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Does the coil have to be stainless or will copper work, and what is the best size to use and how long of a coil is needed? Will 3/8 od do?
Copper lines should never be used for finished beer. The low pH of finished beer will cause copper and possible other metals to be leached into your beer.
brewmcq said:Copper is a "non-reactive" metal, and will only react to concentrated nitric acid... even then, all that really does is oxidize the copper, since it is a powerful oxidizer. Something as strong as Hydrochloric acid won't even touch copper.
Source: http://www.uncp.edu/home/mcclurem/ptable/copper/cu.htm
Also, with the short period of time the beer would be in contact it should be fine. Yes, stainless is preferred, but copper should work.
I would be less comfortable fermenting beer in a vessel with copper fittings where contact is over an extended period of time.
So you probably can get away with copper as long as all the proper precautions are taken, but why risk it?
"However, you need to be aware that copper can develop a toxic blue-green oxide called verdigris. Verdigris includes several chemical compounds cupric acetate, copper sulfate, cupric chloride, etc. and these blue-green compounds should not be allowed to contact your beer or any other food item because they are readily soluble in weakly acidic solutions (like beer), and can lead to copper poisoning (i.e., nausea, vomiting). To clean heavy oxidation (black) and verdigris, use vinegar or oxalic acid-based cleansers like Revereware Copper and Stainless Steel cleanser."
So you probably can get away with copper as long as all the proper precautions are taken, but why risk it?
Given the space and cost associated with coils of tubing why not get a cold plate and serve more beers?
So serve 6 beers for under $300 or hassle with a crap load of tubing??? You see what I chose to do!
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