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Author Topic: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler  (Read 10746 times)

Offline Al Equihua

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forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« on: June 06, 2012, 11:11:46 am »
two weeks ago, i was so excited at my last brew that i forgot to clean in... left the grains in it , and yesterday when i opened  :o :-\ my goodness!  you can imagine how bad smells!
I clean it up with oxy clean, star san and stills has a little bit of weird smells
it is my first cooler since i begun to brew to all grain,

so, it is time to buy another one? it will add smells or of-flavor to a future brew?
thanks!

Al
Mama miaa :-[
Al Equihua

Offline FirstStateBrewer

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2012, 11:13:37 am »
so, it is time to buy another one?
Yes.  I have read threads where people have spent as much in cleaning supplies as it would cost to toss the cooler and buy a new one.
Scott B

Offline garc_mall

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2012, 11:15:40 am »
We had this discussion a few months ago, and I think the guy put some oxyclean in there and let it soak for a couple days, and it turned out fine. I left grain in my cooler for a week, but with just a little pbw for a couple days it all came out fine. However, throwing it out and getting a new one will work if you don't want to put in the work.

Here is the thread.
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=11509.0

Offline Al Equihua

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2012, 11:22:59 am »
wow, good to hear i am not the only one with this problem hehe
i saw something like a 70% percent recomending that it will turn good after a good ideas.... it's just that my cooler works so well and i apreciate it

thanks for comments!

Al
Al Equihua

Offline jmcamerlengo

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2012, 11:57:20 am »
leave it out in the sun when its soaking. The sun helps eliminate some of those odors.
Jason
-Head Brewer, Brewtus Brewers in the Shenango Valley. Hopefully opening a brewpub/nano brewery in the next couple years.

Offline denny

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2012, 12:56:02 pm »
Try some warm water and a box of baking soda.  Remarkably effective at removing odors.
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2012, 01:40:48 pm »
I actually leave my cooler out open in the sun after breing as a matter of course. A couple times I thought it was all cleaned out well so I closed it up and put it away, only to find a couple weeks later that there must have been a little grain left hiding somewhere and the whole thing stank. a couple days in the sun after brewing and cleaning and I have not had that problem again.
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Offline FirstStateBrewer

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2012, 07:14:25 pm »
I just always leave my cooler open.  Doesn't get much sun in my garage, though.
Scott B

Offline Pinski

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2012, 08:28:13 pm »
I store my coolers with a small chunk of sponge between the lid and the top outer rim to allow them to dry out and not get funky between uses.
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Offline euge

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2012, 10:13:51 pm »
I love these threads. ;D

Stanky grain is just about one of the nastiest things I can imagine.
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Offline dbeechum

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2012, 10:50:45 pm »
It's a smell you never forget.

+1 on the sun and pbw/oxiclean/baking soda route.
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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2012, 11:21:02 pm »
I just figured out tonight that I left some stuff dirty from my brew session last week - fortunately it wasn't a big mass of grain, just some chunks that dried up.  No smell.  Whew!  Soaking now to get it off.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline punatic

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2012, 12:17:46 am »
The PVC interior of coolers is not UV resistant.  Exposure to sunlight will cause it to become brittle over time (months).  The effect is cumulative.
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Offline kgs

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2012, 06:56:36 am »
The "sun" option in a San Francisco apartment is rarely available, but I have found a long soak in OxiClean + a good long airing to be a great help. Also, every once in a while I disassemble my hose bulkhead, clean it, and let it and the cooler dry before reassembling.

I don't ever actually close my cooler when I'm not using it--the lid is stored beside it or very loosely on top of it.
K.G. Schneider
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: forgot to clean my mash tun cooler
« Reply #14 on: June 07, 2012, 08:41:21 am »
The PVC interior of coolers is not UV resistant.  Exposure to sunlight will cause it to become brittle over time (months).  The effect is cumulative.

I almost went back and modified my post about this. I do worry about that. course I worry a bit about filling the cooler with hot liquid then eventually drinking said liquid. I think that may be what eventually gets me to build/buy/beg a metal vessel mash tun.
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