Brewer's sanitizer for poly tanks? and custom cage tank modifications

[sapdog]

It's been mentioned on the forums a few times, but wanted to check in and see if anyone out there is using a brewers sanitizer for cleaning poly tanks (ie. star san). Seems like it'd be a nice touch to throw it on at the end of the cleaning cycle and rinse right before the sap runs.

Also doing some custom work on the poly cage tank:
sap filter at 8" cap location, secured with pipe clamp. using a felt-sock prefilter for the filter (only 55 taps feeding in - not a huge volume, or length of hose)
Cut a 16" x 30" hole in the top for access to get in to scrub and power wash. Covered the new hole with window screening to keep the moths out and allow some air ventilation, and covered most of that with the piece of poly that was cut off the tank for the access hole.
How else are people customizing their cage tanks?

[harrison6jd]

it is a great last application prior to filling with sap. i believe starsan is a no rinse product but i could be mistaken. i typically sanitize with Onestep which is also a sanitizer after the PBW. but i have friends who use starsan in wine making and they have never had an issue in 10 years. it is a great product.

[sapdog]

Thanks for the reply, Harrison. Onestep looks like it could be the winner. for people reading the thread, here's a link to an explanation of what it is/does
http://www.ecologiccleansers.com/one-step.php
(hopefully that link works)
it says it's an oxidizing agent that breaks down into hydrogen peroxide (a weak acid) as part of the cleansing process. sounds good! I'm not sure how that differs from the other brewers sanitizer products, yet some of the other ones make note that exposure of to plastics should be limited due to acidity. looks like those other products might be more acidic than onestep, and are more oriented towards glass / metal applications.
Looking forward to trying it!

[cbhansen]

The one step looks like a great sanitizer. I've used PBW for a couple of years for doing the final clean on my pans and it has worked well but I rinse well after. I've been nervous about star san as it's a a blend of phosphoric acid and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and has a slight odour. Granted it's used without issue in the breweries, etc. Hydrogen peroxide is an amazing oxidizer so one step should be perfect. Now I have to track it down in Ontario. Thanks for the link.

[theguywiththename]

I just use an angled pressure washer wand with high pressure nozzle and really hot water. The hotter the better. No mod to the tank what so ever

[harrison6jd]

Thanks for the reply, Harrison. Onestep looks like it could be the winner. for people reading the thread, here's a link to an explanation of what it is/does
http://www.ecologiccleansers.com/one-step.php
(hopefully that link works)
it says it's an oxidizing agent that breaks down into hydrogen peroxide (a weak acid) as part of the cleansing process. sounds good! I'm not sure how that differs from the other brewers sanitizer products, yet some of the other ones make note that exposure of to plastics should be limited due to acidity. looks like those other products might be more acidic than onestep, and are more oriented towards glass / metal applications.
Looking forward to trying it!
you are welcome. im sure im not the only one using it. ...everything here is clean and ready to go. the weather is too cold for any sort of run. this weekend looks promising so the tanks will be in place and all taps will be in by thursday. good luck this season.