dip tube for keggle

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bellsbrat

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I am building a keggle to be used as a boil kettle and would like to know if it is ok to use a copper tube and a brass coupler for the dip tube or will this impart undesirable flavors or other nasties?
 
lead in brass really,WOW,learn somethin everyday

IMO, the minute amount of lead that is present in brass is nothing to be concerned about. You can passivate brass to mitigate the potential hazard, but I never bother and I'm still above ground.

IIRC, Palmer details the passivation process in How to Brew:

http://www.howtobrew.com/

"Cleaning Brass
Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 5 minutes or less at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green and the brass darkens, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve, exposing more lead. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution."
 
so why do so many people use the way more expensive stainless

IMO, it's primarily for the bling appeal. I would use stainless myself if it were not for the high cost. Secondary considerations for me are the somewhat limited variety and availability of the fittings.
 
But who sees the bling on the inside of the kettle, MLT, HLT?

He who seeks the bling shall find the bling no matter how well concealed. Bling appreciation is in the eye of the bling beholder. A Mercedes in the barn is as good as a Mercedes in the driveway.
 
Just to note, since I started building my AG equipment I have noticed on the packages of my brass fittings that I purchase from Home Depot all say "Lead Free"
 
Just to note, since I started building my AG equipment I have noticed on the packages of my brass fittings that I purchase from Home Depot all say "Lead Free"

Well i know in California that some things sold there are different then other places, as far as the chemicals in the products. I was at Home Depot here in Texas and i was looking at some brass couplings and hose bards and i looked at the package "Contains Lead-Illegal for sale in California and some other state" I think it was Cali and Vermont or something, but California for sure. Thought that was kind of a weird thing to see on a product package.
 
Well i know in California that some things sold there are different then other places, as far as the chemicals in the products. I was at Home Depot here in Texas and i was looking at some brass couplings and hose bards and i looked at the package "Contains Lead-Illegal for sale in California and some other state" I think it was Cali and Vermont or something, but California for sure. Thought that was kind of a weird thing to see on a product package.

Interesting.
 
IIRC, ingesting lead can cause lead poisoning, but not cancer. The authorities in California seem to think that everything causes cancer. They could be right.
 
I wouldn't say its for the 'bling' factor, at least for me it wasn't. I recently got a pickup tube for my keggle off of bargainfittings.com. A SS side pickuptube is like $23 bucks. I'm sure you could get a brass/copper combo for ~$10 but I'm not a plumber and I would probably buy the wrong size parts, spend the better part of the day going back and forth from the hardware store trying to get the correct size fittings. It was the convenience thing that got it for me, one stop shopping, buy it online and let it come to me. An extra $10 is well worth the missed headache in my mind.

Just my $.02, besides whats $10-$15 when you're gonna spend $150+ on a keggle
 
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