cleaning plate chiller in pbw

[snipe98]

I decided to do a little bit of a deep clean on my blichmann plate chiller, I normally do a backflow washing with pbw a couple times after each brew. so I thought I would soak it in a bath of hot water and pbw. I noticed that the water was turning a greenish color like it was eating away at the copper or something? has anyone else ever noticed this? am I harming my chiller by doing this? I have read where people use acid and other caustic stuff and I didn't figure I should go that route and figured I was being pretty safe with pbw. maybe not. let me know what you think. thanks

 

[Roadie]

I've ran 180F pbw water through mine with no detrimental effects but haven't just sat it for a soak in it if that's what you are doing.

 

[snipe98]

yeah I normally do the same thing and have never noticed this color change in the water. but yes this time I just put it in a pot of hot water on the stove and had just planned on keeping it warm for 4 or 5 hours, but I am getting this color change within 30 mins of it being in there.

 

[Fedora]

That is likely from built up hops residue in your chiller.

 

[b-boy]

I agree. Probably old hops.

 

[gbarker121]

I've seen this if I recirculate hot PBW through my plate chiller for too long (hour or more).

I'm a copper/silver smith and have seen this in that context as well as others. What you are seeing is copper oxides and/or sulfates that are being lifted off the copper plates in the chiller. Oxides may or may not be harmful to your beer but sulfates are definitely not good for you at all.
I doubt there are a lot of sulfates but better to not push your luck.

Palmer talks about oxides a bit here:
http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html

I also used to fill my chiller with Starsan at the end of the brew day and then drain it and cap it. I don't do that anymore either because Starsan is acid and can cause the same oxide stripping. Instead, this is my current process:

Hot PBW recirculation for 20 - 30 minutes. Warm, clear water rinse and cap.
On the next brewday, I fill the chiller with sanitizer for a minute or so (All that is needed. Longer is not better) then drain. When it's time to chill, I spray my hose connections with sanitizer and go about my business. This way, there is no long term chemical contact with the copper and all should be right with the world.

 

[gbarker121]

That is likely from built up hops residue in your chiller.

If the OP and I are talking about the same thing, it's not hops. The color is wrong. More of a blue green color. Not a hops green color.

 

[snipe98]

If the OP and I are talking about the same thing, it's not hops. The color is wrong. More of a blue green color. Not a hops green color.

correct this is not hop green it is a blue green color like what copper does when it tarnishes or whatever. I don't think it is coming from the inside cause I have never got this when running hot pbw through it after a brew. so I am guessing it is coming from the outside of the chiller I am just hoping that I am not harming it by doing this. but I am getting some good gunk out of it when I am backflush it.

 

[Fedora]

Blichmann plate chillers are made from 316 stainless, not copper. Unless you are using copper or brass fittings and soaking them with the chiller ,there are no copper salts to worry about. I see this all the time with my chiller. It's from the hops. Soak it, bake it, whatever you need to do to get it clean, then the green will go away.

 

[orangehero]

Clearly you have never handled a homebrew plate chiller. The stainless plates are brazed together with copper.

 

[snipe98]

If the OP and I are talking about the same thing, it's not hops. The color is wrong. More of a blue green color. Not a hops green color.

Blichmann plate chillers are made from 316 stainless, not copper. Unless you are using copper or brass fittings and soaking them with the chiller ,there are no copper salts to worry about. I see this all the time with my chiller. It's from the hops. Soak it, bake it, whatever you need to do to get it clean, then the green will go away.

from their website
the brazed part is what I am worried about. I know they are a beast and a couple hours in pbw shouldn't matter but was just wondering if anyone else had seen the same thing... thanks for all of the help and thoughts

The Therminator™ is the fastest way to chill your wort to yeast pitching temperature and get your fermentation off to a quick, bacteria-free start.
•All 316 stainless steel plates and fittings.
•Chill like the pros, as the Therminator™ is identical to commercial brewery chillers.
•Brazed together with pure copper in an oxygen-free furnace, with no potential leaks like a gasketed unit!
•Chill 10 gallons in 5 minutes to 68°F using 58°F cooling water at 5 gallons per minute (gpm).
•Great for southern climates! (See notes on FAQ tab.)
•Ultra compact (7.5" W, 4" D, 3" H)
•Super-low restriction is ideal for gravity feed.
•Easy to clean and sanitize, small enough to boil!*
•Garden-hose thread connections on the water side means no extra adapters to buy!
•1/2" male NPT fittings on wort side mates up with virtually all common hose-connector types, and they're easier to sanitize than female fittings!

 

[Fedora]

Clearly you have never handled a homebrew plate chiller. The stainless plates are brazed together with copper.

You are correct. They are brazed with copper. Ignore me. However I do handle a Blichmann chiller on a weekly basis. Here it is.

 

[snipe98]

what is with the nitrogen tank deal??

 

[Fedora]

It's an oxygen tank. An inline oxygenation system on the sabco chill wizard.

 

[gbarker121]

Mine's a Duda and I think it's the same construction method as the Blichmann (though the plates are 304 instead of 316).
I don't think you're doing any harm at all. It would take a very long time to etch away enough copper to compromise the joints of the chiller. The health issue is of greater concern to me but easily minimized.

 

[Stovetop535]

Little off topic, but I will post anyway. I did a deep clean on my plate chiller a few weeks ago, after soaking and back flushing for a few hours I thought it was clean. I had the air compressor out so I decided to use the air compressor to try and blow anything out. The air compressor blew out a lot of old nasty stuff, even after extended soaks.

If you can fill it up with water and then hit it with the air compressor. The air and water pulsating effect worked extremely well for me.