Teflon Tape inside Boil Kettle

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Moonpile

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Our second hand keggle has a dip tube made from straight copper tubing and a 90 degree bend all threaded together. I want to dissasemble it to clean it since it was in a barn for years before we bought it.

Should I use teflon tape on the threads inside the boil kettle?

Here's a picture (oh and I cleaned all that cooked on beer and dirt off the bottom):

http://picasaweb.google.com/justin.cann/MoonpileSBeerPix/photo#5129545749356834882
 
From Wikipedia:

"While PTFE itself is chemically inert and non-toxic, it begins to deteriorate after the temperature of cookware reaches about 460 °F (237 °C), and decompose above 660 °F (350 °C). These degradation products can be lethal to birds, and can cause flu-like symptoms in humans."

If you got anywhere near those temperatures, your wort would be long gone.
 
raceskier said:
From Wikipedia:

"While PTFE itself is chemically inert and non-toxic, it begins to deteriorate after the temperature of cookware reaches about 460 °F (237 °C), and decompose above 660 °F (350 °C). These degradation products can be lethal to birds, and can cause flu-like symptoms in humans."

If you got anywhere near those temperatures, your wort would be long gone.

Well I was thinking about getting a banjo burner someday . . . :)

Sounds like I'm good to go then. It will certainly make reassembly and disassembly for cleaning much easier.
 
Based on the pic, your pick up tube appears to be brass, rather than copper. It has been my experience that you should use a small amount of tape on these threads, otherwise you will kill yourself getting them apart. I doubt you will have a large enough leak without tape to loose the siphen, but I would still add it for the reason mentioned above.

Also, you should read up on pickeling brass if I am correct on my assumption.
 
No problems using PTFE thread seal tape in your keggle. The continuous upper use temperature for PTFE is 500 F, despite what Wiki may say. It will start to decompose at its processing temperature which is over 700 F.
 
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