Talk:RG 2009 January

From Ukcider

A propos the bleach question:

I use chlorine-based bleach (hypochlorite) to do my sanitation. I have a friend who is very sensitive to sulphites, and I share my (small scale, amateur) efforts with her, so bleach is the obvious choice.

Bleach has the benefit that it breaks down quite quickly - more so in warm conditions, but rapidly in any event. This means that taint is not much of a risk after a while. I can also confirm that it washes well out of my racking tubes and pump (a hand pump for starting a simple siphon). I have used food grade plastic all this time and have experienced neither chlorine flavour problems, nor any observable accumulation of chlorine in the plastic.

I wash everything with bleach, or wipe it down with a bleach-soaked napkin, as appropriate. I then rinse it with tap water and let it air dry. I have been brewing consistently for a few years, and have not had a contamination loss on any of my batches. I would say, based on this experience, that using bleach on your pipes is a very low risk, but should be quite effective.