Phosphoric Acid to Clean Sanke Corny Keg?

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So I have a few small spots of rust deposits in my sanke corny keg. Really tough to get in there and scrub with a plastic pad, so I'm thinking about using a solution of phosphoric acid and water.

Just wondering what sort of dilution ratio of acid/water I should be looking at?

Any other warnings as far as rinsing/etc?

Thanks

Tim
 
As long as it's not WPA phosphoric acid, I think you'll be fine. If you're diluting chemically pure acid, you'll need to dilute it to around 25% concentration in order for 304 stainless to be able to handle it. 316 can go to around 35%, I believe.

I'm not sure how you'd go about rinsing this after cleaning in order to make it safe to brew with.
 
I would use baking soda to neutralize it after cleaning, and hopefully someone smarter than me can confirm this, but once it's neutralized and properly rinsed should be safe.
 
I believe what I have is 75% acid.

Hoping to get some rinsing advice?

Thanks

Tim
 
I have had good luck with oxalic acid - It's cheap and can be found at local mega do-it-yourself stores. It's marketed for wood bleaching. You only need a small amount.
 
CoolHandLuke said:
I have had good luck with oxalic acid - It's cheap and can be found at local mega do-it-yourself stores. It's marketed for wood bleaching. You only need a small amount.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty certain that Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) is Oxalic acid. Works great for this, but I normally use it with a brush (toilet brush works great)

You can find it just about everywhere (Walmart, ACE Hardware), even at amazon http://amzn.to/hFS76n
 
1+ for Bar Keepers Friend it has Oxalic acid in it so you are actually getting a mild passivation of the stainless steel. This should help you get rid of the rust. If you must use an acid I would reccommend Nitric Acid at 1 part concentrated acid to 9 parts H2O and let it soak for ~1/2 hour then rinse with plenty of water.
 
Does a soak in BKF work or will I need to scrub? It is tough to get anything inside to scrub a sanke keg (not much of any opening).

Where would I find nitric acid?

Thanks

Tim
 
Try BKF with a carboy brush. Otherwise, if you go with the concentrated acid, be sure to wear the proper gear and remember it is in an enclosed space. A lot of heat is given off as you add the acid to water.....you could get hit with fumes. That stuff is no joke!

FWIW, I'd only do that as a last resort....better to get a carboy/toilet brush....you'll need it anyway.
 
Thanks guys, will see what I can rig up with a srubbie, toilet brush, and some BKF.

Tim
 

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