Attack of the Greenies!

[yeastbound]

Hey guys,

I bought a VERY used jockey box off of CL yesterday, and while I got a hell of a deal on it, once I got it home I realized that it needs some major clean up.

It looks like the last time the was used was Bush 41's administration. The beer lines were full, along with the cold plate. I trashed the lines as they're cheap enough to replace, and backwashed the cold plate until it ran clear. I'll worry about it later.

My major concern is the condition of the faucets. Take a look at these photos:

My questions:

1. What is this?
2. Is it safe to run beer through these? My first impression is obviously no.
3. How do I get rid of it? I soaked these parts all night in PBW and while they look a bit better, they're still not clean.

As always, thanks for your input...

 

[GreenMonti]

Try soaking them in vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I would bet your gonna need to change the solution at least once. I would scrub them after a couple minuets in the solution with a tooth brush. Not with anything abrasive.

Here is Palmers recipie.

Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 15 minutes at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution.

Good luck.

 

[Irrenarzt]

a 1% nitric solution will work exactly as Palmer describes as well.

 

[yeastbound]

Palmer's solution worked like a champ. Thanks!