Corroded wort chiller

[nwbrewing32]

Hey guys got this blue green residue (the dangerous Verdigris stuff I wonder) on my wort chiller after using oxiclean a few times and letting it dry. Is this still good or is it time for a new one?

Also its losing its copper color is other areas and is silverish. Help!

 

[eluterio]

THis is interesting. Ive left my in pbw for a few days and it had a discolor residue on it but after a good light scrub and hot water it came right off. This looks like the copper color is coming off.

 

[hank]

Try washing with starsan, vinegar, or some other acidic cleaner.

 

[LordUlrich]

Quick clean with an acid cleaner will clean that up.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Would bar keepers friend then star san be good?

 

[hank]

Anything acidic will work, even lemon or lime juice. PBW is alkaline base, that's what causes the copper turn blue. I think copper sulphate is what the blue is. Not sure about BKF, probably wouldn't hurt if it was rinsed well afterwards.
By the way, a dunk in hot wort will clean it right up, but I don't think you would want to waste a batch of wort just to clean you chiller coil.

 

[Redcat]

Get some Lemishine from Wal-Mart, mix up a couple tablespoons of that with 4-5 gallons water and dunk your cooler in it.

You'll be good to go.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Sounds good guys - ill soak it in star san, wipe down and rinse, then scrub with bar keepers friend and rinse again just to be sure.

Better clean out the bucket it was in too.

 

[LordUlrich]

What I do as part of my yearly brewery maintenance schedule is get a gallon of white vinegar, and soak my chiller in it for an hour or so.

Starsan works too but a good soak to get that gunk out from between the coils is nice to do once in a while. I also try to clean the inside with acid once a year or so.

To get rid of what you have a quick wash with starsan and a rinse will get rid of it, no need for BKF or anything else, but it won't hurt.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Appreciate all the help. I'm hoping it hasn't corroded to the point of having leaks in it - probably fine. Anyway, I'll clean it up tonight and post back on the results. Thanks!

 

[nwbrewing32]

All right, I let it sit in star san for about 30 minutes, then wiped the areas of concern down, dipped again then wiped dry with a towel and it's now looking very good. And actually, even discolored areas it had before are much better. Some have darkened throughout the night, but it's probably just wear on the old chiller.

One last question - what are the odds that this verdigris comes back?

 

[nwbrewing32]

Hmm okay well the green is gone but after rinsing the chiller it shows these darker discolorations showing silver and corroding where the green was. Should I be worried this will happen again? And is this wort chiller still okay to use?

 

[hank]

Try mixing a tsp. of table salt in 1/2 a pint of bottled, or fresh, lemon juice. Use a toothbrush to scrub this on your discolored spots if they bother you.

If you clean it with a caustic cleaner make sure you rinse it well, actually a good rinse after boiling in, and then cooling your wort, will be as fine a cleaning job as you will get on copper.