CIP for IBC

[Ben]

Hi all,

We are working on a CIP system for IBCs, it is very budget but at worst hopefully will avoid me rolling them around multiple times to rinse all the sides.

The system consists of a pump that is 8bar, 70L Per min and a rotating type spray ball, both collected from Ebay - Will let you know how it does down when I get it set up this weekend.

One question I have is in terms of washing procedure.

When reading about CIP everyone talks about Caustic Wash however up until now we have used VWP, normally we would do

1) Rinse, let out anything in tank, pressure wash any stains

2) VWP wash  (rotate then let work for contact time)

3) Remove each bit from IBC (lots of rocking)

4) Rinse with water (rotate job again)

5) Remove each bit from IBC (lots of rocking)

We were thinking with 2 and 4 to move to the spray ball, but wanted to check that VWP was the best tool for the job to give the spray ball every hope. Any thoughts would be great..

Thanks,
Ben

[Richard Anderson]

I think you can live without the caustic, granted it might help remove some of the yeast residual but unlike beer cider is acidic and easier to clean as long as you do not let the IBC sit around for several days. You can use a shop vac to remove the bits. What would be really great is to have a revolving high pressure spray which rotates and moves up and down in the IBC and also scrubs the top of the tank :)

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[Chris Schmidt]

We’ve been using a similar CIP system for a couple years, and here’s my two-bits:

- caustic isn’t always needed, as long as you do an initial rinse of the tank as soon as its empty to get rid of the residue

- you can circulate the water/solution by having a suction hose attached to the bottom drain, just make sure you have enough water in there to avoid sucking air

- to avoid caustic, sometimes we just use a scrub brush on a pole to reach in and give it a manual clean. The CIP ball does a pretty good job except for the top, and that’s where the manual scrubbing is usually needed most.

[Ben]

Thanks both,

What is the disadvantage of using caustic over VWP? Is there a brand or type you would suggest.

Thanks,

Ben

[Chris Schmidt]

Caustic is a pretty harsh chemical, but it does a great job of cleaning grime off plastic totes, just don’t be making any smoothies with it. Works much better than chlorine based cleaners at getting rid of the stuck-on stains. Disposal is an issue depending on where you are, and caustic has to be neutralized. Which caustic to use will depend on your supplier, as it is a hazardous goods to ship.  These guys have some good products and info online: http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/

Chris

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[Andrew Lea]

Ben

As Chris says, you need to understand the difference in chemistry. 

"Caustic" is Sodium Hydroxide, an aggressive and dangerous chemical which can dissolve many organic residues due to its very high pH. This also includes skin and eyes, so you must take the proper safety precautions when using it. It has no detergent action and only cleans and sanitises (kills microbes) by virtue of its high pH. But it can be very effective when correctly and safely used. 

Modern formulated food equipment cleansers such as VWP are totally different. They are based on active chlorine or active oxygen to act as sanitisers, plus low foaming detergents to reduce surface tension and allow the dirt to lift (but not to dissolve it). They are also pretty effective unless you have very heavy dirt deposits, and are much less hazardous. I think VWP is chlorine based (dichloroisocyanurate)

Both need rinsing. There are some 'no rinse' sanitisers on the market usually based on iodine or quaternary ammonium salts but they are not so effective, because the levels of active ingredients have to be rather low and they don't have much of a cleaning action. 

Andrew 

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[Vince Wakefield]

If you are looking for caustic soda, Sodium hydroxide, NaOH, look for suppliers for biodiesel chemicals, I buy it in 25Kg bags for around £30. Needs careful handling as it will melt your skin but will do a very good job at cleaning the muck out, should not be a problem putting it down the drain as it is used as a drain cleaner.

 

Vince

 

Virus-free. www.avg.com

[Chris Schmidt]

By the way, we use about 1% caustic in the hot water to clean the totes of the grunge, seems to work for us. 

[Jason MacArthur]

I bought some very cheap, but very dirty, kegs from a local brewery- they have 10 year old beer residue inside!

I want to clean them as well as possible and am considering using a 1% caustic for an overnight soak to really make sure  I dissolve all possible stuff in there.  However, our water has high iron content, and I know that some cleaners can be affected by minerals in water.  Is Sodium Hydroxide in that category, and should I therefore stick with a branded cleaner which has been made to accommodate minerals in water?  Or will it be unaffected in it's cleaning capacity?

Thanks!

Jason