Sanitizing vessels?

[crashlann]

I was wondering how some of you sanitize some of the irregular shaped equipment like auto-spiphons, racking canes... During fermentation when I want to check the gravity, I hate to fill a 7.5 gallon bucket just to clean my racking cane. I bought some 2" PVC and caps and cut it to length so I can just clean that and use a lot less iodophor. It was like 1.5 qt vs 7.5 gallons. Any other ideas or tricks? How long is the iodophor solution good if I close it up? Is using a spray bottle with sanitizng solution an option?Thx.

[BeerPal]

I use a long plastic tray to sanitize racking canes etc. Only have to fill up enough to cover whatever items are in it.

[jm]

Star san in a spray bottle.

[crockett]

I use one of those plastic trays they use when wallpapering. Works fantastic and only takes a small amount to cover all those long items. Wine thief, racking canes, hydrometer, etc.

It's long (slightly longer than a standard role of wallpaper obviously) and ~ 4" deep and ~ 4" wide.

[jwatkins56550]

Only time I use a racking cane is when I ferment in a carboy and need to keg from it. So I just throw it in the keg I'm cleaning.

[Bugeater]

To sanitize my autosiphon I just pump a little star san through it. That sanitizes the tubing too. I spray the outside with a spray bottle of star san. Sometimes I will use the wallpaper tray.

Wayne

[LoganO]

Sanitize your carboy and then rack out into another bucket so you are pulling sanitizer through the racking cane and the hose. If I am going to rack from a carboy to a keg I fill the keg with sanitizer and then push the sanitizer out with co2 and put the tube over the top of the racking cane and then connect the tube I will use to rack to the bottom so the sanitizer runs through everything. once that is done the keg line and cane has been purged with co2.

And I keep a keg of sanitizer around so I can push it with co2 to sanitize anything without having to make up a fresh batch of sanitizer all the time.

[crashlann]

Thanks, why sanitize the hydrometer? I clean my lightly after use, but I dont return that beer to the carboy after measuring. Also, is Starsan that superior to Iodophor? I havent had any contamintation issues, it sounds like it is quicker.