PBW vs TSP

[Jean-Sebastien Morisset]

Does anyone know how PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) compares to TSP
(Trisodium Phosphate)? I know TSP can be very caustic and dangerous to
use, but I wonder if it also cleans better than PBW. TSP certainly did a
nice job cleaning my kettle, but I had to wear long/thick gloves with
long sleeves, etc., including eye protection. I'm hoping PBW might be as
good, but less dangerous. :-)

Thanks,
js.

[John 'Shaggy' Kolesar]

Post by Jean-Sebastien Morisset
Does anyone know how PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) compares to TSP
(Trisodium Phosphate)? I know TSP can be very caustic and dangerous to
use, but I wonder if it also cleans better than PBW. TSP certainly did a
nice job cleaning my kettle, but I had to wear long/thick gloves with
long sleeves, etc., including eye protection. I'm hoping PBW might be as
good, but less dangerous. :-)

If you have to dress up like you're a member of a Hazmat team before
cleaning your kettle, I would guess your concentration of TSP is way too
high. You don't need anywhere near what the directions on the box
(which are geared towards paint/finish stripping) say. I just eyeball
it, but I would guess I use less than half a cup of powdered TSP per 5
gallons of water.

The only time I've had a problem is if I get the solution on an open
cut, which stings a bit. Otherwise I just use bare hands, etc, when
cleaning with it.


John.

[Jean-Sebastien Morisset]

Post by John 'Shaggy' Kolesar

Post by Jean-Sebastien Morisset
Does anyone know how PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) compares to TSP
(Trisodium Phosphate)? I know TSP can be very caustic and dangerous to
use, but I wonder if it also cleans better than PBW. TSP certainly did
a nice job cleaning my kettle, but I had to wear long/thick gloves with
long sleeves, etc., including eye protection. I'm hoping PBW might be
as good, but less dangerous. :-)

If you have to dress up like you're a member of a Hazmat team before
cleaning your kettle, I would guess your concentration of TSP is way too
high. You don't need anywhere near what the directions on the box
(which are geared towards paint/finish stripping) say. I just eyeball
it, but I would guess I use less than half a cup of powdered TSP per 5
gallons of water.

For cleaning my kettle, I find that a little water (say 1-2 cups), and
about 1 cup of TSP, with an abrassive pad (the black ones sold at the
hardware store), does a really good job. BUT, you gotta be careful not to
get this stuff on you. :-)

To clean my "system" I usually mix in 50ml of TSP with 5gal of warm/hot
water (I'm Canadian, so we often mix metric and imperial) :-), and let
recirculate for 15-20 mins. This has worked fine in the past, but I feel
it might be a little corrosive for brass, copper, etc. I also have to
rinse quite a bit -- I don't want any TSP left behind. :-)

So, I'm looking forward to trying PBW, but I wonder what to expect. I've
also seen quite a few different recommended quantities -- from 1-2 oz per
5 gallons, up to 1-2 oz per gallon for kettles. Does anyone here use PBW
regularly, and if so, what quantities do you use to clean your kettle,
fermenter, and CF chiller, etc.?

Thanks,
js.

[John 'Shaggy' Kolesar]

Post by Jean-Sebastien Morisset

Post by John 'Shaggy' Kolesar

Post by Jean-Sebastien Morisset
Does anyone know how PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) compares to TSP
(Trisodium Phosphate)? I know TSP can be very caustic and dangerous to
use, but I wonder if it also cleans better than PBW. TSP certainly did
a nice job cleaning my kettle, but I had to wear long/thick gloves with
long sleeves, etc., including eye protection. I'm hoping PBW might be
as good, but less dangerous. :-)

If you have to dress up like you're a member of a Hazmat team before
cleaning your kettle, I would guess your concentration of TSP is way too
high. You don't need anywhere near what the directions on the box
(which are geared towards paint/finish stripping) say. I just eyeball
it, but I would guess I use less than half a cup of powdered TSP per 5
gallons of water.

For cleaning my kettle, I find that a little water (say 1-2 cups), and
about 1 cup of TSP, with an abrassive pad (the black ones sold at the
hardware store), does a really good job. BUT, you gotta be careful not to
get this stuff on you. :-)

That's extraordinarily (aka "Holy Cow!") strong. I doubt you really
need the concentration anywhere close to that high to get the kettle
clean.


John.