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I like that you soldered those elbows on. I built a double coil chiller but was worried about solder in the wort. Is this really an issue? If not I will do a quick fixer up and show off some new pics of it! Thoughts?
half_whit said:Could just be that my tap water comes out especially cold, but that 20 bucks of 3/8 copper got my chill time down to 8 minutes!
To the OP, let me make VERY CLEAR, I'm not attacking you, not even close I LOVE that you did this and want to do it very badly! In fact I have the stuff and plan to very soon. I was just hoping others had a specif answer about using solder in a 212 deg f unbalanced solution we intend to drink. Not just potable water.
My beer tastes like, uhhh, beer.
If you have doubts use a different method of chilling your beer.
aiptasia said:They aren't better than ice baths, they're faster. And ice is free.
"What did we learn in school kids? Two dissimilar metals in an electrolytic solution is a battery! And a battery in said unbalanced solution, means there would be electrolysis going on and displacing copper, lead and/or zinc ions into our precious wort."
The fittings on the guys chiller aren't in the wort. Copper is used in breweries for kettles and tuns, still is used and and has been for many years. The acid in wort isn't an oxidizing acid. It won't turn copper or solder green. However, it is electrolytic. There isn't enough acid in wort to cause a problem with the copper or the solder, in the hour or so that the wort is in contact with the metals. Yeast doesn't seem to have a problem with it. Silver bearing or no lead solder is used these days. Or, 45% silver braze can be used if there is a phobia about stuff leaching out. A copper fermenter would be another story. Due to the lowered pH and the longer time the fermenting beer is in contact with the copper. Since you have ran miles of pipe. Have you ever looked inside of a fitting, where the pipe bottoms out? When properly soldered. The amount of solder filling the gap between the pipe and fitting, is about the diameter of a hair. Not a lot of surface area touching the liquid. But, slop a bunch of flux all over the pipe and inside the fitting and overheat the fitting, expanding it. Will allow the flux to run down the inside of the pipe or fitting and the solder will follow it.
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