Oxiclean + Aluminum = Black

63belair said:

Hi everybody,

**I apologize in advance for a topic that has been covered before. I did some searching and read several old threads before posting here, but most of the threads seemed to dissolve into talking about stainless steel pots or the merits of aluminum in general. I definitely learned some good stuff, but unfortunately I don't have all day to read through these threads at work**

I filled my aluminum boil kettle up with hot water and about a half scoop of oxiclean a few days ago to remove labels from commercial bottles. All was going well for the first couple days, labels began to float off in the first 24 hours or so, and then I continually added more bottles to the pot to remove labels. When I checked on the pot today, I noticed that it was much darker than normal. The side of the pot (up to the water line) is now a very dark gray/black. The bottom appears to be normal.

I dumped out the oxiclean solution and gave it a quick rinse with hot water, which didn't make any noticeable difference. I attacked the pot with a green scrubbie and some dish soap, which also didn't appear to make a difference. I then filled the pot with hot water and some dish soap and left it to soak while I was at work.

My questions are:

1. Is this black "staining" oxidation?
2. Did I ruin my aluminum pot?
3. If I did ruin the pot, is there a way to refurbish it?
4. Should I be concerned with this black layer/is it ok to use for boiling wort?

Final question: Would a HD Homer Bucket be a better container to use for getting labels off of bottles with oxi-clean?

Any and all help or insight is greatly appreciated. Also, if I should have posted this in the Equipment section I apologize.

Here are just a few of the threads I read through while trying to determine an answer:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/faq-aluminum-pots-boil-kettles-49449/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:homebrewtalk.com+oxiclean+%2B+aluminum&hl=en&safe=active&prmd=ivns&ei=WOQBTq_4L4b00gGRi62NDg&start=0&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=685

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63belair said:

My questions are:

1. Is this black "staining" oxidation?
2. Did I ruin my aluminum pot?
3. If I did ruin the pot, is there a way to refurbish it?
4. Should I be concerned with this black layer/is it ok to use for boiling wort?

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Beerrific said:

1. Yes, Heavy oxidation.
2. No.
3. Yes, add the same amount of oxiclean and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Watch it. It will get all shinny again as the high pH removes the heavy oxidation. Rinse and fill with water and re-boil to build up a thin oxide layer.
4. Yes. You want oxidation, but this heavy layer might come off in your beer and leave a metallic taste.

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63belair said:

So it sounds like:

My brew pot is heavily oxidized and not ruined. The large amount of oxidation on my pot could affect future brews, so I should remove it by soaking with an oxiclean solution for 10-15 minutes (at which point the black "stain" should be gone). At this point my pot will no longer have a protective oxide layer, so I should fill it with plain water and boil to build up a small oxide layer. Once this has been accomplished I should celebrate with a home brew and commence brewing another batch.

Does that sound about right?

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