Cleaning

FermZilla All Rounder 30L & 60L | Cleaning

Cleaning is essential in order to ensure that you have trouble free fermentation and minimise the risk of infection or contamination. The recommended cleaner for the FermZilla range is StellarOxy. Stellarclean may also be used however it is important to limit contact time to 30 minutes or less as prolonged contact time with StellarClean PBW can degrade PET. StellarOxy is sufficient in most situations. StellarCleam PBW can be more effective on oils (for example, if using a large amount of dry hops in the FermZilla it can be preferable to use StellarClean.

Once cleaned the FermZilla should also be sanitised. StellarSan Sanitizer is the recommended sanitiser for interior surfaces. For exterior fittings such as carbonation caps etc, we recommend spraying with Ethyl Sanitiser Spray

NOTE: The FermZilla must be cleaned and sanitised before use.

Cleaning The FermZilla

1. Carefully release all pressure from the FermZilla vessel

2. Rinse the walls of the FermZilla vessel and the lid with cold water. A garden hose is particularly useful for rinsing and dislodging yeast/hop matter

3. Use a non-abrasive cloth (microfibre cloths are ideal) to remove any stuck on particulate matter from the walls of the FermZilla and lid

4. Fill the FermZilla with cold water and the correct dosage of StellarOxy or StellarClean according to the instructions on the tub. After 30 minutes of soaking, gently wipe away any soiling with a soft cloth. Make sure not to use harsh scrubbers that may scratch the plastic and create ideal places for batch-ruining bacteria to hide. NOTE: If using StellarClean it is important to limit contact time to 30 minutes

5. If there is a large amount of hops or yeast coating the walls of the fermenter it is best to perform a longer overnight wash using StellarOxy. Do not leave StellarClean in the vessel for longer than 30 minutes as this can damage the tank

6. Remove the lid and drain the StellarClean or StellarOxy solution and then rinse thoroughly using cold water - a garden hose is ideal for this

7. Fill the FermZilla with cold water again and add StellarSan according to the instructions on the bottle. Reattach the lid and shake the full FermZilla to coat all surfaces - contact time of 60 seconds is required for StellarSan to be effective. It is safe to leave StellarSan (at the correct dilution) in the tank. However, prolonged contact with StellarSan can cause harmless discolouration of the silicon dip tube

Cleaning The FermZilla with a Bucket Blaster

The Bucket Blaster is ideal for cleaning a FermZIlla.

1. Assemble the Bucket Blaster according to the instructions

2. Connect the Bucket Blaster to power, ensuring a Drip Loop is used as per the instructions

3. Fill the Bucket Blaster with water that is less than 40°C until the pump is fully submerged.

4. The the suggested correct dosage of StellarOxy or Stellarclean to the bucket. Ensure it is correctly diluted

5. Carefully release all pressure from the FermZilla vessel

6. Rinse the walls of the FermZilla vessel and the lid with cold water. A garden hose is particularly useful for rinsing and dislodging yeast/hop matter. This step is optional when using a Bucket Blaster but will help ensure thorough cleaning and speed the process up

7. Place the FermZilla upside down on the stand and insert the spray wand and jet into the opening of the vessel

8. Turn the pump on and allow the Bucket Blaster to do the rest

9. Once the FermZIlla is clean, repeat the cleaning process using clean water (no more than 40°C) to thoroughly rinse the FermZilla

10. Fill the FermZilla with cold water again and add StellarSan according to the instructions on the bottle. Reattach the lid and shake the full FermZilla to coat all surfaces - contact time of 60 seconds is required for StellarSan to be effective. It is safe to leave StellarSan (at the correct dilution) in the tank. However, prolonged contact with StellarSan can cause harmless discolouration of the silicon dip tube

Cleaning the PRV

If krausen or sticky wort has contacted the PRV you will need to clean the PRV to ensure it still activates at 35psi.

This can be easily done by releasing the pressure in the FermZilla by pulling on the ring pull until no pressure is left in the vessel, then unscrew the PRV.

Submerge this PRV in StellarClean solution to remove any sticky residue. Once all the residue has been removed, rinse and then sanitise the PRV with StellarSan or ethyl kill solution and screw back in to the pressure lid. The Carbonation Caps can also be removed, dismantled and cleaned in the same manner.

It is recommended to clean the PRV and Carbonation Caps every few brews to ensure that no sticky wort build up causes issues.

Cleaning the BlowTie Spunding Valve

When fermenting under pressure or if fermentation has been particularly active or vigourous krausen or beer may enter the Spunding Valve. In this situation the Spunding Valve will need to be disassembled and cleaned to ensure it operates correctly.

Follow these steps to disassemble and clean a Spunding Valve

1. Completely remove the yellow adjustment knob and spring

2. Unscrew the four large screws on the face of the Blowtie Spunding Valve and the two small screws on the housing of the integrated pressure gauge

3. Remove the integrated pressure gauge housing and the integrated pressure gauge by gently pulling up on the dial

4. Remove the face of the BlowTie Spunding Valve

5. Remove the diaphragm assembly

6. Remove the collets on the duotight fittings

7. Remove the o-rings within the duotight fittings

8. Soak all components in StellarClean solution for 30 minutes and then reassemble

This process is also covered in this video

BlowTie Spunding Valve Cleaning