PBW pitted aluminum stock pot. Safe to use?

Hey, now -

Well, after my last brew date, I soaked my brew pot overnight with PBW thinking it would help get it super clean. Next day I was surprised to see that the inside of the pot was pitted everywhere. Is this safe to use? Is there anything I can do to salvage this pot? I've attached some pictures as a reference, and from now on will use PBW after a brief soak vs. a long soak. Lesson learned, stupid tax paid!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430660157.765165.jpg

Sorry, you tried to do a good thing and it slapped back at you.
It's safe. Just boil with plain water for a while to reoxidize the pot and pits. Or just let it sit for a few weeks, as long as all the PBW has been thoroughly scrubbed off and removed.

Both acids and bases will corrode aluminum.

Yesterday I saw several aluminum pots at our Big Brew event, and they all looked like heck, except for one, which must have been fairly new. Dents, pits, puckering, black oxide, white residue, tarnish, crusted sediment, they all show character.

What island said. I'll add it's safe to use right after you boil some water in it, but could impart flavors you don't want.

You'll have to be extra meticulous cleaning it because unwanted nasties can get caught up in all the pits.

IIRC, the recommendation is to boil water in it and then bake it in the oven at a rather low temperature (I want to say 300°F, but you should do your own research) for a few hours to harden the aluminum oxide coating. I might even show it a bit of abrasive cleaner before I do the process.

bu_gee said:

You'll have to be extra meticulous cleaning it because unwanted nasties can get caught up in all the pits.

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What kind of "nasties" are we fearing in a boil kettle? They all get killed by the heat!

You could scrub the kettle with an abrasive pad to lesson the pitting, then just re-oxidize the kettle by boiling some water.

FWIW, I have restored some old battle scarred aluminum kettles by scouring / and sanding with wet/dry sandpaper in various grades to clean them up, then just re-oxidize prior to use.

I just clean out my aluminum kettles with hot water and a sponge, that's all.

RDWHWHB

Hey! Ok..thanks for the replies...I feel much better! I will eventually turn the into my HLT, but in the meantime, wanted to make sure I could still brew with it! Thanks again for all the GREAT insight!

wilserbrewer said:

I just clean out my aluminum kettles with hot water and a sponge, that's all.

RDWHWHB

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That's how I clean my aluminum pot as well. Just a little bit of scrubbing to get the gunk off of the sides along with some hot water to rinse it out.