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tripandivy · 01-02-2010, 08:26 PM

hey my dad and i are new to brewing and we bought a kit with everything well need except a wort chiller. i know they arent necessarily needed especially for new brewers. but my dad works well with copper so he designed and build his own and it turned out great. i just think there is one problem with it.

He used silver to solder the copper together to keep it more ridged. there are oxidation areas where he used the torch and im afraid it will ruin our first brew. Is soldering a big "no-no" with home brewing or do you think it will be ok to use. ive tried a few times to clean the areas really well to get as much as i could off but i feel like it shouldnt be there at all.

**Bobby_M** · 01-02-2010, 09:48 PM

No, it's fine as long as it's not a blue coating. Think about all the solder in home plumbing. Where in NJ are you?

tripandivy · 01-02-2010, 10:22 PM

is there a better way to get the "grime" off i feel a little uneasy having it on there it looks like it can come off pretty easily. we live in williamstown.

**Bobby_M** · 01-02-2010, 10:37 PM

Any kind of acid mixed with some warm/hot water will clean it up nicely. If you've got starsan, you can use that or even white vinegar (about 2 cups in 4-5 gallons of water).

tripandivy · 01-02-2010, 11:09 PM

awesome thanks for the help! ill let you i know how it turns out once we actually get to brewin