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Can you sterilize gear?

GangstaJDog

Banned
I have some deca that I had to filter, and I had to rinse the solid matter out of the bottom of the vial after drawing it out, so after doing that I rinsed the inside of the vial with isopropyl alcohol and blow dried it dry. I then injected the filtered gear back in, but I'm afraid the vial/gear isn't sterile. So as of now the vial is sitting in a pot of water that I just got done boiling and took off the burner. I don't really know if you are even supposed to do that with gear, but I gave it a shot anyway. Let me know if I made a stupid move, if I should just throw the stuff out, or if there's anything you know of that I can do to properly sterilize it for use.
 
Most use 250 degrees for about 15 mins. I've never done it personally but I'll bump this up for ya for some first hand experience. Later J
 
true vent and also I would do this 2 time at least. Most bacteria don't like a change in temps, so it you heat and then cool, it should kill them IMO.. I know Wardog will more than like disagree with me on this one ;)
 
What about the worry of evaporation? Will the oil evap at that temp? Should I just vent at intervals or leave it vented the whole time?
 
GangstaJDog said:
I have some deca that I had to filter, and I had to rinse the solid matter out of the bottom of the vial after drawing it out, so after doing that I rinsed the inside of the vial with isopropyl alcohol and blow dried it dry. I then injected the filtered gear back in, but I'm afraid the vial/gear isn't sterile. So as of now the vial is sitting in a pot of water that I just got done boiling and took off the burner. I don't really know if you are even supposed to do that with gear, but I gave it a shot anyway. Let me know if I made a stupid move, if I should just throw the stuff out, or if there's anything you know of that I can do to properly sterilize it for use.
Click to expand...

Here is what you want to do to put your mind at ease. Draw out all of the fluid from the vial and set the syringe aside. Thoroughyl rince the vial in some type of alcohol or acetone. I mean thoroughly to get all of the residual oil out of the vial. Let this drip dry for a couple of minutes while holding it upside down. Do not blow it dry either by mouth or hair dryer as both a disgustingly dirty, (no offence). Cover the top of the vial with a piece of aluyminum foil and dry the vail in the oven and gently increase the temp until you reach 400F or more and sustain for an hour. Allow the clean, heat sterilized vial to cool. Filter your gear into the vail and crimp right away. Then to further sterilize your gear inside the vial, place the vial inside a pressure cooker with excess of distilled water. The pressure cooker must be capable of 115-120 degrees celcius. Cook the vial for 20-25 mins. A pressuse cooker is very similar to an autoclave. There is no need to vent the vial. For an additional level of safety add one more heat/cool cycle inside the pressue cooker (check the water level insde the pressure cooker first).

This is nearly an absurd amount of overkill but you can be assured your gear is safe as safe can be.

The pressure cooker adds the safety of never getting too hot which can accidently happen to an oven. Melting and burning stoppers certainly sucks.
 
Re: Re: Can you sterilize gear?

Jack Smack said:


Then to further sterilize your gear inside the vial, place the vial inside a pressure cooker with excess of distilled water. The pressure cooker must be capable of 115-120 degrees celcius. Cook the vial for 20-25 mins. A pressuse cooker is very similar to an autoclave. There is no need to vent the vial. For an additional level of safety add one more heat/cool cycle inside the pressue cooker (check the water level insde the pressure cooker first).

This is nearly an absurd amount of overkill but you can be assured your gear is safe as safe can be.

The pressure cooker adds the safety of never getting too hot which can accidently happen to an oven. Melting and burning stoppers certainly sucks.
Click to expand...

Great post Jack!

Could I skip the 400 degree vial sterilizing part and just do the 115-120 degrees in the pressure cooker part to sterilize all of the gear that I buy before I use it?
 
i sterilize my homebrew in a little toaster oven. preheat the oven first to 250 to 300 degrees (i use 275), 3 times bake for 15-20 mins, let cool in between to room temp. i don't bother venting because i stuck holes in the top anyway when i injected the gear into the vial. it it builds up any pressure, it would come out of those holes before anything else happened.

that's an easy, simple way to do it and i'm having no problems at all. your gear may change color a bit, i wouldn't worry about that at all. you won't have any live bacteria in there, guaranteed.
 
Thanks broker mike!

I am also wondering about how to sterilize "commercial" gear (non-homebrew). I guess the procedure would be the same except I would need to vent?

I just don't trust any gear to be sterile after hearing horror stories about abscesses from commercial gear.
 
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