new chiller prep..??

I was reading somewhere and someone said you are suppose to boil a new immersion chiller in water and vinegar before using... I feel stupid since I had never read that before and when I built my chiller, I didnt do this... I did let the chiller soak in starsan and really hot water for almost an hour before using... do you think the chiller affected the brew that I used it in..?? I hope not... Thanks in advance..

Jester

I didnt do that for my immersion chiller either, and I didnt notice any ill effects. I have heard of the water and vinegar method too, but I think it applies more to brass items, since brass contains some lead.

- magno

Copper pipe is coated with a light oil (think WD40) to keep it corrosion free while on the shelf. You need to clean the machine oil off the copper before use. Your method probably did as good of a job as the vinegar. After I built mine, I wiped it down with Acetone and then wiped it down again with a Vodka soaked paper towel.

If your chiller was bright like a new penny, and felt dry (not oily) to the touch, you got nothing to worry about. If not, the oil probably evaporated out when you stuck your chiller in the boil for 15 minutes. You did that right?

If not, a little oil never hurt anyone.

flingdingo said:

If your chiller was bright like a new penny, and felt dry (not oily) to the touch, you got nothing to worry about. If not, the oil probably evaporated out when you stuck your chiller in the boil for 15 minutes. You did that right?

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The copper definitely looked brand new after taking it out of the starsan solution... the copper looked better than when Igot it... hehehee... I did put it in the boil at the last 15 minutes...

Jester

will iodophor react negativly with copper?

I don't believe iodophor reacts at all with copper.

Im wanting to make a immersion chiller, what are the basic things that I need to get it set up? I was thinking a 3/8 id copper at 20 feet and fittings to run fromn my kitchen sink. Is this the right idea?

gmeyers said:

Im wanting to make a immersion chiller

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This link will get you the info you need.

Good luck,
Wild

Another reason you guys are the best. This answered all of my questions on a used chiller I have.



Ize

One thing that I think is funny about all the DIY chiller plans I see is that most of the them say you need to cut a garden hose and use it with a barb fitting to attach to your vinyl tubing coming off the chiller... and then you hook the other end of the garden hose to the end of a garden hose hooked to a faucet... I have found that most hardware stores have fittings that will allow you to attach your vinyl tubing straight to your garden hose without having to hack anything up... this seems a lot easier... jsut info for anyone looking to build a chiller...

Jester

i would recommend you boil your new chiller whether you made it or you bought it to get all the oils and flux off and then give it a good scrubbing with some liquid detergent.

One thing that I think is funny about all the DIY chiller plans I see is that most of the them say you need to cut a garden hose and use it with a barb fitting to attach to your vinyl tubing coming off the chiller...

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here's one i fabricated with the hose fittings already in place.