Removing cutting oil, chain oil, WD40 from pots

[luckybeagle]

I just drilled my kettles for my new electric heating element using a step bit (before I got smart and bought a radio punch) and got a ton of oil everywhere, inside and out. I used whatever lubricant I had on hand, thinking I could just clean it up afterward. Vegetable oil spray, chain and bar oil, wd40 etc. Now that my system is built, I'm trying to figure out the best way to clean off that junk.

Since I'm using electric elements with iron components (the base), bleach is out. The only way I can get heat out at my brewery is via the kettle and HLT heaters as its in a detached garage.

Would PBW work for dissolving this grease/oil concoction? Or should I take my kettles into the bathtub and go to town on them with dish soap first?

 

[CodeSection]

TSP is a better choice.

 

[FunkedOut]

TSP is probably your best bet.
Simple Green is great, if you have it on hand and you don't want to buy specific for this.
Dish soap and elbow grease is not a bad choice either.

 

[passedpawn]

Naphtha. Lighter fluid works great too. You want a degreaser of course. Don’t smoke in vicinity

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I used soap and water.

 

[Transamguy77]

Palmolive soap works well.

 

[JohnMc]

I use brake cleaner, let it evaporate, then soap and water. If you've ever changed your own brakes, you'd know how powerful brake cleaner stuff is. Use the non-chlorinated stuff.
Lighter fluid, as suggested above, would sub well for brake fluid, but not evaporate as fast. Mineral spirits are OK, too.

 

[luckybeagle]

Great suggestions everyone. I just moved and only had dawn soap at my disposal, so I put in some good elbow grease and then followed up with a good rinse + PBW soak and rinse. I think I got it all. We'll see if the batch currently fermenting has anything funky going on inside.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I'd scrub it again with some barkeeper's friend, both to ensure you get the surfaces completely clean and also to passivate the newly cut edges. Once you install weldless fittings, etc. those areas will be inaccessible and ideal conditions for crevice corrosion to occur. Since BKF doesn't rinse away cleanly you will want to hit it once again lightly with a soapy sponge to get rid of any residual abrasive powder.