Will cleaning wort chiller in SS ruin that batch of SS?

I have the green stuff on the wort chiller that I've heard can be toxic. I've read soaking it in SS will help clean it off. However, will my batch of SS be ruined after? I like to reuse a batch for a month at a time by storing it in a spare corny keg.

Thanks for the help!

I would sacrifice a batch of StarSan for what it does for copper.

Ya it sould do it... and then toss it since you will have copper in solution (maybe Copper-Oxide but some chemist) will have to answer that...

If there are thik places hit thme with a dish-type scratch pad....

I'd either soak the chiller in vinegar to get rid of the verdigris, or just use a spray bottle of star-san and spray the chiller and then rinse later. I wouldn't reuse star-san after getting a nice shiny chiller out of it.

+1. SS is pretty cheap when it's all done and said. It's not like you'll have to do this all the time. You could use vinegar, or even some hydrochloric acid from the pool supply store to do the same thing too, but SS is possibly the best choice.

Thanks, I'll just do the star san rinse. Is there anything I can do to stop needing to do this every beer batch? It's not like my batches of beer are months apart.

Its pretty simple...if you dont want the copper to oxidize, you need to keep it away from moist air. Once you clean it, keep it in a dry place. Or you can get one of those oxygen absorbing packets and throw it with the copper in a closed bag. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028AG8RO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Here is a really good way to clean it if the starsan doesnt work:
Make a paste of 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of flour. Apply the paste to tarnished copper, being sure to get into all crevices and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Use a damp soft bristled toothbrush, a discarded electric toothbrush works great, to gently scrub the surface. Rinse the object with clean cool water and polish dry with a soft dry cloth.

Anybody have any tips as it pertains to a counterflow chiller? The interior of mine seems to always get crappy. Fill with bleach/vinegar/bleach solution and leave it?

If you have access to citric acid, you can use that to passivate the surface, and reduce the formation of the verdigris.

You can use the citric acid from the LHBS, or get some Lemishine from Walmart.