# Carboy sterilization?



## Drifter379 (Aug 12, 2010)

I have a 5 gal carboy and the sterilizing powder.
What is the best way to go about it?
Should I just fill it up and let it sit before I pour it out? Do I need a brush? Should intoned it with clean water after? So many questions I'm sure some one knows the most efficient way.


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## winemaker_3352 (Aug 12, 2010)

What kind of sterlizing powder do you have? 

I use a one step cleanser - i just add the amount specified on the pkg per gallon - fill the carboy up - and let it sit overnight - rinse it out.

Once dry - i add a k-meta/water mix to my carboys - only about 2" in the bottom.

1/4 cup to a gallon of water.


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2010)

1st if its dirty I use a "oxy" cleaner and fill it up.
2nd you cant sterlize it you sanitize
3rd Not sure what you mean by sterlizing powder? Is it Potassium Metabisulfite? If it is its 3 tbls per gal. make a mix of 1 gal and splash it around and let the fumes do the rest. When finished add it to a 1 gal jug and save it for the next time.


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## Runningwolf (Aug 12, 2010)

I store all of my carboys with 2-3" of kmeta sanitzer. When I am ready to use one, I just dump it out into another one and I am ready to go. I keep a solid bung on them while doing this.


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2010)

Dan, How many empty?


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## Runningwolf (Aug 12, 2010)

Tom said:


> Dan, How many empty?



you had to ask!
15 empty and 13 full. Starting a cranberry Chianti this afternoon or tomorrow. I have a lot of stuff I want to make as soon as Walkers open back up and as they get juice pressed. I will be doing two different cherries in a few weeks as soon as I can get the juice. c
Carboy count does not include anything under three gallon and most of them are 6 gallon.

 Tom, what is mt?

Installed new ignitor on my gas range and made the Cranberry Chianti. I added 1/3 of the f-pack for a sg of 1.06. Added additional simple syrup for a final sg of 1.076.

This will be one of my Christmas wines. Can't wait to give Grandma (mom) her morning Cranberry juice. She'll be spinning circles and popping wheelies in her chair at the retirement home. LMAO


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2010)

Well have 26 6-gal full 4 5-gal full of BEER & 8 MT


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## djrockinsteve (Aug 12, 2010)

I keep all of my carboys clean by using hot soapy water, scrub clean with a brush. Rinse and store. They are only empty a short time and before I add anything to them I will sanitize with K-Meta and scrub wirh a brush briefly again.


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## Drifter379 (Aug 12, 2010)

Tom said:


> 1st if its dirty I use a "oxy" cleaner and fill it up.
> 2nd you cant sterlize it you sanitize
> 3rd Not sure what you mean by sterlizing powder? Is it Potassium Metabisulfite? If it is its 3 tbls per gal. make a mix of 1 gal and splash it around and let the fumes do the rest. When finished add it to a 1 gal jug and save it for the next time.



I don't know why I have sterilization in my head. I did mean sanitize. I can't remember the exact name of what came with the set up but it was 1 tbsp per gallon of water. 
So I guess I like the idea of jet using 1 gal swish it around. That will save me a lit if water. It's pretty dry here in Texas so I like to save where I can. 


Thanks. I'll be back with more questions later.


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## Minnesotamaker (Aug 13, 2010)

Here's my two cents. 

I always advise against using hot water. I've heard too many stories of carboys that the bottom seperates and falls out. Hot water on cool glass combined with the uneven thickness of the carboy sidewalls and bottom can create expansion cracks which leads to failure. I don't use hot and have never had a problem.

The key I've found is to keep your equipment from being contaminated. If you have a carboy with wine in it, as long as the wine isn't spoiled, it's sanitized already when you empty it. All I do is add a couple cups of room temp water and then swish it around, and dump. Do this a couple times to get all traces of last batch out. If you have any residue sticking to the glass, you can use a cleaner like PBW, then rinse. Once you have all visible crud out, just put a little Kmeta in the carboy, cover it with some clear plastic wrap, and throw a rubber band around the wrap to make sure it stays tightly sealed. The Kmeta will fill the carboy with gas which will keep it sterile until you are ready to use it again. A quick rinse and you're ready to go.


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## hector (Aug 13, 2010)

Just as info :

Sanitation --> 99.0 % of Bacteria will be killed . 

Sterilization --> 99.9 % of Bacteria will be killed . 

Hector


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## djrockinsteve (Aug 13, 2010)

Hey Lon thanks. My hot water isn't scalding and I start with warm water and only put in about 2 gallons. That is good food for thought though. My carboys don't sit long empty. I get a nervous twitch when I see one empty. Guess I need to enroll in "WMA" Wine Making Annonymous".

I always make sure everything is clean and sanitized both before and after use. With the equipment consistantly being used it doesn't have time to build up a grime. Cleanliness is happiness. For me to make and my wife to drink.


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