Cleaning demijohns and apple wine...

[waggoner]

I need some reasurance..

I want to rack 3 gallons of apple wine,from 5 litre water containers into glass one gallon ones. The glass ones are brand new and i bought some sodium met powder too.
Would i be right in washing them out first with hot soapy water and rinsing them with clean water, then making the 10% solution up and swilling this about in them for a few minutes to sanitise them??
I've never used sodium met before so a bit nervous, but i want to give it a go

Also i got about 1 1/2 inches of sediment in each 5 litre container, so when i rack them into 1 gallon demi's, there's going to be a bit of space,, would i top this up with water/ sugar water/ apple juice??

Hope this don't sound too dumb a question about using the sodium met..

[billybuntus]

I'm sure your method would be fine but it would be far better to use a sterilising solution. You buy 'sterilising powder' put a teaspoon ish in you demijohn and swill it around then leave it for 10 mins or so (or overnight if its used and dirty).

But in answer to your worrying, your method will be fine for now but in future I'd advise the above.

Sodium met acts only as a santiser it will kill bacteria and nasties but it doesn't clean. A sterilser cleans and kills and is very efficient.

After using a steriliser it needs a few good swills out with water (I normally rinse out and shake the DJ about 7 times but then I have OCD).

[waggoner]

Thanks Billybuntus .

I've got sterilising powder aswell,i've always used that up to now, but reading about the use of the sodium met as an altertitive, i thought i would give that a go. Just wanted to make sure i got it right..

[goldseal]

Personally I wouldn't use hot water for fear of cracking them.

Warm water has always worked for me.

[Cellar_Rat]

...........
Also i got about 1 1/2 inches of sediment in each 5 litre container, so when i rack them into 1 gallon demi's, there's going to be a bit of space,, would i top this up with water/ sugar water/ apple juice??............

The question is, do you want to continue the fermentation OR is this a racking of finished wine?

Apple juice (or anything sugary) will referment or leave a sweet unstable wine.
Water will dilute IMO not recommended.
White wine is perhaps the best. This probably seems odd thing to say, but I use one that adds something (perhaps flavour or aciditiy) to bring the wine into balance as against just a neutral bland something.

[mrdexter]

I'm far from expert, but I'd go with Goldseals recommendation of warm soapy water, rinse and then proceed as you described.

I used to use VWP in the past, but last time I was about to rack into a demi I notices some very hard set VWP crystals in the thin groove at the bottom of the demi (between the bottom and the side) and it took some shifting.

And as Cellar_Rat said with the topping up, if it is your first racking into a secondary for conitnued fermentation then apple juice would be my preferred choice.

[lockwood1956]

These are new arent they?

the just need a thorough rinse.....


I dont use bleach based products or soap in my winery.......too hard to rinse and to much danger of TCA issues with bleach.

if i need a thorough clean i use either star san or chemipro acid (available form brupaks stockists)

http://www.brupaks.com/stockists.html

once they are clean they are put straight to use, if not being used immediately, they are stored with a slash of 10% sulphite solution in them.
and sealed with a bung or an airlock. I store buckets the same way....lid snapped on and sulphite solution inside

even after about 11 months stored this way, my head is still snapped back each grapefest when the lids come off!
works for me, but each to his own


worth mentioning here though...we cannot sterilise(100% elimination of nasties) and even if you managed to kill all the germs in there, that status would last about a nanosecond before the air infected it again


all we can do is sanitise as best we can.


hope that helps

regards
Bob

[waggoner]

Thanks everyone..

I did make up the 10% solution of sodium met, but i only used it to sanitise the bungs and airlocks,, i chickened out on the demijohns and used the steriliser powder instead..

I do find that after using the steriliser power (youngs) that it makes my hands itch and go dry for a few days afterwards,,,kind of why i wanted to try the sodium met for.. Well its either that or wear a pair of marigolds!!!

So next time i will stick it out and use the sodium met,, my hands are itching now!!

The apple wine,( CJJ'S 24lb apple one), yes, first racking... well the new demijohns i got are slighty different to the normal ones,they only got one handle on the neck,, and if my measurment is right they hold 5 litres,, so after racking off the sediment i ended up will two full ones and just under 1/2 a gallon left over. Not having any 1/2 gallon demi's i made it up to a full gallon with pure apple juice, added some more yeast, nutrient and sugar, till SG 1050. Wether that was right or wrong?? don't know, but its bubbling away so something must have been right?? will be interesting to see what happens to it..

[billybuntus]

Thanks everyone..

I did make up the 10% solution of sodium met, but i only used it to sanitise the bungs and airlocks,, i chickened out on the demijohns and used the steriliser powder instead..

I do find that after using the steriliser power (youngs) that it makes my hands itch and go dry for a few days afterwards,,,kind of why i wanted to try the sodium met for.. Well its either that or wear a pair of marigolds!!!

So next time i will stick it out and use the sodium met,, my hands are itching now!!

The apple wine,( CJJ'S 24lb apple one), yes, first racking... well the new demijohns i got are slighty different to the normal ones,they only got one handle on the neck,, and if my measurment is right they hold 5 litres,, so after racking off the sediment i ended up will two full ones and just under 1/2 a gallon left over. Not having any 1/2 gallon demi's i made it up to a full gallon with pure apple juice, added some more yeast, nutrient and sugar, till SG 1050. Wether that was right or wrong?? don't know, but its bubbling away so something must have been right?? will be interesting to see what happens to it..

As with anything in the world confidence comes with experience. You'd of been perfectly fine giving it a rinse with 10% solution no harm would of come to your brew :-) I'm meticulous with washing and such like and I know theres no need but its how I am and I prefer the sterilising route (even though bobs right).

ps, my hands will be knackered in a few years time!

[lockwood1956]

ps, my hands will be knackered in a few years time!

you could, of course, buy some nice marigolds!


we all have our favoured methods, nothing at all wrong with bleach based products, as long as you rinse thoroughly. I prefer the products i use as they are rinse free.....although i still rinse.

regards
Bob

[billybuntus]

you could, of course, buy some nice marigolds!


we all have our favoured methods, nothing at all wrong with bleach based products, as long as you rinse thoroughly. I prefer the products i use as they are rinse free.....although i still rinse.

regards
Bob

hahahaha marigolds indeed how very rude!

[Cellar_Rat]

we all have our favoured methods, nothing at all wrong with bleach based products, as long as you rinse thoroughly. I prefer the products i use as they are rinse free.....although i still rinse.

regards
Bob

Favoured methods indeedy.

1. Don't let it get dirty then you don't have to clean it. Rinse immed with water store with a splash of spirit.

2. Wash with caustic, rinse, goto to 1.

[waggoner]

I bottled two lots yesterday,(tried the new corker out) so i washed the demijohns out, and put some sodium met in each one then sealed them,, ready for the next batch..

Boy does that stuff make you sneeze,,,lol,,the fumes certainly get you...

[Cellar_Rat]

I bottled two lots yesterday,(tried the new corker out) so i washed the demijohns out, and put some sodium met in each one then sealed them,, ready for the next batch..

Boy does that stuff make you sneeze,,,lol,,the fumes certainly get you...

There is a chance you are making it up a bit strong?

[fatbloke]

There is a chance you are making it up a bit strong?

Probably not, because I make up CJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ's sanitiser in a spray i.e. 5 crushed campdens and a tsp of citric in a pint of water, and that's usually a nostril clearer if I get a whiff.........

regards

jtfb