Did I just ruin my new fermenter?

[DVCNick]

Got a new plastic BMB and was trying to clean up some of the junk around the port. I missed and put a scratch on the inside of it. It's about a quarter inch, pretty shallow but I can feel it with my fingernail. Did I just ruin this thing?

 

[Harleybrew32]

hate to say it but a scratch that you can feel can harbor some nastys, i heard of some brewers trying to use a solder iron to smooth scratches, but im not sure i would try that either. where is the scratch at the bottom or top? if its near the top just use it for small batches.
see if someone else has better news

 

[DVCNick]

Right next to the port.

 

[Harleybrew32]

tough to say, I forget who said it on a brewing network show, they used a plastic bucket to throw fittings in, he said he used chemicals to clean the bucket and he could still see gray stuff in the nicks and scratches. the chemicals in his brewery are caustic, soo i dont think PBW or Oxiclean would do a better job. maybe someone else knows something to help you.
personally i would use it a few, maybe 6 batches then toss it. consider it a lesson learned, trust me i feel your pain, I hate wasting fermentors and money.

 

[DVCNick]

Well I guess it probably isn't infected yet, I'll use it for a brew this weekend and then I guess Chuck it. Got a spigot and top for 35 bucks... Bummer.

 

[seatazzz]

Yes, scratches can harbor some nasties. It's the big downside of using plastic buckets. But as long as you are cleaning properly, sanitizing thoroughly, and don't leave your bucket dirty, they can last a long time. I've got plastic buckets that I've used for over four years; pretty much all of them endured the dreaded scrubbie scratch at one point or another. But I clean them well now after each batch (with a sponge only, not the scrubbie side), and sanitize them with a good starsan soak before wort hits them. And no infections.

Glass carboys have their downside as well, if you choose to go that route; just google "glass carboy accidents" and have a strong stomach.

 

[PrrCabin]

Sorry
But give it a toss

 

[RM-MN]

Has anyone heard of pasteurization? Bacteria do not survive high temps. Pour some hot water (150 or so, not too hot or the plastic of the BMB will distort) and leave it for an hour. Add some dish soap to the water too, can't hurt. Rinse well when done. I'd worry more about bacteria in the air than bacteria in that scratch.

 

[McKnuckle]

Ridiculous to pre-emptively discard it. Just use it and practice good sanitation.

 

[IslandLizard]

Ridiculous to pre-emptively discard it. Just use it and practice good sanitation.

That's my take too.
It's most likely just fine as long as you're aware of it, so you can pay some extra attention to it.

Use a small washcloth drenched in Starsan to spot-sanitize that area extra well. I think mopping Starsan on in general really helps getting everything wetted and sanitized. So does swirling/inverting/shaking 1-2 quarts of Starsan in a 5-6 gallon container for a total of one minute.

I have a plastic brew bucket with a small pit/gouge in the bottom. I just keep that small, potential problem area clean, and well sanitized. Haven't had any infections during 2 years of regular use.

RDWHAHB!

 

[DVCNick]

Ok you convinced me. I'll just use it normally and pay special attention to that spot, until/if it seems to be causing problems.
Thanks.

 

[mattdee1]

I have a feeling that the "certain doom" portended by small scratches in plastic fermentors is one of those things that everybody just accepts as true because they read about it on a forum, but they don't have any direct evidence or experience.

I've pre-emptively de-commissioned more than one plastic bucket due to this doom and gloom, but in retrospect it seems like those were unnecessary precautions. My current set of buckets is a few years old and they are certainly not devoid of scratches yet somehow, miraculously, bacterial infections are kept at bay using nothing but conventional homebrewing sanitization practices.

 

[IslandLizard]

Got a new plastic BMB and was trying to clean up some of the junk around the port.

What kind of junk/gunk was there and from what? Was it extra material on a seam?
Using a knife or screwdriver to scrape it off?

 

[bleme]

I would continue to use it for sure. If anything, I might switch up my sanitizers between different batches (star-san, iodopher, bleach/vinegar) just to make sure nothing has a chance to build up in there.

 

[DVCNick]

What kind of junk/gunk was there and from what? Was it extra material on a seam?
Using a knife or screwdriver to scrape it off?

They just didn't clean up the edges of the port very well... left over plastic shavings, etc. I was cleaning it up on the inside with a razor blade and got a little over aggressive on one pass.

 

[str1p3s]

I've always thought this was a silly concept. My guess is anything plastic is going to have at least a little scratch or scrape somewhere that you can barely even see after just a few uses and you probably aren't even aware of it.

I agree with mattdee1. This is probably just one of those things that people pass along because it sounds right but no one has confirmed it as a real risk.

 

[Loud Brewing]

Send it to me, I will discard it for you. Jk, just sanitize good and dont worry about it.

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

Clean it well. Carry on.

 

[Tallgrass]

Not best practice of course but I haven't removed and cleaned the spigots on my fermonsters for around 10 batches. I would have to believe there is much bigger cracks for things to hide in that spigot then a small scratch.

 

[DVCNick]

Actually I'm replacing the spigots on my other ones just out of caution after the batch that is currently in them.

 

[GnenieGone]

No your good. Just, as usual, sanitize the bucket. I've using plastic solely for the last 7 years. I've been my own worst enemy. Not the bucket.

 

[Jayjay1976]

If your sanitation practices are sound, you have nothing to worry about. That lil scratch is no worse for harboring bacteria than the crevices and threads on a spigot. If this happened to me I'd just forget about it and RDWHAHB.