18 replies to this topic

[EWW]

Does a caustic solution have a shelf life? Would I be able to mix up a batch, use it, store it in a keg, and pull it out (reheat it) and use it for major cleanings as needed? Or does it degrade after use that it wouldn't be able to clean the brewery? Thanks.

[MolBasser]

Shelf life is very long. Whip up some high concentrate and store it, dilute to working strength (2-5%)MolBasser

[EWW]

Shelf life is very long. Whip up some high concentrate and store it, dilute to working strength (2-5%)MolBasser

thanks for the reply. Is there any reason why I couldn't/shouldn't mix up a 5% solution from the start and reuse it?

[MolBasser]

You can, but it will lose strength over time. I would only re-use it 3-4 times before adding some more caustic to it to bring its strength back.MolBasser

[MolBasser]

Of course, that is dependent on how much soil you are removing with it.....MolBasser

[EWW]

Is there a working ph similar to acid sanitizer (~8?)I really appreciate the insights

[MolBasser]

The working pH is most likely over 10. I would have to look it up, but we use conductivity meters to test the strength of our caustic.Cleaning heavy soil, it should be over 100 millisemens.MolBasser

[harryfrog]

Cleaning heavy soil, it should be over 100 millisemens.MolBasser

Is that really a measurement of something or are you pulling my chain here?

[EWW]

Is that really a measurement of something or are you pulling my chain here?

You should trust basser on this .... Or read the following: https://www.coleparm...sist.htm&ID=392yeah, I had to look it up too

[MolBasser]

Is that really a measurement of something or are you pulling my chain here?

Trust me, I chuckle every time I say that word. But, it is real.ETA: I did spell it wrong (big surprise) it is millisiemens.MolBasser

Edited by MolBasser, 17 May 2010 - 09:33 PM.

[EWW]

Looks like ph needs to be >12 based on my google-fuhttps://www.pall.com/pdf/mtcpaper.pdfthanks again. Since caustic has gotten harder to come across this will provide me the ability to nuke nasties on a semi-regular basis without a bunch of waste (and my name on the drug czar's list)

[MolBasser]

Yeah, the pH is up there. It is caustic for jimminy christmas sake.. :nono:I love the stuff though. Cleans everything.Just be careful around the solid or concentrate, it will burn a hole in your skin pretty quickly a la Fight Club.....Freaking drug war is effing everything up.MolBasser

[EWW]

Yeah, the pH is up there. It is caustic for jimminy christmas sake.. :nono:I love the stuff though. Cleans everything.Just be careful around the solid or concentrate, it will burn a hole in your skin pretty quickly a la Fight Club.....Freaking drug war is effing everything up.MolBasser

a ph of <2 or >12 is where you start to see major skin damage so this is not to be taken lightly. Does SNBC boost their caustic solution with a % of bleach?

[MolBasser]

a ph of <2 or >12 is where you start to see major skin damage so this is not to be taken lightly. Does SNBC boost their caustic solution with a % of bleach?

In some cases, yes it is clorinated, but in most no. I don't think we use bleach for the chlorination, but I would have to check.MolBasser

[BrewerGeorge]

Make sure you watch your eyes. This stuff is not the thing to play macho-man with the goggles.

[AiredAle]

Just to be pedantic, caustic (sodium or potsssium hydroxide solutions will store for a looong time if they are protected from the CO2 in the air. CO2 is an acidic gas, and combines with the -OH in the caustic solution to form our old friend HCO3- (bicarbonate), and this reacts with another -OH to form water and CO3-- (carbonate - can't do super- or subscripts here, so hope this is understandable). So each molecule of CO2 that gets into the hydroxide solution eliminates two hydroxide ions, and the pH goes down because carbonate is a weaker base than hydroxide. The pH drop will be more noticible in the relatively dilute solutions used for brewery cleaning than in the storage solutions. Keep them in closed containers, and once the CO2 in the headspace is gone, the pH stabilizes. Keep them in containers open to the air, and watch the pH drop.And as others have said, concentrated hydroxide ("caustic") solutions are very bad news if you get them on your skin or in your eyes. It's very, well, caustic, and hard to rinse off. Always wear eye and skin protection when you use it.

[EWW]

Just to be pedantic, caustic (sodium or potsssium hydroxide solutions will store for a looong time if they are protected from the CO2 in the air. CO2 is an acidic gas, and combines with the -OH in the caustic solution to form our old friend HCO3- (bicarbonate), and this reacts with another -OH to form water and CO3-- (carbonate - can't do super- or subscripts here, so hope this is understandable). So each molecule of CO2 that gets into the hydroxide solution eliminates two hydroxide ions, and the pH goes down because carbonate is a weaker base than hydroxide. The pH drop will be more noticible in the relatively dilute solutions used for brewery cleaning than in the storage solutions. Keep them in closed containers, and once the CO2 in the headspace is gone, the pH stabilizes. Keep them in containers open to the air, and watch the pH drop.And as others have said, concentrated hydroxide ("caustic") solutions are very bad news if you get them on your skin or in your eyes. It's very, well, caustic, and hard to rinse off. Always wear eye and skin protection when you use it.

Thanks for this post, I hadn't thought about the effect co2 and head space would have on the ph ... Pretty cool

[dagomike]

Trust me, I chuckle every time I say that word. But, it is real.ETA: I did spell it wrong (big surprise) it is millisiemens.MolBasser

Basser has semen on the brain.

Make sure you watch your eyes. This stuff is not the thing to play macho-man with the goggles.

This is the most important thing. It would suck to mess up our eyes because you were too lazy to use a standard alkaline cleaner.

[MolBasser]

Thanks for this post, I hadn't thought about the effect co2 and head space would have on the ph ... Pretty cool

More than one very expensive fermentor has been collapsed like God squishing a soda can when caustic was introduced to a CO2 filled fermentor.It pulls a serious vacuum.MolBasser