Are Brass fittings suitable or not?

CornyKegs 728
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bmckee56

bmckee56

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I have access to a brass ball valve and fittings I need to install on my current 5 gallon MLT and was concerned about the use of Brass instead of SS or copper.

I have a 1/2" brass ball valve (threaded), 1/2" threaded nipples of various length, silicone o-rings and what apears to be Brass washers and the nut for inside the MLT. I currrently use a pre-drilled bung with 3/8" copper pipe and tubing with a valve to control flow. This set-up has not leaked, but I would like to have something a bit more sturdy to work with.

So, is the Brass ok to use, or should I wait to get the SS weldless set-up from somewhere?

Thanks for the input.

Salute! :mug:
 
I used a brass ball valve, hose barb, etc on my MLT, have brewed a few hundred gallons of great beer with it and have no problems to report.
 
If you search around, you will see many discussions on this. Long story short, brass contains small amounts of lead. Lead can leach from brass in acidic environments. Whether or not (or how much) lead leaches into wort is up for debate. Brass fittings should not impact the flavor of your beer.

Some people pickle their brass parts using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, which when done properly removes surface lead. I however, don't even feel safe doing this, as your acidic could eventually expose lead again.

I didn't feel like messing with guesswork nor re-pickling. Lead accumulates in your body and, if it causes a problem, it certainly won't be immediate. I bit the bullet and switched to all stainless fittings.
 
The amount of lead is so minuscule you really should not get worked up about it. If you want to be safe, pickle the brass parts.

Look around the plumbing in your house, I'm willing to bet you have brass parts in several areas, be it faucet parts, the connectors in pex tubing, the shut off valve, etc.

If you want to pay 10x as much for a SS valve, go for it. Some of our Member vendors sell the bulkhead parts pretty cheap and it is handy to have all the parts without having to shop around 10 different hardware stores to get the correct parts.
 
You probably are exposed to more lead by common pollution in your daily life.
 
greenbirds said:
If you search around, you will see many discussions on this. Long story short, brass contains tiny, minuscule, almost unmeasurable (i.e., < 2 parts per billion) amounts of lead.
Click to expand...

There, fixed that for you...Enjoy the low cost and convenience of your brass fittings. :D
 
You are going to "hurt" yourself more by consuming the product you are making over that of whatever the stainless or brass fittings will contribute.

Now, maybe if you powdered the fittings in lead and used galvanized steel....
 
greenbirds said:
If you search around, you will see many discussions on this. Long story short, brass contains small amounts of lead. Lead can leach from brass in acidic environments. Whether or not (or how much) lead leaches into wort is up for debate. Brass fittings should not impact the flavor of your beer.

Some people pickle their brass parts using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, which when done properly removes surface lead. I however, don't even feel safe doing this, as your acidic could eventually expose lead again.

I didn't feel like messing with guesswork nor re-pickling. Lead accumulates in your body and, if it causes a problem, it certainly won't be immediate. I bit the bullet and switched to all stainless fittings.
Click to expand...

Aren't bullets made of lead?
 
estricklin said:
That might depend on which state you live in and what your usin e'm fer'.

But ya, I'm with everyone just use the brass.
Click to expand...

Right on! I just thought it was quite funny to speak about the lead content and then use the figure of speech of 'biting the bullet', because they're primarily made of lead.

I found this thread looking for information on the subject as well. I recently acquired quite a few very useful brass fittings and was wondering if I could safely employ them in my brewing/distilling projects.

Cheers to all and thanks for the good info on the brass fittings.
 
I was going to say all the brass I see at home Depot and Lowe's is lead free unless it's for gas lines... they have pretty much phased of the old brass already...
One thing I don't see mentioned is the brass will turn black where it's in contact with the wort... stainless is easier to keep clean and prevent off flavors from whatever the discoloring/ tarnished surface might add.
 
One thing I don't see mentioned is the brass will turn black where it's in contact with the wort... stainless is easier to keep clean and prevent off flavors from whatever the discoloring/ tarnished surface might add.
Click to expand...

Interesting.

I have used brass and copper fittings extensively in brewing gear exposed to hot beer wort and have never seen any discoloration.

On my system, typically the fittings exposed to the low pH beer wort stay shinier than the fittings that are only exposed to the air.
 

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