Oxyclean and Aluminum Brewpot

Hey guys so I recently used my turkey fryer aluminum brewpot for the first time. Initially I boiled about 6.5 gallons of water in the pot to oxydize it. I then brewed up my batch and left the pot half full soaking in water and dish detergent. So the next day I clean the pot and dry it and notice that the white towel I was using was getting silvery in areas while drying. I got a little nervous hoping this won't ruin my batch. So then I filled the pot up and let it soak with oxyclean to really clean it. My main question is will the oxyclean do anything bad to the pot if its been sitting for around 48 hrs? Been a few hectic work days and forgot all about the pot sitting there. Thanks.

Aluminum is a reactive metal, so I wouldn't leave it sitting around full of any liquid for too long. Liquid dish soap should be fine for cleaning it, but I'm guessing oxiclean would probably strip off the protective oxide layer.

I just rinse my aluminum pot off with warm water until I get all the crud off then I throw it upside down in its storage spot to air dry. Anything that is on it that gets in my brew gets boiled so not too concerned.

+1 just rinse with water, scrub off any boiled on crud with a washcloth, and store upside down.

fellow wrx driver

ditto. Never had any problems. The oxide layer is a good thing, in this case.

NO oxyclean! It will strip the protective layer off leaving a nasty black film on it that takes some serious scrubbing to clean. Then you have to boil water in it to get the layer back. I'm speaking from experience.

Woops. Ill have to see how its holding up when I get home. If all else fails ill boil again. Thanks for the input tho

I love my aluminum brew kettle, 32qt tamale steamer ftw. Just got a 30qt turkey fryer too that came with my propane outdoor burner.

snazzy said:

NO oxyclean! It will strip the protective layer off leaving a nasty black film on it that takes some serious scrubbing to clean. Then you have to boil water in it to get the layer back. I'm speaking from experience.

Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but that nasty black layer is actually the oxide layer. The oxyclean just oxidizes the surface way more than the atmosphere does. You can usually use a scrubbie sponge with good results and never have to resort to chemicals...as long as you clean up immediately after brewing.

ditto that! As soon as I drain the wort into the fermenter, I immediately clean the aluminum pot with little else beyond the garden hose, a rag and a little rubbing. Cleans up well, no muss no fuss and doesn't disturb the oxide layer.