Strong cleaning suggestions

Add some dirt!!! No, really -- add some course sand to your carboy along with some hot soapy (and maybe a bit of bleach) water and just shake the bejeezus out of it. The sand will provide some scouring action to help loosen up the stuck on bits. The more you can swirl it around, the more scouring it will get.

I have the same suggestion as Greg, with a slight modification. Fill it with a soap/bleach/water solution, and let it soak over night (or longer). Empty it, then add a handful of builder's sand (the sort that you add to cement to make concrete), add just enough water to swish it around (the less water, the more abrasive the sand), and swish it around until the deposits are removed. Takes about 5-minutes for the heaviest deposits I've seen so far.

An even better abrasive is to screen those small rocks that one finds around ant hills. They work great as scrubbers. I keep a small pot full around all the time for the very purpose mentioned.

You don't want something too abrasive, because glass can be scratched, or its finish "dulled". Not saying the ant-hill rocks will do that, but just cautioning anyone reading this thread that "more abrasive" is not necessarily better. That's why I add water to the sand, instead of just using a sandblaster.

Add some dirt!!! No, really -- add some course sand to your carboy along with some hot soapy (and maybe a bit of bleach) water and just shake the bejeezus out of it. The sand will provide some scouring action to help loosen up the stuck on bits. The more you can swirl it around, the more scouring it will get.

I have the same suggestion as Greg, with a slight modification. Fill it with a soap/bleach/water solution, and let it soak over night (or longer). Empty it, then add a handful of builder's sand (the sort that you add to cement to make concrete), add just enough water to swish it around (the less water, the more abrasive the sand), and swish it around until the deposits are removed. Takes about 5-minutes for the heaviest deposits I've seen so far.

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Household soda and fairly hot water works a treat on all my dirty demijohns. Rinse it well afterwards.

Oh! yes by all means use water with the ant hill gravel. I've used this method to remove stain, mould, etc for several years and have never seen any sign of abrasion damage.

A soaking with a _strong_ bleach solution might do the trick. Before that, you might try sodium carbonate in hot water to loosen most of the crud, and then scrubbing with your bottle brush to knock it loose from the walls.

In my chemistry class we used sulfuric/dichromate for tough cleaning problems, but that's no longer an easy option. :^(

Tom S

I have two of such demijohns... they're nice, and big, and thankfully, clean!!! But... I'm not sure what I"m going to make in them.... I can't imagine yet making that much wine at one time of the same kind, unless I get tons of grapes, a crusher, etc......to process them all. And being in Michigan, I don't have access to a lot of grapes except possibly Concord... But I got my demijohns really cheap inn Hamilton Ontario... so for now, I still keep em.

The big challenge: how to rack the wine! have to use a pump, I think!

Rick

54 litre = 14.27 gallons = about 200 pounds of grapes. You can destem and crush them manually in a few hours. Or you could purchase already crushed (and frozen) grapes from a number of sources, such as Peter Brehm Vineyards.

A full 54-litre carboy will weigh about 135 pounds (assuming it's made of glass). Two people should be able to lift that onto a table or workbench for siphoning. If your are by yourself, you can siphon half the volume from carboy to carboy with both carboys at the same level.Then you have half the (liquid) weight to lift, and 70-80 pounds isn't to bad. You could also rig up a winch, if you have a sturdy overhead rafter from which to suspend it. A pump would be easier, and a lot faster, though.

"Tons of grapes"? They're only 14 gallons apiece. It would take only about

200 pounds of grapes to fill one of those with wine, with enough left over for topping.

I hear that they grow Chardonnay in Ohio. Also, you can buy frozen must and juice from California. It _is_ a bit expen$ive though.

You could rack those by siphon. You might need some help to set them on a high bench a few months beforehand though. They probably weigh ~150 pounds when full.

Tom S

Rick, I don't know where you are in Michigan, but I do know there are wonderful wine grapes being grown there. I think dozen or more wineries in Lelenau peninsula produce some really terrific white wines. Also, southwest michigan has many vineyards growing good grapes. I'll bet you can find some source of grapes in MI better than concord for winemaking. Actually, as a native Michigander, I envy you being so close to wonderful fruit. It's more of a challenge here in North Dakota!! I do wish I was back home.

I know I'm 2 hours from Traverse City, and about 2 hours from Fennville, and the grape growing region down south. I once asked if they had spare grapes (2 years ago?) and they said: NONE! But I haven't checked since.

hey, if you ever come and visit "back home" come look me up! Fremont, MI

Rick Vanderwal

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yeah, I guess I meant: "TONS" of grapes as a metaphor.... I just went through a manual destemming and processing of 5-6 gallons of juice from concord grapes - took all day! But I don't have other equipment except the hands God gave me, and a victorio strainer I'm borrowing from a friend at church.

Someday. Rick

I've got a batch of cider in one of my demijohns... freshly pressed for C$0.55/litre, one can't go wrong. The other one will probably remain empty until it's time to rack the cider.

It's because of these new acquisions that I've started to look into pumps and such.

I would look for grape growers that are not wineries, but who sells grapes to the wineries and see if you could source a bit of fruit from them. Wineries are generally reluctant to sell their grapes, but the other farmers may.

Bummer, I was in your area in June. Took a 2 week trip from the tip of the Keewenau all the way down to Warren Dunes. I spent a couple of days winetasting in Lelenau and was very impressed. Don't know when I'll get back, but next time I'll look you up.

Rick Vanderwal "yeah, I guess I meant: "TONS" of grapes as a metaphor....

Rick - I work with smaller quantities of grapes (50 to 400 pounds) from my vineyard. Next time try crushing your grapes by foot while still on the stems, or better yet have your wife or girl friend do it. Then destem by rubbing the crushed grapes and stems over a 2-mesh stainless steel screen (2 holes per inch) positioned above your fermenter. This dislodges the crushed grapes and keeps the stems out of the must. It only takes a couple of hours to process 400 pounds of grapes and it's lots of fun.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas

You can speed up the destemming process with a milk crate or frame with 1" mesh chicken wire (preferably stainless steel) or a piece of 10-12" pvc pipe with a bunch of 1" holes drilled in it. Just place the frame over a bucket, and scrub the grape clusters across the holes. Takes about three hours to do what takes 9 hours by hand.

You can speed up the crushing process by taking a 4"x4" post (or 12" piece of 4x4 mounted on some sort of handle), and pounding the grapes butter-churn style in a bucket. Takes about 1/2 hour to do a 20-gallon primary full of grapes. The grapes try to float which makes it tricky, so you need to periodically pour or siphon off the juice into a second bucket.