Building my first MLT

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Turkeyfoot Jr.

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
361
Reaction score
1
Location
Hudson, NH
I received the last few pieces for my 5 G MLT yesterday, thanks to skifast1, and it will be getting assembled and tested this evening. Before I assemble it though I did have a couple questions for those using brass with their MLTs.

Did you guys soak the brass in a vinegar/peroxide mix prior to use?
Do you disassemble your MLT periodically and soak them again?

I have read that the initial soak will reduce the amount of surface lead but that use will cause the parts to deteriorate thus exposing more lead which is why you have to soak it again every so often. I was just curious what you guys do. I plan to soak mine tonight before building my MLT and then soaking it again every 10 batches or so just to be safe.
 
Roterdrache said:
I received the last few pieces for my 5 G MLT yesterday, thanks to skifast1, and it will be getting assembled and tested this evening. Before I assemble it though I did have a couple questions for those using brass with their MLTs.

Did you guys soak the brass in a vinegar/peroxide mix prior to use?
Do you disassemble your MLT periodically and soak them again?

I have read that the initial soak will reduce the amount of surface lead but that use will cause the parts to deteriorate thus exposing more lead which is why you have to soak it again every so often. I was just curious what you guys do. I plan to soak mine tonight before building my MLT and then soaking it again every 10 batches or so just to be safe.
Yes, it can't hurt to pickle it on the first time, and afterwards. I am sure that will be more than sufficient. I was thinking of doing it every year or so, if I remembered.... :)
 
Have only done it once when I built it.
The signs of:
* Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
* Muscular weakness
* Headache
* Abdominal pain
* Memory loss
* Reproductive impairment in men
I find to only be partially annoying. Naw really. I am of the school of thought that you will pick up more lead just in day to day life than you will get from a brass fitting on a mash tun. I don't take lead poisoning lightly, but I also am realistic about the amounts that you will pick up from something that was designed to be used in home water supplies.
 
FlyGuy said:
Yes, it can't hurt to pickle it on the first time, and afterwards. I am sure that will be more than sufficient. I was thinking of doing it every year or so, if I remembered.... :)

I have read up on "pickling" the brass initially. But I haven't seen anything about a time frame to when it's needed again. Just curious on when it should be done. Someone please enlighten me on when this should be done.

Of course I have already gotten the items for conversion of a 10 gal igloo cooler for my MLT. Right now I am contemplating getting another stainless valve and nipple from buyfittingsonline.com. I just don't know whether or not if I want to go with brass.
 
Modern brass fittings are fine. There is much less lead in them now than years ago when people weren't so conscious about the effects of toxicity in metals.

Having said that, pickling is a worthwhile precaution -- it is easy and takes little time. As to how often you need to do it, I am willing to bet just once. But it couldn't hurt to do it every year or 10 brews or whatever. Probably not necessary, though.
 
Drunkensatyr said:
Have only done it once when I built it.
The signs of:
* Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
* Muscular weakness
* Headache
* Abdominal pain
* Memory loss
* Reproductive impairment in men
I find to only be partially annoying.
Dude -- that's the residual effects from the ALCOHOL in the beer, not the lead!

Oh wait, maybe not the last one. Alcohol seems to have the opposite effect, from what I have seen. ;)
 
Drunkensatyr said:
Have only done it once when I built it.
The signs of:
* Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
* Muscular weakness
* Headache
* Abdominal pain
* Memory loss
* Reproductive impairment in men

Hey,.... I thought that this was just symptoms of getting older.
 
Thanks FlyGuy. I will soak my valves and spouts every few brews. The whole lead thing kinda bothers me.

But hey... I can remember as a kid when I went fishing it was nothing to put some lead weights in your mouth. You did this because you hadn't a tackle box and you needed the lead just to get your bait under water. Back then, we just didn't know.
 
the_Roqk said:
Thanks FlyGuy. I will soak my valves and spouts every few brews. The whole lead thing kinda bothers me.

But hey... I can remember as a kid when I went fishing it was nothing to put some lead weights in your mouth. You did this because you hadn't a tackle box and you needed the lead just to get your bait under water. Back then, we just didn't know.
Yeah, good point. I still fish a lot, and think nothing of handling lead weights. Even though I don't put them in my mouth, I am willing to bet I pick up more lead that way than through my brass fittings in my MLT.
 
Back
Top