First Post ~ How do you sterilize a rubber stopper?

[shaq]

Hi All,

First post here. Great site ~ I've been lurking for months. I've been looking into home brewing. Everything looks self explanatory to me. The only thing I cant figure to do is how to sterilize a 33mm cap with an attached silicone septa or a rubber stopper. I have a pressure cooker but didn't now if 20 minutes at 15 psi inside a mason jar would be good or what. Then I worried about moisture on the caps or stoppers.

Thanks for any input
Shaq

 

[Matthew121]

Unless you are making huge batches for more than yourself. I would reccomend buying pre sealed sterile vials. Alot less of a headache, and alot more sterile.

 

[shaq]

Thanks for the reply. I want to use a bottle top filter into a media bottle. After looking a screw on caps with silicone septas they looked like a good idea. After filtering into the sterile media bottle you can screw on the cap and then draw into a syringe and transfer to a sterile vial with a vent needle in it. I guess I'd have to filter 100 grams as that seems like the minimum order from most. I've read the sore thumb posts and really want to use a bottle top filter and vacuum pump. The media bottle is easy enough to sterilize. I just cant figure out the cap/septa. Is an alcohol bath enough?

Thanks Again
Shaq

 

[Matthew121]

I made a batch of 200 ml with a bottle top filter, then just used 12ml syringes to fill 10ml vials. It simple and easy. I bought millipore vcuum top, I treated them as a 1 time use and chucked them afterwards, theyre only 10-15$ a pop

 

[sirxxxlew]

I steralize unsealed vials by washing them, alcohol bath and then baking them. Sterilizing the stippera I just use alcohol. Originally I used to cap myvreciever after filtering and draw through a 18g and then into my unsealed vials and stop them by hand wearing glove, then crimp. But after a while that got annoying and now I sterilized the vials and stoppers and when I'm done filtering I just draw out with nothing but a 60ml syringe right out of the open top receiver. I just made sure to do it in a very clean environment. Never had a problem with that. The only way its gunna get contaminated is if something physically falls in the neck of the vial.

 

[shaq]

Thanks for the reply SirLew. I ended up just swabbing the media bottle top with an alcohol pad a few times and let it dry ~ on the inside and on the top. It seemed to go fine. I guess I won't really know til i use it. Which by the way ~ I can't wait to do!!!!