Last Saturday, I checked and there were two large autosiphons. Now, another member told me there are none, only one of the small autosiphons. We've ordered some more.
If you use an autosiphon and break it, please let me, Brandon, or Jeff know, so we can replace it rather than wait for someone to need it and then discover there are none. We regularly check on supplies, but when we go through two autosiphons in 6 days, we can't keep up with that unless brewers let us know that they've melted or broken an autosiphon.
If you're putting plastic in boiling wort: don't. It's stupid.
I actually think the problem is that people are putting the autosiphons in the water right after they make PBW /Starsan out of the hot tap water. The autosiphon doesn't use the same PET plastic that the heavy fermenting buckets use, and when it hits water close to 140 degrees, the plastic starts to expand and crack, thus losing the seal on the siphon.
Don't know what the actual solution is here. PBW is effecdtive at temperatures of up to 180 degrees, but the siphons themselves most definitely are not. Myabe put a big tag on the siphon warning people not to use them in hot water?
If hot temperatures are the culprit, the issue should be moot within 1-2 more months upon delivery of the SS autosiphons. We can certainly label them with hot solution warnings in the meantime.
The siphons say they're good up to 120F. It's as simple as taking the temp of the PBW before using the AutoSiphons. Starsan shouldn't be above 120F anyways (per FiveStar chemical's suggestion).
And James, I beliveve the instructions on the side of the bucket of PBW says "up to 150F" (or 160F, I can't remember which). I think 180F is a little much.
The lesson here is that the soft plastic for the siphons is not as resilient as the PET we use for our carboys and buckets, and the plastic will be compromised is put into the hot water that comes out of the faucet. Everyone should take care to be more careful.
As for your second point, Brandon, Five Star says that PBW is most effective for general use from 130-80
http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-content/uploads/PBWTech2.pdf
#rekt
#lastword
#Ireadthemanual
#cleanyourequipmentproperly
Haha! Fair enough, James.
However, FiveStar needs some consistency of what's printed on their product and what they offer online.
#notSoRekt
#lastLAstWord
Hmm. For some reason the 1lb package of Five Star is different again...says temps of 100-160F?
Why are we putting autosiphons in hot PBW?
To clean the chiller.
I always put hot water (usually my left over hot liqour) and PBW in one of the brew kettles, then run it through the chiller. No autosiphon needed!!
Ah, that makes sense!
So you start the siphon with say, Starsan (or any other liquid not hotter than 120F), then transfer over to a kettle of hot PBW. Good idea, Jeff!
This will all be moot in a few months as Kyle said. We'll have metal autosiphons (can't wait) and the new chiller will not need to be primed as it will have a bleeder valve.
@Kyle, we're on the list for the first round of siphons, correct?
Yes, Jim got one and I got the pack of 4.
If it's a Chugger or March pump it will still need to be primed, a bleeder valve just makes it easier.