Wort chiller is real oxidized

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telebrewer

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Is it better to just start over and make a new one or try to scrub and clean the one I have? I plan on submerging it in hot vinegar after scrubbing it and see how it turns out. I'm hoping to use it, it's just the right size. I don't want toxic green powder in my beer though. Any suggestions? Thanks...
 
Scotchbrite (green kitchen scrubbing pad) and vinegar, or boil it in a vinegar solution. Any hot acid solution cleans it right up, which is of course what being in the wort does - so just get it cleaned up ahead of time, and store it in a dry place next time... Given the price of copper and the price of vinegar, cleaning it should be a big win over making a new one...
 
I agree, so long as you clean it thoroughly there is no reason to replace it. Vinegar works great, as does a double-strengh starsan mixture. For tough spots, try a little liquid Barkeeper's Friend along with that scotchbrite pad. It contains citric acid, and is great for cleaning up copper and other metals.
 
Vinegar should work(it always has for me). But if it's really, really bad, you can buy muratic(hydrochloric) acid at the hardware store and etch the copper to like new brightness. Go easy with the acid and be very careful!
 
Kahluaman, what is up with your sig? I thought the person moving was supposed to brign the beer! Otherwise there is no incentive for the friends to show up...
 
Vinegar should work(it always has for me). But if it's really, really bad, you can buy muratic(hydrochloric) acid at the hardware store and etch the copper to like new brightness. Go easy with the acid and be very careful!

This will work, but no way do you need to go this far. Copper cleans up easily. Barkeepers friend will work fine. Keep in mind, your chiller doesn't need to be shiny and bright all the time. Get rid of the green, and rinse well.....the boiling wort will clean your chiller up the rest of the way.
 
StarSan. Get you bucket and sanitize everything. Not your fermeter get a bucket just for cleaning. After everything is sanitized plop you wort chiller in the bucket with you StarSan. Let it sit for the first 45 mins of the boil. Then with something like 15min or so left in the boil place it carfully in your brew pot. It will be nice and shiney. No need for a double strength mix of StarSan. Im thinking about getting a bucket and leaving my chiller in the StarSan when not in use. But Im not 100% sure if this will harm it in anyway so Im holding off on it. I just dont like the idea of any of the **** on the chiller in my brew. I work pretty hard on my brews, well not all that true, I dont want any kind of copper oxidation in my beer. But Im a little girl like that.
 
+1 on the Star San. My chiller is always looking kind of dingy. After 5 minutes in Star San it looks brand new.
 
StarSan. Get you bucket and sanitize everything. Not your fermeter get a bucket just for cleaning. After everything is sanitized plop you wort chiller in the bucket with you StarSan. Let it sit for the first 45 mins of the boil. Then with something like 15min or so left in the boil place it carfully in your brew pot. It will be nice and shiney. No need for a double strength mix of StarSan. Im thinking about getting a bucket and leaving my chiller in the StarSan when not in use. But Im not 100% sure if this will harm it in anyway so Im holding off on it. I just dont like the idea of any of the **** on the chiller in my brew. I work pretty hard on my brews, well not all that true, I dont want any kind of copper oxidation in my beer. But Im a little girl like that.
i know this is an old post, but just experiencing this problem for the first time. i left my chiller in a bucket of star san for several weeks (i forgot i had it sitting in the solution) and now it's covered in verdigris as a result. it seemed like a good idea at the time... but i won't make that mistake again! sanitize it, then get it out and store it in a dry place. the verdigris isn't as easy to clean as people are making it out to be. perhaps they're thinking only of normal oxidation. in any case, soaking in new star san solution didn't work. neither did pbw. boiling in vinegar / water mix right now. i believe i'm going to have a lot of scrubbing to do.
 
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