40 replies to this topic

[sandman]

Howdy all. Here is a pdf document outlining my bulk steam pasteurization this time. It involves a Wagner 705 steamer and a 55 gallon drum. Tell me what ya think!

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•  past.pdf   652.14KB   1201 downloads

[Hippie3]

sweet.
got the non-pdf version ?

[Myc]

Nice project Sandman!
I've always wondered how you guys were doing this.

Since you've probed the temps, what temperature is actually acheived?

[sandman]

it gets to about 170 degrees if I remember correctly. I will probe again and double check that though. I done forgot but I remember it was proper, its been a few months or so.

[TVCasualty]

I wish more teks advocated the use of a two-handed machete.:headbang:

Nicely done, it all looks real neat and tidy (both the tek and your actual setup). :eusa_clap

[gsmith1981]

:eusa_clap

[goldenteacher1163]

looks good !
how long do you leave the sub in to make sure that it is done?

[aumbrellaforainydays]

awesome, simple as pie!

[Hippie3]

170's a bit on the high side,
a brief stay at 170*F won't ruin pasteurization
but long-term exposure to temps that high
is more accurately termed
partial sterilization
which means many of the microbes we wanted to live
are now dead, making the material more prone to contam.
you really want temps in the 150-160*F range
for true pasteurization,
the lower temps will let the desirable microbes survive
in sufficient numbers to help keep any competitor contams
at bay.

[TVCasualty]

170's a bit on the high side,
a brief stay at 170*F won't ruin pasteurization
but long-term exposure to temps that high
is more accurately termed
partial sterilization
which means many of the microbes we wanted to live
are now dead, making the material more prone to contam.
you really want temps in the 150-160*F range
for true pasteurization,
the lower temps will let the desirable microbes survive
in sufficient numbers to help keep any competitor contams
at bay.

Once I got obsessive-compulsive about keeping pasteurization temps in that 150-160℉ range I was utterly amazed at how much more resistant to trich and other contams everything became (substrates and casing soil mixes).

I also noticed (when doing oven-pasteurization of peat-based casing soil in plastic oven bags) that when I kept the soil at around 160℉ for at least 2 hours, it would take much much longer to cool down to room temp. I'd take the bags out of the oven and put them in front of my flow hood to cool off quicker, and often the temp inside the bags would still be at or over 100℉ up to 10 hours later. I used to just get the temp inside the bags to 160℉ then immediately cut the heat, and they'd cool down in only a few hours (plenty cool by the following morning) but I'd also have problems with contams. In both cases the center of the bags were at the same temp. when I took them out of the oven.

I stick an oven thermometer probe inside the bags before I put them in the oven so I knew the middle had truly reached 160, but I suppose the 2 hours I now give them at that temp allows the thermophiles to reproduce more and their metabolism is what I think keeps the temps higher longer. At this point I believe that's the key to the whole process being successful.

[Lazlo]

Yeah, that is a bit hot. 165 for 1 hour is the highest temperature/time I recommend. Penn St. does their pasteurization at 145 for 4 hours, a lady graduate of their program that now teaches at a university does hers at 150 for 2 hours and through experience i've found 165 for 1 hour to be good.

I've mentioned this before many times, so don't get annoyed with me. The Ranco ETC-111000 is awesome for bulk substrate pasteurization. You simply put the probe in a clean jar sealed with RTV and then you put the jar in the center of the material. The Ranco will shut down when the temperature it's set to gets to that in the core of the material. And will turn on the steamer once it gets below that temperature. It's awesome! I can show mine if you want me to. Sort of anyways.

[Hippie3]

how much $$ is one ?

[goldenteacher1163]

foaf now keeps straw at 150 for 1.5 hours and it is much more resistant than when he was heating it up to 170

[Lazlo]

Here's where I got mine. I bought 2 of them the price was so good.

http://www.alltherma...&Category_Code=

[TVCasualty]

Here's where I got mine. I bought 2 of them the price was so good.
http://www.alltherma...&Category_Code=

Awesome. :bow:

I just placed my order. I've been looking for that kind of thing for awhile now 'cause I'm sick of buying half-assed gear that only sort of does what I need it to or rigging up homebrew solutions that nearly catch my house on fire.

[Lazlo]

Yeah, it's sweet. Like the idiot moron I can be, I bought a steam generator for a sauna that ran me nearly $600 too. The whole Wagner thing flew right over my head on that one. Now i'm stuck having to build a sauna at some point in time. Hehehe.

[gsmith1981]

so lazlo how do you wire that in. mind to give us a peak?

[Myc]

:bow:
Thanks Lazlo, you are the man!!

This website should be offering you a sales commission since it appears as though you just sold at least two units for them inside of a day!

livewire,
Wiring these units is simple.
I couldn't find specific instructions in the .pdf
but it's just a glorified switch
manufacturer's instructions should be included with the unit.
There will be a wire clearly marked "line" or "input"
where the 120v source is connected
There will be a wire clearly marked "load" or "output"
indicating the 120v switched output to your device
And finally, at least one wire marked "L2" or "neutral"
where the white wire from your voltage source is connected.

One could just wire this puppy to supply switched voltage to a receptacle outlet.
Plug your steamer into the outlet
Place the probe in the substrate inside the steam cabinet as Lazlo suggests
Supply power to the unit
Set the temperature
and walk away for a few hours.

[TVCasualty]

This website should be offering you a sales commission since it appears as though you just sold at least two units for them inside of a day!

Or maybe Hip should buy enough to get the wholesale rate and offer them at Mycrotopia?

[Lazlo]

Workman is the one that brought it to my attention, so he would deserve his cut as well. :)

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1216571729

All you do is cut the male plug off of the Wagner and cut the female plug off of an extension cord the length you'll want to use. It will power the Ranco and the Ranco will power and control the Wagner. You'll need a 4" single length of wire also, because you'll need it as shown here. The unit comes with easy instructions for installation. But if you have a hard time, just copy what i've done here while looking at the directions as well. Really easy.

Here's what I was talking about while referring to the probe in jar thing. Excess humidity can and will damage the probe, so do put it in a sealed jar. A little humidity won't kill you.

http://mycotopia.net...=1&d=1216571729

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