Do I need to soak my brass fittings (mash tun) in vinegar?

[Ben_Persitz]

I just put together my mash tun and I really don't want to take it apart.

My question is--is it really necessary to soak my parts in the vinegar/hydrogen peroxide mixture? Will it be okay if I don't?

If I need to, do I only need to soak the internal components (the brass nipple and barb on the inside) or do I need to soak the ball valve etc. too?

Would it be okay to just put a solution in the mash tun and then drain it out slowly and then rinse? Or would that leave off flavors in my mash tun?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

You'll be fine without using it. There's only a very small amount of surface lead on brass, so it's not enough to ruin a beer. After one batch, you won't even have to worry about it anymore....but the first batch will be fine.

Most people just soak their brass as a precaution.

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

The short answer is no. I did not soak my fittings before putting it together but that was more for a lack of education than anything else if I am being honest.

All brass fittings contain a certain amount of lead in it to make it more machinable. The percentage is extremely low. I believe something like .2%.

Some people will pickle the fittings in a vinegar solution to remove the surface lead from the fittings. But nowadays there is such a small amount of lead in each fitting that it is probably negligible. We use brass fittings in plumbing for our water systems. Granted water is not as acidic as wort. I use to have a link to a whitepaper on the lead content in brass as is mandated by current law. I will link to it if I can find it.

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

This isn't the original link that I saw but it is to the NFS:
http://www.nsf.org/business/mechanical_plumbing/annexg.asp

You can check the products that you buy to see if they are NFS 61 compliant for low lead levels. I bought all my stuff from Home Depot and they are all NFS compliant.

Again, I don't believe you need to worry, but everyone has their own feelings in regards to safety. Some people feel mashing in a plastic cooler is dangerous (I don't), some people feel aluminum pots are dangerous (I don't). But that doesn't mean that piece of mind isn't worth it. You could always go with SS fittings. I debated it, but in the end the price difference wasn't worth it for me when I felt that there was no real risk.

 

[oldschool]

I "washed" mine with dawn soap. and i'm still alive

 

[smiths9312]

I DiDn'T SoAK A HERPA DERP!

 

[NorCalAngler]

My brass fittings were labeled lead free at home depot. I don't know if that makes them less serviceable or not, but two 10 gallon batches down without a problem.

 

[Colby]

I soaked mine. Would it have hurt if I didn't?...probably not. I took mash tun apart and soaked the fittings in a bucket, rinsed and installed into the cooler.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

My brass fittings were labeled lead free at home depot. I don't know if that makes them less serviceable or not, but two 10 gallon batches down without a problem.

I believe all brass is lead free now. But, it's still machined with lead. It just leaves a small layer of lead on the outside which won't hurt anything.

I'm not a metallurgist though, so I could be wrong.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Built mine outta brass and never even thought about doing anything to treat it. I ran a plumbing co. for years, used this stuff all the time on water systems.

6 brews in my MLT and I'm still kickin...and my beer tastes fanf*&%ntastic if I do say so myself!!!

 

[Northcalais40]

If you've drunk any water in the last 100 years, it came through brass fittings just oozing with lead. Not to mention the lead sinkers we'd bite onto our fishlines. It's nice that we have lead free options (mandates here in VT) but let's not be hysterical.

 

[texteditor]

But, it's still machined with lead.!
How?

 

[blkandrust]

I soaked mine just because i'm anal like that.

 

[brewmcq]

If you're concerned about lead levels, simply run some water through your mash tun and into a lead test kit (available pretty much anywhere).

From what I understand, the acidity of wort doesn't leech lead from things any quicker than plain water... but I'm still on my first cup of coffee, so I could be mis-remembering it.