Sealing an Aluminum Kettle

I was told with a new turkey fryer pot (Al), to first fill with water, bring to a boil for 30 min, allow to cool. This would provide an oxidized seal on the pot.

Well between when I was told this and when I did it, I forgot some details. I only boiled for 10min, and chilled with my immersion chiller.

Was this sufficient or should I reseal?

Is it still super shiny aluminum inside, or duller grey?

Shiny - boil longer.

Duller grey - you're good.

Well, look at it this way: if your chiller was shiny and new, you probably dulled it a bit, which is a good thing! 20-30 minutes is enough to seal the kettle, so you may need to do it again. Also, depending on your water chemistry (mainly hardness) you may get a darkening of the metal, as well. It's all good, though! After five batches, my 40qt aluminum kettle is a deep amber-gray color and fairly dull. Just don't use scrubbies to clean up; cloth rags will be enough.

What is the purpose of sealing aluminum pots?

Mainly to keep the aluminum from leeching metallic tastes into the wort. With stainless steel kettles, no prep or care is required. It may seem a hassle, and a negative against aluminum, but this boiling process is really only an issue the first time you use it. I've used both metals, and prefer my aluminum pot because it's lighter to lug up and down stairs. {shrug}

shortyjacobs said:

Is it still super shiny aluminum inside, or duller grey?

Shiny - boil longer.

Duller grey - you're good.

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Duller Grey.

I should probably add I was playing with the burner a bit since it was the first time I used it. So it took about 45 minutes to heat the whole 7+ gallons to a boil. Maybe that helped.

torque2k said:

Well, look at it this way: if your chiller was shiny and new, you probably dulled it a bit, which is a good thing!

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I didn't even consider doing anything to my chiller besides cleaning it first. Do I need to pre-treat copper as well?

Paddle_Head said:

I didn't even consider doing anything to my chiller besides cleaning it first. Do I need to pre-treat copper as well?

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John Palmer suggests in his book that you should "treat" shiny new copper before first use, same reason as for sealing aluminum. My coil took a few brew sessions before it finally started to dull, but I haven't tasted any funky copper aftertastes in my first brews. YMMV.

torque2k said:

John Palmer suggests in his book that you should "treat" shiny new copper before first use, same reason as for sealing aluminum. My coil took a few brew sessions before it finally started to dull, but I haven't tasted any funky copper aftertastes in my first brews. YMMV.

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Cool, thanks for the heads up.

Lots of further reading about aluminum kettles here if you're interested.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/faq-aluminum-pots-boil-kettles-49449/

torque2k & bradsul thanks for the tips