mouse smell on copper wort chiller

[dan81]

Hi All,

First off, I'm a newbie. Just wanted to say that over the last 3 months I've read about a thousand threads as I've gone through the steps of making my first batch of home brew (Irish Red Ale from Northern Brewer). So, I just wanted to say thank you to all who post their knowledge, as it's really helpful to a newbie.

I have a question that I can't find asked/answered in the past:

My friend gave me his old beer making equipment (it sat in his basement about 10 years unused). Problem is a mouse died in his fermentation bucket that also was being used to store his wort chiller (copper). I tried soaking it in bleach for about 4 hours and then cleaning it with dish detergent. The smell lingers!

I've discarded the bucket, but does anyone have an idea as to how I might aggressively clean the wort chiller coils so as to be able to use this thing for my next batch?

I just figured out how I could have posted this into the proper forum category. Won't happen again.

Thanks for the help

Dan81

 

[Jayhem]

Simple. Boil a pot of water and dunk it in the boiling water for about 10 minutes. The smell is trapped in the oxidation layer. If boiling doesn't do it well enough for you try vinegar to clean it with. The acidity will take off the oxidation layer and the smell with it.

Welcome to the great hobby!

 

[Newsman]

Maybe a strong solution of PBW would clean it???

 

[wilconrad]

+1 to vinegar solution, followed by a 10+ min boil

 

[Joon75]

Why risk contaminating or giving I that smell of mouse to your beer? Just go to Home Depot and for about $25 you can buy the material to make your own wort chiller. I made a 3/8 x 25" for that price. There is a lot of videos on youtube to show you on how to make. Believe me you'll have that piece of mind and you will feel good about making the wort chiller. Cheers!

 

[Joon75]

Here is a picture of my wort chiller

 

[eluterio]

If your extremely worried I would follow the few suggestions and boil it for 20 or 30 mins.

 

[Hinorth]

I would say a nice long vinegar soak with distilled vinegar and a good scrubbing, meanwhile get a pot of water boiling and boil for ten plus minutes. Then a PBW washing and I bet it will be fine. The home made hardware store wort chiller is a good idea but since you already have this one I would go with cleaning what you got. And don't use your fermenting bucket to do the vinegar soak

 

[Jayhem]

Why risk contaminating or giving I that smell of mouse to your beer? Just go to Home Depot and for about $25 you can buy the material to make your own wort chiller. I made a 3/8 x 25" for that price. There is a lot of videos on youtube to show you on how to make. Believe me you'll have that piece of mind and you will feel good about making the wort chiller. Cheers!

Because most homebrewer's are tax payers who are under the watchful eye of SWMBO and every beer brewing purchase means she gets to buy another pair of shoes!

 

[Joon75]

You're right about that! My wife said as soon as I put down the ceramic in the kitchen I can start on my three keg single tier system.

 

[dan81]

Thank you for all your responses! I will try first to salvage this coil with the steps outline above - and if that doesn't work I'll head to Home Depot.

 

[Newsman]

I have to wonder how much of the "mouse smell" is actual smell and how much is in your mind? You know the mind is pretty powerful and can play tricks on you. If you wash it real well, (including maybe using a green scrubby to make sure there's no organic material sticking to the chiller) and soak it in some vinegar or something, I can't imagine that there would be anything left to smell.

Note, I'm NOT suggesting you're crazy or anything, just pointing out that you KNOW a mouse died there so your subconscious mind may be playing tricks on you.

 

[JohnSand]

If it has any rubber or plastic hose or gaskets, throw them out. Then clean the metal. Run hot soapy water through it too, to clean the inside. (I know the inside doesn't touch the wort, but dead mouse is gross)

 

[dan81]

Ok, I've got the coil soaking in a strong white vinegar solution.... I will boil after and see if SWMBO can smell anything. I mention this because she's the one that caught it in the first place. I knew the mouse had died on it, but she didn't. So, I unpacked the box of stuff from my friend in front of her. As I'm unpacking she gets a funny look on her face and asks me how long the stuff has been sitting in the box. Before I can answer she leans in, sniffs it and says, "ew, it smells like dead mouse!"

 

[JohnSand]

If you can stand the harsh truth, get her to taste you brews too. My wife can pick an off flavor out of a sip.

 

[eluterio]

If you can stand the harsh truth, get her to taste you brews too. My wife can pick an off flavor out of a sip.

^^^^^^^ this is so trur

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[dan81]

Update: I soaked the copper coil for 24 hours in a strong, but diluted 5% vinegar solution and then boiled it as outlined above. It looks darn near brand new and smells clean as a whistle...SWMBO no longer can smell a trace of mouse!

So, if anyone is still tracking this thread that gave me advice, I just want to say thank you.

Anyone stumbling on this thread because they have a similar problem, just know that the vinegar trick is awesome. Boiling after the vinegar soak just makes you feel better about getting 100% sanitization. This simple process turned an incredibly smelly and tarnished looking copper coil into a shiny, new looking unit.

 

[Hinorth]

Hey I'm glad it all worked out and you saved the bank of a new one and the time and hassle of making one and your putting otherwise unused equipment to good use. Happy brewing

 

[JohnSand]

Thanks for the update