.

Caps- Is it better to use regular caps or O2 absorbing caps?

Never used them. Most people use regular.

Stainless spoon only or is it ok to us plastic?

What will it be used for?

Sanatizer how quick does this get used? Am I better off getting more than what might come in a starter kit so I have it on hand? I was going to use Star San, is there any additional cleaners I should order when order?

I really like Starsan. You can dilute it in distilled water and keep it in a spray bottle for spot sanitizing, and a container with a spigot for easy dispensing. Mixed in distilled water, it will last a long time. You will also want a cleaner. I prefer Five Star's PBW. A lot of people swear by OxyFree.

 

[spitfire]

The spoon would be used in the boil so stainless would be better then right?
Thanks for the quick answers. This forum is great!

 

[Dougan]

Have a couple more questions

What is the best thing to use to clean a used pot? Say if I was to get a pot from a 2nd hand store. Use Oxy Free? Bleach water?

I would just wash it with soap and make sure to rinse it very well. Remember, boiling sanitizes. Bleach isn't good for metals but it's not terrible if you use it.

Stainless pot is better than aluminum?

My opinion is that stainless is better, yes. Seems more solid to me.

Will using an aluminum pot be bad?

Not in the least. Cheaper, too.

Caps- Is it better to use regular caps or O2 absorbing caps?

I use O2 absorbing. I've heard bad stories about regular but then again if 1/1000 people had a bad experience that's the only one I'd have heard about.

Stainless spoon only or is it ok to us plastic?

I use a plastic one sometimes during boils but probably shouldn't. Get a stainless.

Sanatizer how quick does this get used? Am I better off getting more than what might come in a starter kit so I have it on hand? I was going to use Star San, is there any additional cleaners I should order when order?

A lot of people here use Star San. I use bleach. Star San, if I recall, has the advantage that you can put it in a bucket and keep it in that bucket, and keep sanitizing things in that bucket. I would imagine that it would not get used very quickly in this case.

I use bleach because I don't have room for a 5 gallon bucket full of water in my apartment and bleach is basically free. . Does have its downsides though.

A lot of people will tell you a lot of different things about what sanitizer's best. Just know that if you're using star san, you're doing fine.

 

[TexasStu]

The spoon would be used in the boil so stainless would be better then right?
Thanks for the quick answers. This forum is great!

I'd avoid a stainless/metal spoon in a plastic fermenter. Scratches are great for bacteria to hide in.

 

[spitfire]

So 2 spoons got. Stainless for boil, plastic for everything else. I have a 5 gallon stainless pot that I picked up with a used turkey fryer without the actually "element" in it to burn the propane. I bought it all for 5 bucks knowing I would have to get the element. I bought it over the summer when I first wanted to get into brewing. I just used BKF on it and now will use a little bleach let it sit, rinse it out well and get a nice boil going on in it to make sure it is clean. Just trying to get things in order before my supplies get here so I am ready to go. I know I will have to clean it again before I brew but at least it won't take as long then.