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Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22688

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Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 2:50 pm
by Cliff
That expensive Brewery Wash:
Ya know that wonderful stuff you pay Like $40.00 for an 8 pound jar in a brewery supply?
Then ya gotta pay to ship it?
Yah that stuff.

the code is broken:

30% sodium metasilicate
70% Washing Soda
That’s it. I don’t think there is anything more to it.
You could ass a chealating agent in it to draw out any free metal ions like Salt of EDTA (wonderful stuff) but I don't see as how it's necessary


Read the Tech Sheet and MSDS for the products you are interested in.



Sodium Metasilicate ( common name: sodium silicate)
http://www.chemical.net/cn_store/produc ... 193003-001
$39.05 for One 15 pound package
It is 26.00 per 15 pound package if you buy 4 or more.
http://www.chemical.net/cn_store/produc ... 193003-002
the problem is they want a minimum Order of $75.00

I've looked around this stuff has pricing all over the map.


Washing Soda ( Na2CO3) Also called sodium carbonate.
You can buy it from Church & Dwight under their trade name “Arm and Hammer”
Buy Dot Com has 3 pound boxes for $2.99
Ace Hardware has 3 pounds for $3.79
It's pretty cheap stuff.

In fact all of this stuff is pretty damn cheap.

I'm thinking of just purchasing the $75.00 minimum order of Sodium Metasilicate

I've looked for Friggin Washing Soda and Can you believe it the stuff costs a ton of $$ to ship. Prolly best to just get it at a pool supply store
http://www.lesliespool.com/browse/Home/ ... 30/I/14738

Re: Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 3:47 pm
by Elbone
The TSP substitute they sell at Ace Hardware (there may be others) is 100% sodium metasilicate. Just mix it with Oxyclean ( or even cheaper generic equivalent) 30/70 and there you go. There's a lot of info on this on the forum. Use the search.

Re: Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:34 pm
by Cliff
Elbone wrote:The TSP substitute they sell at Ace Hardware (there may be others) is 100% sodium metasilicate. Just mix it with Oxyclean ( or even cheaper generic equivalent) 30/70 and there you go. There's a lot of info on this on the forum. Use the search.


Not this stuff:
http://www.essind.com/ace/msds/2828msds-en.pdf
They call it "no rince" TSP substitute
Neither is this sold at ACE
Jasco® TSP No Rinse Substitute
http://www.homaxproducts.com/msds/pdf/0 ... _30_04.pdf

I suspect they got rid of the Sodium Silicate product in favor of something less harsh.
Some idiot soccer mom probably splashed it on her two her old's face and the world lost it's mind again punishing every one for the stupidity of one person like they did with Chlordane.

Re: Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:55 pm
by ajdelange
EDTA shines where one has deposits of calcium carbonate (and possibly even oxalate i.e. beerstone). These will not dissolve in the highly alkaline environment established by washing soda and meta but EDTA will pull the calcium out.

Re: Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 10:05 am
by Bokonon
washing soda is sodium carbonate. you really want mostly sodium percarbonate instead. the generic oxiclean products are usually around 60% sodium percarbonate and 40% sodium carbonate

I use the "sun oxiclean" and RedDevil TSP/90 in my mix

Re: Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 12:08 pm
by Cliff
Bokonon wrote:I use the "sun oxiclean" and RedDevil TSP/90 in my mix


Somewhere I recall having a conversation with a fellow who tried cleaning his Stainless BBQ with TSP. He claimed that it etched his stainless wrecking the shiny finish.

I've read the Palmer section on TSP and the Brewing Techniques passage on the topic and wondered about TSP and what I was told by the unhappy Barbecue owner.

TSP is still available though the Nanny State Nazis are trying to ban it like they did Chlordane. Ask me about my very expensive toaster and why it won't make toast.


One up-side for TSP is that is rinses away supremely well. That's why painters use it. Cleaning off the cleanser is a snap.

Re: Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 3:01 pm
by alanzo
I can clean like six fermenters with 4.5oz of the "expensive" stuff by reusing the solution... what's the issue? One of those $40 tubs lasts me MONTHS and I brew nearly every weekend...

Re: Expensive Brewery Wash decoded

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:10 pm
by Cliff
re-use is not an option for me.

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