Did iodophor kill my yeast?
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Did iodophor kill my yeast?
by brewpaul » Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:28 am
Hi,
I just used iodophor for the first time, and I'm a little worried that I soaked my fermenter in an iodophor-water solution for so long that the leftover residue has killed my yeast.
I picked up some iodophor at a local homebrew shop yesterday and used it to sanitize my primary fermenter (food-grade plastic bucket) and equipment. In the past, I've filled my fermenter with a water / no-rinse sanitizer solution and left the mixture in the fermenter while I brew – typically a couple of hours. I did the same with the iodophor-water solution, which I created by adding four teaspoons of iodophor to roughly seven gallons of hot water. After draining the fermenter, I gave it a quick rinse with water and then let it air dry.
When I finally emptied the fermenter, though, I noticed that the inside of the bucket had turned a pale yellow. The white bristles of a brush that had been soaking in the solution also took on this same dingy color.
It's now been 24+ hours since I pitched my yeast and I've yet to see any signs of fermentation – not a cause for alarm, but unusual. Is it possible that I left the solution in the fermenter for so long that it seeped into the walls of the bucket and that it's now seeping out, killing my yeast?
I just used iodophor for the first time, and I'm a little worried that I soaked my fermenter in an iodophor-water solution for so long that the leftover residue has killed my yeast.
I picked up some iodophor at a local homebrew shop yesterday and used it to sanitize my primary fermenter (food-grade plastic bucket) and equipment. In the past, I've filled my fermenter with a water / no-rinse sanitizer solution and left the mixture in the fermenter while I brew – typically a couple of hours. I did the same with the iodophor-water solution, which I created by adding four teaspoons of iodophor to roughly seven gallons of hot water. After draining the fermenter, I gave it a quick rinse with water and then let it air dry.
When I finally emptied the fermenter, though, I noticed that the inside of the bucket had turned a pale yellow. The white bristles of a brush that had been soaking in the solution also took on this same dingy color.
It's now been 24+ hours since I pitched my yeast and I've yet to see any signs of fermentation – not a cause for alarm, but unusual. Is it possible that I left the solution in the fermenter for so long that it seeped into the walls of the bucket and that it's now seeping out, killing my yeast?
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Re: Did iodophor kill my yeast?
by Wild » Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:00 am
Iodophor did not kill your yeast.
Iodophor is a no-rinse sanitizer so don't rinse.
Iodophor is iodine based so it stains. The stain will not hurt you except your inner clean freek. If it bothers you that bad, bleach the hell out of it then rinse a lot, then rinse a lot more.
Iodophor is a contact sanitizer, it sanitizes while it's in contact with your equipment. Do not air dry. Just drain and use.
Iodophor is best used with cold water. Hot water reduces its effectiveness.
Here are some causes for a lag in start time:
1. Old or insufficient yeast cells. Patience or re-pitch sufficient healthy yeast.
2. Incorrect wort temp. Too high kills or at least shocks yeast or too low which will put them to sleep.
3. Bad seal on bucket which can mean that there is no lag at all.
Good luck,
Wild
Iodophor is a no-rinse sanitizer so don't rinse.
Iodophor is iodine based so it stains. The stain will not hurt you except your inner clean freek. If it bothers you that bad, bleach the hell out of it then rinse a lot, then rinse a lot more.
Iodophor is a contact sanitizer, it sanitizes while it's in contact with your equipment. Do not air dry. Just drain and use.
Iodophor is best used with cold water. Hot water reduces its effectiveness.
Here are some causes for a lag in start time:
1. Old or insufficient yeast cells. Patience or re-pitch sufficient healthy yeast.
2. Incorrect wort temp. Too high kills or at least shocks yeast or too low which will put them to sleep.
3. Bad seal on bucket which can mean that there is no lag at all.
Good luck,
Wild
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Re: Did iodophor kill my yeast?
by curlyfat » Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:20 am
Well, he pretty well covered it all!
I will say that lags sometimes happen. I just had an imperial stout show no signs for 48 hours. Then the **@! thing went absolutely nuts and blew about a gallon of itself out of my blow-off tube! (big mess, but that's a whole other story)
I'd either relax, or re-pitch some more yeasties.
I will say that lags sometimes happen. I just had an imperial stout show no signs for 48 hours. Then the **@! thing went absolutely nuts and blew about a gallon of itself out of my blow-off tube! (big mess, but that's a whole other story)
I'd either relax, or re-pitch some more yeasties.
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Re: Did iodophor kill my yeast?
by brewpaul » Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:14 pm
Good news! I woke up this morning, went down to the fermenter, and there they were: bubbles! Woo hoo! Just took a bit longer than usual this time for the guys to get started.
Thanks for talking me down in the meantime. Good advice all around. Normally I can be patient, but those yellow stains from the iodophor had me a bit concerned. But now, all is well.
Thanks for talking me down in the meantime. Good advice all around. Normally I can be patient, but those yellow stains from the iodophor had me a bit concerned. But now, all is well.
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Re: Did iodophor kill my yeast?
by Kirby » Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:13 pm
"Good news! I woke up this morning, went down to the fermenter, and there they were: bubbles! Woo hoo! Just took a bit longer than usual this time for the guys to get started."
Good deal. I had a batch that too a long time to start and after 24 hours I shook the fermenter and swirled the batch vigorously. It started about 10 hours after that and turned out to be a good batch.
Cheers.
Good deal. I had a batch that too a long time to start and after 24 hours I shook the fermenter and swirled the batch vigorously. It started about 10 hours after that and turned out to be a good batch.
Cheers.
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