So my brew buddy is getting 40 food grade 6.5 gallon plastic buckets from his job. They contained chemicals for testing water and have sealed screw lid just need to be drilled for an airlock. So my question is what the best and easiest way to sterilize these buckets.
Strilizing plactic buckets
- Thread starter 46andbrew
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In homebrewing we sanitize, not sterilize. And as to what we use.... What Sanitisers and Cleaners are used
But the important question is, were those water testing chemical save for human consumption. Because more than likely they affected the plastic in some way and will be impossible to get out.
But the important question is, were those water testing chemical save for human consumption. Because more than likely they affected the plastic in some way and will be impossible to get out.
TyTanium
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Good for the environment does not necessarily mean good for human consumption. I would highly recommending finding out exactly what was in them.
Puddlethumper
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46andbrew said:
Gotta be careful thinking like that. Salt is not only natural but vital to the environment. .. But at certain concentrations it is deadly. Unlike glass, plastic can absorb some chemicals. You absolutely HAVE to know what those compounds were and if they even can be completely removed from those buckets.
Monster Mash
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You cannot sterilize plastic, only sanitize it which for brewing is good enough. I agree with everyone else that you need to find out what was in them before using them.
Puddlethumper
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Now you're getting somewhere. But at this point you need to talk to someone who has a good understanding of chemistry. I have seen some posts on this site from guys that seem to have a good background in the subject so, unless you get some educated feedback in this thread, I'd suggest you start a new thread asking for specific information about those compounds.
Another thing to consider in all this is what flavors your beer might pick up from the buckets. I know that even after I've cleaned my buckets with PBW and sanitized them with StarSan I can still detect the smell of the beer. That is telling me that the plastic has absorbed something from the beer. Now I don't mind having the flavor of beer in my beer, but I'm not so sure about the flavors that the bucket may absorbed in an earlier life.
Cheers!
IrishBrewer74
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Puddlethumper
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Thanks for the MSDS on calcium chloride. The thing to keep in mind when dealing with an MSDS is that it is discussing the pure technical grade material, not necessarily the product grade that may have been in those buckets. I used the analogy of salt earlier and it holds true in this case as well...ever look at an MSDS for sodium (Na) or chloride (Cl)? They are the constituents of salt (NaCl) and they're both deadly poisonous. Yet salt, in trace amounts, is essential for life as we know it. Without it we would die.
The MSDS does state that trace amounts may be flushed down the drain. That tells me that the EPA chemists don't see this compound as much of a problem when it occurs in those trace amounts. If the material in those buckets was in powdered form then it can be rinsed down to trace amounts. So long as those buckets are now empty and rinsed we are most likely dealing with trace amounts. The big concerns remain whether the stuff can be adequately cleaned from the buckets and, if it can, will it leave any odors or tastes behind that might affect the beer.
I would really talk to a chemist about it. But from my cursory reading both compounds are used in both water treatment and food preparation.
Calcium Hydroxide is "slaked lime" which is used all over the food industry, INCLUDING brewery to adjust water chemistry.
And calcium peroxide is use in flour production as well.
Now I don't know about the two chemicals TOGETHER, being safe or not.
It begs another question. If Calcium Hydroxide is used to adjust water chemistry will the chemistry of the buckets be affected in anyway, that it affect the chemistry of the water used? Although not being toxic possibly, would it affect the flavor of the beer...(Think Chloramines occurring in the face of the interaction of chemical in water, plastics and chlorine bleach.) You might be affecting your beer's flavor.
I remember a thread on here by a chemist about using certain lab glassware like lab growlers folks might find, what the chemicals meant, what you needed to rinse/soak them with to render them usable.
Calcium Hydroxide is "slaked lime" which is used all over the food industry, INCLUDING brewery to adjust water chemistry.
And calcium peroxide is use in flour production as well.
Now I don't know about the two chemicals TOGETHER, being safe or not.
It begs another question. If Calcium Hydroxide is used to adjust water chemistry will the chemistry of the buckets be affected in anyway, that it affect the chemistry of the water used? Although not being toxic possibly, would it affect the flavor of the beer...(Think Chloramines occurring in the face of the interaction of chemical in water, plastics and chlorine bleach.) You might be affecting your beer's flavor.
I remember a thread on here by a chemist about using certain lab glassware like lab growlers folks might find, what the chemicals meant, what you needed to rinse/soak them with to render them usable.
Thanks for the great info I'm thinking of cleaning them the best i can and sanitizing them. Then brew I cheaper batch of beer just to see how it comes out. The warning labels on the buckets are very minor like " if ingested drink 2 glasses of water " and " if it's gets in your eyes just rinse " so it doesn't seam to be to serious. I mean the warning label on star San is much worse.
