Sterilizing a Blichmann Beer Gun

[koopa]

My absentee brewing partner (who still doesn't grasp the idea of cross contamination despite exhaustive conversations about it) decided to fill some growlers the other day and ran a wild ale (brett, lacto, pedio) through my blichmann beer gun. I now need to fill some non-wild ale bottles directly off of kegs for competition entries. I don't want them getting infected by running them through the now tainted beer gun. I'm thinking the best was to sterilize the beer gun is one of the following:

1. Remove the rubber tip, drop the gun in boiling water for (X) amount of time, put a brand new rubber tip on
2. Remove the rubber tip, bake the gun in the oven at (Y) temperature for (X) amount of time, put a brand new rubber tip on

Can anybody help me with the following?

Solving for X in each option
Solving for Y
Deciding which method might be better
Deciding if I'm going to destroy my beer gun by using either method
Deciding if there is a better option

 

[nooloo]

Unless you have a pressure cooker I would be wary of option 1. If I recall correctly boiling water won't kill everything.

As for #2, 1 hour at 350 should heat sterilize it.

I can't imagine there being any damage to the gun from being in the oven as long as it's only the metal parts....

 

[herc1354]

You may want to contact Blichman just to make sure there are no rubber parts in the valve. I too suffer from a goofy brew partner, he's kind of like a whirling durbish.

Good luck!


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[Braufessor]

I would take it all apart and do a good soak in pbw and rinse thoroughly. Then submerge and soak in star san for 30 minutes or so.

Could heat or boil after that to be absolutely certain.

I would be most concerned about the rubber tubing and disconnect....... I would probably just get different tubing to be honest. Soaking tubing too long in starsan seems to make it sticky/tacky.

 

[luhrks]

I would put it in a box along with the bill for the replacement gun, give it to him along with a stern lecture about respecting other people's property and boundaries.

 

[herc1354]

Keep in mind that stainless and the brass valve probably will not pass any bugs, however the plastic tubing might, may be a safe choice to replace the plastic lines....send that bill to your buddy.




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