I was curious if there is a verdict on how effective automated processes have been for cleaning automated ball valves?
I know there has been some discussion on this topic on HBT, here's just one example, but I'm curious to hear thoughts on this. Brundog I think you've been running an automated cleaning process like this for roughly 5 years. Should I be concerned cleaning about moving to hard plumbing and motorized ball valves?
I'm still early in the planning process for a major brewery overhaul, including Brucontrol. I'm trying to get my arms around automated valves. It seems like there are a number of good motorized ball valves, but if you want an automated valve that's easier to clean it is much pricier.
I stumbled on these pneumatic tri-clamp butterfly valves on ebay, and realized the thing I was really worried about is how well-automated cleaning will work with ball valves. If Brucontrol doing 90 minutes of opening and closing while running hot PBW will get things clean, I'll plan around ball valves.
Thanks
Hi. I do personally use ball valves due to their cost and size. They are not ideal for clean operations because the ball valve seats have dead space behind them where gunk can collect. I do run an automated process following each brew where the valves are flushed (water only) and cleaned (hot PBW) and flushed again for an extended period of time (~2 hours) with multiple open/close cycles. My rationale is if the gunk got behind the seats, then the cleaning wash will too. I haven't dissassembed them yet so cannot speak definitively about how well it works.
