On Mon, Mar 14, 2005 at 10:47:15PM +0100, Jesper Nymann wrote:
> IT'S ALIVE!!! (min chiller desværre.....)
Oh shit!
Cleaning a counter-flow chiller can be difficult. The only thing you can
do is to push various substances through the pipe, and hope they take it
all. This is the time to take off the soft green gloves, and bring in
the heavy chemicals.
I would start with good old boiling water. Get your pot full of water,
and to a good boil. Let it run through the chiller (without any cooling
water), and into a bucket. If it looks clean enough, circulate it back
to the pot, and repeat. If too mucky, throw out and repeat.
Next add some caustic soda (NaOH) into the water. Be careful, it is
strong stuff that kills anything it touches (including your eyes, if it
gets a chance!). Probably a good idea to use the same hot water, but I
wouldn't boil it any more, not to risk splashes... Perhaps some bleach
("klorin") would be good too, I don't know. (I know not to mix bleach
with acids, but with alcalic stuff it should be safe).
Then again hot water, to rinse out the dead stuff, and the poison that
killed it. Then cold water. Enough cold water so that you feel
comfortable drinking from the pipe! Then sanitize with Iodophor. Rinse
with cold water again. When using it, circulate boiling wort through it
for a good while, just to be sure. Cross your fingers and hope for the
best.
If your beer shows any sign of infection, repeat the process a few times
- or follow some of the other advice you get here.
Good luck!
-H
P.S. Does the chiller fit in your pot? If so, you can fill it with
water, and boil it for a few hours, if you think it can take it. Then
proceed as above.
--
Heikki Levanto "In Murphy We Turst" heikki (at) lsd (dot) dk
