Wash copper wort chiller before first use?

Hi,

Anyone have any advice on this? I'll be using it for the first time tomorrow (Tuesday). I've read that sanitizing chemicals shouldn't be used, but Palmer's How to Brew says either percarbonates (like OxiClean) or possibly distilled white vinegar...but how much or which?

Thanks!
Nige

I put 1 gal of White Vinegar and 1 Cup of salt in my 7.5 gal kettle.

Insert chiller and fill with water.

Bring to a boil. Remove chiller.

Rinse thoroughly.

Personally, I'd want to to wash it the first time to get any old machine oil or other crud off it, but I wouldn't sweat the details. A reasonable mix of OxiClean & water (I think OxiClean recommends a scoop per gallon or so but I'm not that precise), maybe scrub it with a green (nylon) Scotch-Brite, then rinse really well.

After using it, a hot water rinse & drying it off is all it should really take unless you accidentally drop it in the mud or something. I hardly ever clean mine, maybe a couple times per year, just rinse after use & dry.

I don't really clean mine ever..I wash it off with hot water when im done with it. When its time to use again...I put it back in the pot during the last 10 minutes of my boil...that should sterilize it...and the water left inside should never come in contact with the wort anyway...

I just made mine and the copper was 6 years old ..I just rinsed with hot water and used a brush on it..Sure didnt feel like anything oily was on it..Jeff

Just built one myself--haven't thought too much about it but will likely do something with Oxyclean. The vinegar idea sounds good too.

White vinegar is used to clean copper, not sanitize it. Soak it in white distilled for 60 min to clean. all you need is 6oz per 5 gallons.

Absolutely sanitize your chiller prior to first use. I usually soak mine in Star San for a bit. 1oz per 5 gallons.

ummm? wtf - "Personally, I'd want to to wash it the first time to get any old machine oil or other crud off it, but I wouldn't sweat the details."

Details are what separate the home brewer from the professional. Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. if you want your beer to taste like homebrew, by all means, don't sweat the details.

No need to sanitize it if you put it in your pot during the last 10-15 minutes of the boil since that will completely sterilize it. I gave mine a quick wipe down with a dish cloth soaked in oxiclean and then rinsed it off right before first time I used it and then right afterwards.

Give it a decent clean the first time you use it. There is probably some machining oil left on the copper. use the cleaner of your choice and dip it in there for a while or even cover with water in your pot and boil it for a bit. Then after that I just make sure I rinse it off after every use and clean off any gunk that's stuck on it. Then, as others have said, put it in the boil with about 15 minutes left and you are good to go.

I used my dish sponge, with a little soap, like I do after most batches. I always get gunk boiled onto it, which a scrubby will usually remove.

What's this about not using sanitizing chemicals? Is star san bad for copper?

PRE66_6TART said:

What's this about not using sanitizing chemicals? Is star san bad for copper?

Click to expand...

The technical answer is, star san is an acid and will dissolve metals.

The practical answer is that star san properly diluted is fine for sanitizing your chiller. The manufacturer confirms this.

From what I was reading "how to brew" CLR is what he talked about when cleaning the copper.. This is what I use and it works for me.... water, CLR, star san and a 5 gallon bucket

-Rinse off the chiller
-Add a cap full of CLR to the 5 gallon bucket, fill with water and let it soak. Also I run a Brillo pad over just for the heck of it....
-Wash the chiller off with warm water and clean the 5 gallon bucket
-Finally to sanitize, fill the 5 gallon bucket with the correct amount of star san, then let the chiller soak until it's time to use

I've only made two batches but I haven't had a issue with this process... Just my .2