Storing oxygen stones?

Fri Jul 25, 2014 10:17 am

I'm just wondering how people store their stainless oxygen stones. Currently after I use one I drop it in a bucket of PBW and let it soak for a day, then rinse and boil for 10 minutes to remove any trapped wort or PBW . After a day or two of drying I put it in a ziplock bag. I know they can be difficult to sanitize so my thought is once clean, store it in a small container ( baby food jar or something ) of star san that way it's sanitized and ready to use on brew day. Can anyone think of a reason this is a bad idea?
On Tap: nuthin :(
Fermenting: Dry Stout
Next up: APA
bigBbrews
 
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:50 pm
Location: Boring,Or

Re: Storing oxygen stones?

Sat Jul 26, 2014 6:10 am

I rinse, then boil mine for about 15-20 min immediately after use being sure not to touch it with my fingers ( the oils can clog the holes, I use a sanitized piece of foil for this). I let it quickly air dry, then store it in a small dish until boiling for use again. I once stored my stone in a ziplock bag after I thought it was dry and when I went to use it again I found that it had some weird dark stains on it almost rust-like. Have not done that since.
brewinhard
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 4060
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2008 8:41 am
Location: Fredonia, NY

Re: Storing oxygen stones?

Sat Jul 26, 2014 7:48 am

I wish someone with a disolved O2 meter would run a side by side between stone and no stone. I suspect that in 5-10 gallon batches that 10-12ppm O2 happens pretty quick either way. Probably in a larger fermentor where the bubbles are traveling several feet to reach the surface, tiny bubbles might make a difference.
Klickitat Jim
 
Posts: 240
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:26 pm

Re: Storing oxygen stones?

Sat Jul 26, 2014 8:29 pm

I know it's not really in line with the topic, but where do most folks get O2 from? I recently purchased an O2 stone and haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. Nor have I acquired O2.
"The word unblowupable is tossed around a lot these days..."
Homer Simpson
User avatar
bazookazilla
 
Posts: 408
Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:32 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Storing oxygen stones?

Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:24 am

I buy them from Home Depot. Red cylinders for about 6-8 bucks IIRC.
"A bad man is a good man's job, while a good man is a bad man's teacher."
brewinhard
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 4060
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2008 8:41 am
Location: Fredonia, NY

Re: Storing oxygen stones?

Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:18 pm

Any good hardware store will have the small red tanks, as mentioned, usually less than $10 a bottle
On Tap: nuthin :(
Fermenting: Dry Stout
Next up: APA
bigBbrews
 
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:50 pm
Location: Boring,Or

Re: Storing oxygen stones?

Mon Jul 28, 2014 6:57 pm

my hardware store told me benzomatic (the little red bottles) is no longer making them. They decided that it is not worth it anymore. I think i grabbed the last one at my local HD. I think Worthington still makes them for lowes.
barleyboy
 
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:09 pm
Location: Lakewood, OH

Re: Storing oxygen stones?

Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:15 pm

bazookazilla wrote:I know it's not really in line with the topic, but where do most folks get O2 from? I recently purchased an O2 stone and haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. Nor have I acquired O2.


I get my from welding gas store, Airgas, same place i get my CO2. I used to use enriched air(only 50% O2) from a SCUBA shop.
User avatar
Bad Goat Brewing
 
Posts: 317
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:46 pm
Location: Oregon

Next

Return to Brewing Equipment

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

A BIT ABOUT US

The Brewing Network is a multimedia resource for brewers and beer lovers. Since 2005, we have been the leader in craft beer entertainment and information with live beer radio, podcasts, video, events and more.