Large 20gal HDPE Barrel Fermenter Cleaning

What went wrong? Was this supposed to happen? Should I throw it out? What do I do now?

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manplant
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Large 20gal HDPE Barrel Fermenter Cleaning

Post by manplant »

I just bought a 20 gal closed lid #2 HDPE barrel to feremtn in. It was used to store olives and has an aroma. Ive cleaned it with PBW and Oxiclean separately. Any suggestions on what to use to get the olive aroma out?

Is this a concern?

This is what the seller recommends:

We have always used and Recommend : Dawn Dish Soap & Hot Water. Remember to take out the Gasket in the Lid ... that is where the aroma comes from ( Plastic is Non-Porous ) so it doesn't hold smells. After washing, just let Air Dry and that should eliminate any Aromas.

Ive soaked it in PBW, Oxi Clean and Now a 2x solution of Star San. Aroma isnt present after a clean rinse, but seems to come back after 20-30 minutes of drying.

Should I abort and revert back to my other ferm?
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Post by ColoradoBrewer »

I had a similar problem a few years ago with some plastic pails I got from a bakery that originally contained the icing they use to frost cakes. I tried most of the things you have, and like you without great results. But what did work was beaching them in the sun. Just let the barrel sit outside for several days in the sun. Of course, depending on where you live, we're at the time of year where the sun is less intense and not up as long, so it may take longer.
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Post by manplant »

good option. Will the aromas I smell translate into flavors and aromas in the beer? Ive had old #2 buckets that smelled like !@# and could never seem to rid the aroma of prev yeast. , but the beer was fantastic.

Any thoughts?
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Post by ColoradoBrewer »

Yeah, the smell of a fermenting bucket can be pretty bad. But I've never had the smell affect a subsequent beer made in that bucket. So with your barrel I think as long as you have removed all traces of olive oil you'll be fine. To check it I guess you could fill the bucket with water and look for an oily sheen on the surface.
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Re: Large 20gal HDPE Barrel Fermenter Cleaning

Post by slothrob »

Like ColoradoBrewer, I've had luck with getting odors out with an afternoon of sun exposure. That seemed to help get rid of the plastic smell of a new cooler and a musty smell in an old bucket. An oxygen cleaner could help; something like Oxyclean or PBW. Bleach would probably do the job, but replace it with a bleach smell.
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