Diesel fired mash tun

[Papabier]

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Hi guys,
So I am converting a diesel fired bath I bought from a butcher for making hams to a mash tun. I'm currently in the process of cleaning it up.
As in the photo's there is a bit of build up on the burner pipes that make contact with any liquid being heated. Some of the build up is pink where it's really thickly caked on ..where it's thinner it's more white. Underneath the pink is a hard black layer mostly where I'd say the flame first hits the pipe when it comes out of the burner.
I'm wondering if the pink is from the curing salts used in the ham processing, or perhaps a chemical reaction to the hottest part of the pipe with something in the water eg. lime, calcium?
My problem is I can't get under the main heating pipe/element or tight corners to gring build up off.
I'm wondering if someone can tell me what the pink, black and white layers might be? ..and if they will even have any detrimental effect on the final beer? Or if there's a way I can break it down over time by submerging it in something maybe?
Thanks in advance, appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Agent]

So, not doing 5 gallon batches I take it?

Assuming the fire tubes are stainless steel, all the stuff on the outside is impurities from the water previously boiled. So various iterations of strong acids and alkaline cleaners like PBW should get you pretty close to clean.

 

[Papabier]

So, not doing 5 gallon batches I take it?

Assuming the fire tubes are stainless steel, all the stuff on the outside is impurities from the water previously boiled. So various iterations of strong acids and alkaline cleaners like PBW should get you pretty close to clean.

Thanks mate, I'll give it a go!

 

[Broken Crow]

You've fired my imagination...Whenever I see a proposal for the repurposing of any device/machine/whatnot, if my first thought is; "Oh! That won't work because..." I only become more interested in seeing how whatever problems are solved. My first thought on seeing your pictures, reference what limited experience I've had with similar heat-exchangers, such as a vintage truck-mounted kerosene-fired pressure washer and an oil-fired heat-exchanger for a tobacco drying shed. Those tubes can get pretty hot, so I'm wondering how you'll be handling circulation and temperature control...not to mention, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's curious to see a longer shot of the whole unit and perhaps the rest of the brew rig.
Please share; Just how big is this thing the and the ulimate system you're building? Please post some more pictures and some more build details.... I love seeing projects like yours grow and work, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[Papabier]

You've fired my imagination...Whenever I see a proposal for the repurposing of any device/machine/whatnot, if my first thought is; "Oh! That won't work because..." I only become more interested in seeing how whatever problems are solved. My first thought on seeing your pictures, reference what limited experience I've had with similar heat-exchangers, such as a vintage truck-mounted kerosene-fired pressure washer and an oil-fired heat-exchanger for a tobacco drying shed. Those tubes can get pretty hot, so I'm wondering how you'll be handling circulation and temperature control...not to mention, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's curious to see a longer shot of the whole unit and perhaps the rest of the brew rig.
Please share; Just how big is this thing the and the ulimate system you're building? Please post some more pictures and some more build details.... I love seeing projects like yours grow and work, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Thanks for the support Broken Crow, I'll see what I can do about making a small vid or taking some pics and explaining my intentions. I'd be very happy to bring you guys along for the experience and I'd be a sponge for any advice that could be shared along the way.. Cheers!