Cleaning station

[berrycrush]

We all know the cleaning drill: hosing, sloshing, brushing, draining a bunch of large tubs, buckets, carboys etc... Do you have a designated wine making cleaning station other than just a sink in the laundry room?
Show me

 

[CDrew]

I set up a portable plastic table in the driveway. This table here. That way I can use the hose and not bend over.

 

[berrycrush]

I'd like something like this, but no dogs
https://foreverstainlesssteel.com/

 

[jking]

I wash my buckets in the basement laundry sink and wash carboys with a modified version of this DIY washer. Carboys get a rinse with a pvc pipe with holes drilled in it like that hooked to a hose at the sink, then go through a wash and sanitize cycle of the pump fed washer before sitting upside down a few days to dry. They get a final rinse with starsan before being used again. I initally purchased a 550 gph pump on amazon and while it did the job I wanted more flow and upgraded to a 1000 gph pump.

 

[Ajmassa]

I'd like something like this, but no dogs
https://foreverstainlesssteel.com/

That would be perfect !

I spent way too long working without an ideal cleaning area. I hated it. Loathed it. And vowed that as soon as I was able I would build something proper.
Sacrificed space upstairs and built a new laundry room so I could commandeer the basement water and drain lines. Found a great double bay SS sink from an online restaurant auction site. No regrets!

 

[berrycrush]

... so I could commandeer the basement water and drain lines. Found a great double bay SS sink from an online restaurant auction site. No regrets! View attachment 57930

Very nice, how do you empty the water in the demi-john?

 

[berrycrush]

... and how does stainless steel handle K-Meta solution? I know regular metal rusts like crazy once it touches K-Meta.

 

[Ajmassa]

... and how does stainless steel handle K-Meta solution? I know regular metal rusts like crazy once it touches K-Meta.

No issues or rust or anything. But it also doesn’t get too much direct kmeta contact either. Aside from dumping down the drain.
And When cleaning demi’s I don’t fill em too high. Just enough to pick up and swirl around and dump. A few x. With piping hot water. Hitting any crud with the brush. Then the same with PBW cleaner and a last rinse before dumping in some kmeta swirling around and plugging up.

 

[franc1969]

double bay SS sink

Every time I see this setup I get jealous. I have been looking for a decently priced sink to redo our laundry as well, or maybe set up a new area on the other side of the wall. What are the inside measurements of the sink compartments? I just realized how much larger than what I have been looking at. I need minimum to fit a carboy/ milk crate inside, I see now you have two carboys at once.

 

[Mario Dinis]

I wash my buckets in the basement laundry sink and wash carboys with a modified version of this DIY washer. Carboys get a rinse with a pvc pipe with holes drilled in it like that hooked to a hose at the sink, then go through a wash and sanitize cycle of the pump fed washer before sitting upside down a few days to dry. They get a final rinse with starsan before being used again. I initally purchased a 550 gph pump on amazon and while it did the job I wanted more flow and upgraded to a 1000 gph pump.

What a great idea. I have a spare pump. I'm definatly making one of these.

 

[Mario Dinis]

That would be perfect !

I spent way too long working without an ideal cleaning area. I hated it. Loathed it. And vowed that as soon as I was able I would build something proper.
Sacrificed space upstairs and built a new laundry room so I could commandeer the basement water and drain lines. Found a great double bay SS sink from an online restaurant auction site. No regrets! View attachment 57930

Nice

 

[Ajmassa]

Every time I see this setup I get jealous. I have been looking for a decently priced sink to redo our laundry as well, or maybe set up a new area on the other side of the wall. What are the inside measurements of the sink compartments? I just realized how much larger than what I have been looking at. I need minimum to fit a carboy/ milk crate inside, I see now you have two carboys at once.

I don’t remember exact dimensions. Overall is 6’ wide. Sinks around 26”x26”x 16”depth maybe. I’ll measure tonight. And this actually fits 4 carboys per sink. Might seem like overkill but trust me, if you’ve got the space you’ll use it.
Auction site I used hosts multiple places throughout the country. Delving into the Online auction world was quite the learning experience.
https://www.pciauctions.com/

**Edit— actual sink bay dimensions
24”x24”x12”deep

 

[Rocky]

I am a big "re-purposer" so much of my wine making area is made up of repurposed items and materials. I bought a sink at Home Depot, and built two tables out of scrap lumber to flank the sink. I can put a carboy or a demijohn in each side but I normally use one side to wash and one side to rinse. The faucet is from our kitchen when we remodeled and has a pull out sprayer. To rinse the inside of the carboy or demijohn, I lay the piece on its side on one of the tables and spray water into it and let the water run into the sink. I made a long drill attachment for cleaning the insides of the vessels using a drill extension and a large brush (cutting off the end of the brush to fit into the drill extension). I made a drying rack out of scraps from a patio umbrella that was destroyed in a wind storm and padded it with scrap carpeting. After rinsing the vessels well, I dry the outside and invert them in the rack and the inside drip dries.

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[berrycrush]

I am a big "re-purposer" so much of my wine making area is made up of repurposed items and materials. I bought a sink at Home Depot, and built two tables out of scrap lumber to flank the sink. I can put a carboy or a demijohn in each side but I normally use one side to wash and one side to rinse. The faucet is from our kitchen when we remodeled and has a pull out sprayer. To rinse the inside of the carboy or demijohn, I lay the piece on its side on one of the tables and spray water into it and let the water run into the sink. I made a long drill attachment for cleaning the insides of the vessels using a drill extension and a large brush (cutting off the end of the brush to fit into the drill extension). I made a drying rack out of scraps from a patio umbrella that was destroyed in a wind storm and padded it with scrap carpeting. After rinsing the vessels well, I dry the outside and invert them in the rack and the inside drip dries.

View attachment 57953View attachment 57954View attachment 57956View attachment 57955​

I like your carboy racks and pegs, very original. This is low budget and effective, thanks for sharing!

 

[Rocky]

I like your carboy racks and pegs, very original. This is low budget and effective, thanks for sharing!

Right, BC. The only money out of pocket was for the sink ($149). All the rest was reclaimed. Even the little drain board on the table on the left. My wife was using it for an under sink cabinet liner for bottles of vinegar, oil, etc. I bought some vinyl flooring from a local big box and lined her cabinets with that, cut to size. Easier for my bride to clean and more durable than shelf paper. The flooring was a closeout so I got it for a song. Also, the front legs of the table on the left are from the headboard of our first bed.

When I was a kid, many moons ago, we used to say, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!" Hard to break old habits.

 

[jking]

What a great idea. I have a spare pump. I'm definatly making one of these.

When selecting a drill bit, take note of the GPH of the pump you will be using. First try for me was with a 1/8" bit as the tutorial says and I found that with the number of holes I drilled the flow was less than desirable. I made a new PVC upright and used a 1/16" drill bit for the second and it was much better.

I also find that because I was conservative on how many holes I drilled, I have to rotate the carboy 1/4 turns every 5 minutes or so to make sure all the crud comes off. I have the parts to make a few more test wands to improve the setup but won't be able to get around to it until after the holidays. I like this setup because I can move the pump, lid, and carboy from the wash to rinse bucket in about 10 seconds, and it also doesn't use nearly as much cleaner as filling/soaking. As the article suggests, use a non-foaming cleaner. I use EasyClean.

 

[bakervinyard]

@Rocky, Could you post a picture of the carboy rack from the front. I'd like ti use your idea and make a few for myself. Thanks, Bakervinyard

 

[bakervinyard]

@Rocky, Could you post a picture of the carboy rack from the front. I'd like ti use your idea and make a few for myself. Thanks, Bakervinyard

 

[Rocky]

@Rocky, Could you post a picture of the carboy rack from the front. I'd like ti use your idea and make a few for myself. Thanks, Bakervinyard

Happy to do so. Here are four shots of it, the first shows it with a 6 gallon glass and a 5 gallon BB. It also accommodates a 3 gallon carboy. The second is a shot down into one of the three cells showing the neck rest. The third is a shot from the side and the last shot is looking down into the three cells. The design is crude and largely dictated by the material I had. The dimensions, mainly the length, was determined by the ribs of the patio umbrella that supplied the material. I had the casters in my shop and they make it very movable.

 

[bakervinyard]

@Rocky, Could you post a picture of the carboy rack from the front. I'd like ti use your idea and make a few for myself. Thanks, Bakervinyard