Members who use BRUTE containers

[UBB]

as their primaries.

Easiest way you go about sanitizing them? I picked up a 20 and 32 gallon BRUTE and the thought crossed my mind. Could prove to be a challenge especially in the dead of winter with 4 feet of snow on the ground ruling out using a garden hose.

Also, you don't drill and tap the lids with air locks do you?

 

[winemaker_3352]

I have a utility sink that has the spray hose with the faucet - I just use that and spray my brute container - wash it - rinse it - spray with k-meta and let dry..

 

[JohnT]

I scrub them clean with water, then sanitize with k-meta solution.

 

[GreginND]

Just like I would clean any large fermenter - use HOT water and a forceful sprayer. If you need to sanitize further using k-meta/citric acid in a spray bottle works well.

 

[jswordy]

Yeah, the hose faucet works well. I make my wine in the kitchen, and I have loved that faucet from the day I put it in.

Or, you can just use a half-bucket of water water poured in it, add your cleaner/sanitizer to that, and scrub it. There won't be enough water there to where you can't lift it up to the sink and pour it out. Another alternative is to do it in the bathroom and pour the water in the tub, which is a lower lift.

Winter's not much of a problem down here, I usually can do it outside, but I can see it would be tough up North.

 

[grapeman]

We use the 2800 psi power washer. Arrrrrr arrrrr, arrrr arrrr and a grunt grunt. More power!

Seriously it helps to get rid of the purple rings at the top after fermenting reds. We have 35 of them in a serious rotation now. We can cycle the whites quickly but the red brutes are full for 7-10 days each.

 

[ibglowin]

Argh, Argh, Argh, Argh, Argh, Argh, Argh,

 

[UBB]

I'm kinda sick of apples. After coring (with a pineapple corer since my cheap made in china apple one lasted 1 hour) we ended up with 105 lbs of diced up apples in 7 paint straining bags. split between two BRUTE primaries.
Thank god for my wife or I'd still be slicing apples tomorrow morning!

 

[Runningwolf]

A good rinse with hot water, scrub with oxi-clean and rinse. Spray or rinse with meta/citric. Do no put an air lock on it. The lid is not air tight as it is. This is only for a primary.

 

[dknowlton]

not to sound completely ignorant...but what's a BRUTE container?

 

[Runningwolf]

It's a large grey garbage can you can find at Lowes or Home Depot that is food grade.

 

[dknowlton]

oh ok. never knew they were called brute. thanks

 

[ibglowin]

Registered trademarked name owned by the Rubbermaid Corporation.

I like the white ones myself.

 

[dknowlton]

I am going to check them out next time I'm near lowe's. I need something bigger than the brew buckets I'm using now. I would prefer the white myself

 

[ibglowin]

The white ones are only available online. Grey's are available in the store. I wanted the white so bad I was willing to order online. I waited until they had free shipping on orders over $100 which was nice. The other part is that Home Depot does not carry the white lids at all so I had to snag them from US plastics online.

Like I said, I wanted the White ones! The wine looks fantastic fermenting in them plus they are easier to see spots that need more cleanup afterwards vs the grey.

 

[UBB]

The white ones (at least here) are available in restaurant supply stores. A bit more expensive though.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I almost went with the white - b/c i didn't know the gray were food grade. Found out the model # on them and the FDA website - i think - said it was.

They were cheaper and available a HD a few miles away - no shipping. Personal preference - i didn't really care what the color was - as long as it was food grade..

 

[dknowlton]

about how much do they run?

 

[UBB]

about how much do they run?

about a $1/gallon is what I'm seeing up here. I found my 32g at Lowes. Got my 20g at a restaurant supply store (was a bit more expensive there though).

 

[dknowlton]

thanks. that sounds reasonable