PBW solution turned blue?

I have a Marks Keg/Fermenter cleaner and the well water was clear when it started and then when I came back from dinner it had turned swimming-pool blue. I used one tablespoon/gal of PBW and I am recirculating it through my RIMS to keep it around 120F. I also rigged it through my plate heat exchanger to clean it again in prep for the a brew day this week. Could it be a reaction with the copper in the heat exchanger? The RIMS has an ultra low watt density heating element that is for high lime content water, which is the dark color rather than bright SS. Should I be using the SS heating element?

 

My DIY PBW (oxiclean & TSP90) gets fairly bluish when I first mix it up with city tap water.

Do you have pH test strips? As long as you're under 3, you should be fine.




Edit to add:

Ignore this. I'm an idiot. It's star san that needs a pH under 3, as pointed out below.
I still get slightly bluish water from DIY PBW in a white bucket, though...

 

Everything had a basic cleaning from the last brew day, but I wanted to give everything another hit since I had not brewed in a while, so the pH should have been okay. I had some old test trips that will go that low I think. I'll test it. My well water is just a tad acidic anyway. I don't remember it being that blue, although this is the first time its been in a white container.

 

PBW is a base. I think you might be thinking of Starsan having to be below 3?

Mine has turned blue before too. As long as it cleans I don't think you have anything to worry about.

You could always email the manufacturer...

 

The presence of copper will show a blue flame in gas chromatography. Your water source could be part of the reaction.

 

I suspect the copper in the exchanger is the problem. I notice I get a blue color initially when clearing my nitro faucet after letting it soak with cleaner. This doesn't seem to happen when soaking it with anything else.

 

If it turns blue, I think it means you're pregnant.

 

90% certain your chiller just failed a drug test.

 

Yep, PBW is a strong base. So, it may be copper hydroxide. Does anyone know if this is detrimental to the plate exchanger?


EDIT:

Okay, I found this in an old thread. I guess I will do a good rinsing before I use it again. Don't know what the sodium bisulfite does chemically to the copper hydroxide.

 

This one is a dudaDiesel. After the last brew day it got a good cleaning. I would hook it up to the sink hot water with silicon hose. pinch the output hose and the input hose would swell and build pressure and then release. It spit like crazy. then reverse direction. It was amazing as to what came out. Did that about 15 times before running clear.

 

if it doesn't start behaving I'll have to take its lava lamp away!:fro:

 

PBW is probably being used in copper kettles and fermenters. I would think this would not be a new subject.

 

Before things get out of hand I did a quick google on PBW and copper. Sounds like PBW is okay with copper and that the copper brazing inside of my chiller is probably nice and shinny in that the PBW removed some of the oxide layer.

 

D'OH!

Absolutely correct!:smack:

My DIY PBW is still blue-ish in a white bucket though

 

I have also seen this - as my carboy/keg/keggle cleaner has a copper shaft attached to the pump itself. It is the copper and time that you had it cleaning the copper.

Shorten your cleaning cycle if you don't want the color, but IMHO - just rinse the s#!t out of it and you are done. Nothing to fret over.

At first when I saw this color I thought - omg I broke a seal in the pump - and was just stumped trying to figure out how this happened...

Then I got a piece of copper and stuck it in small pool of 120*F PBW for a few hours - there you go.

 

Thanks all. Ignorance is not bliss after all. At least not in home brewing. I solved the problem by not using white containers.