immersion chiller cleaning for first use.

hello. this is scott. i made an immersion chiller today out of 3/8 x50ft stock. i put in some stabilizers to hold the coil rigid and make it easier to handle. i soaked the ic in white vinegar and water for approx. 30mins. post fabrication. brought 4 gallons of water to boil on the stove in brew pot and tried out the ic. i was impressed at 70f in inder 10 minutes. the coil was patterned on my 5gal keg. at this time i only have a 5gal brew pot. the ic was made a bit tall with the idea that it will work in a 8-10g brew pot to be purchased. the top few coils were sitting above my test boil of 4 gals today, so...the question i have from you fine folks is:

should i clean/ scrub the ic additionally in something like an oxyclean or other? i am concerned about flux residue left on the ic. what about soaking it in the boiling water again for longer than the test run cool down? i just dont want to add crap to my brews. i searched the site but did not find an answer. what are your thoughts? thanks, scott

Did you let the IC actually boil in the water, or just cool it down?

I ruined a batch by not cleaning mine at all.
Sounds like you've done what you can.

You may want to boil it for a few (15-20) mins in some water if you didn't already, then clean well with some dish soap, but you're probably good to go.

Chill on!

After that, you only really need to wipe/rinse it off after a cool. Put it in the kettle of wort for 10-15 mins at the end of the brew, that will kill any nasties on it. (sounds like you might know this part already, but as long as I'm posting...)

Clean it with hot water and some dish soap and a green scrubbie. You should be able to get the "Nasty" residue and oils off, as it should look sparkling, just like Copper, rather than Dull and Grey. Rinse well or place in boiling water to clean off residue from washing.

I put it in my 5 gal of Sanitizer the day of brewing and then into the wort for use, followed by returning to sanitizer for cleaning when done. Keeps it nice and bright and clean.

Cheers and nice job of making one for yourself!

I boiled mine for about 30 mins in a viniger and water mix and then let it sit overnight. The next day, the copper that was in the water has a very nice and shiney new look to it.

hello. so i went ahead and boiled a kettle of water with about 3 cups white vinegar. i let the ic boil in soln for and hour. i found more surface sludge and some small pieces of solder remaining. i rinsed and scrubbed with a mild dish soap at my welds. i cleaned the pot and im reboiling once more in vinegar just in case. thanks for all the input.

for my previous batches--x6 i have been taking the kettle outside and putting it in the snow bank. when it was 40below it still took about 40minutes to get to an acceptable pitch temp. with these cleaning boils i have been using the therm to check and i am just awed at the speed of the chill. its taking between 5-8 minutes to get to 75 in the pot. my well water is 54 degrees from the tap, in addition i overbuilt the ic in anticipation of acquiring a larger kettle for all grain. its amazing how fast it cools now though. so again thanks for the help. im drinking a few pints of a pale ale a kegged last week the old way. cheers scott

JPicasso said:

Did you let the IC actually boil in the water, or just cool it down?

I ruined a batch by not cleaning mine at all.

Click to expand...

By this do you mean that it had an infection, or a coppery taste?