Grainfather scorch marks

[RNBEERGUY]

anybody have any tips for removing scorch marks on heating element of grainfather ? Got some that won’t come off with the pbw

 

[Curt Parker]

Pour in some water, maybe a half gallon.

Sprinkle in some OxiClean Versatile Free (no blue perfume flakes) and let sit overnight.

Use a brush to scrub off what had oxidized and loosened up.

Repeat if necessary.

I use this method for my Mash & Boil.

 

[thehaze]

Squeeze lemon juice, leave to work for a few seconds and use a stainless steel scrubbing pad to scrub it all away. I got some scorch marks a couple of times, and lemon juice with a SS pad is the way to go.

Something like https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-214C-Stainless-Scrubbing-Scouring/dp/B002CQTXBC

 

[FatDragon]

Pour in some water, maybe a half gallon.

Sprinkle in some OxiClean Versatile Free (no blue perfume flakes) and let sit overnight.

Use a brush to scrub off what had oxidized and loosened up.

Repeat if necessary.

I use this method for my Mash & Boil.

I did something like this with a dirty plug-in element, but I let the element run for about ten minutes in the oxy water. That cleaned it right up, and in only about 15 minutes from start to finish, though it wasn't heavily scorched. Using hot Oxy water (even water poured while it's still boiling) without running the element has proven far less effective when cleaning that element in the past.

 

[processhead]

I get mineral deposits on the element and kettle surfaces in my HLT that PBW won't remove.
A soak in white vinegar while the element is on followed up with a water rinse removes everything.

 

[augiedoggy]

normally, using pbw at boiling or near boiling temps makes it less effective from what ive read on the probrewer forum, for one it uses oxygen to clean and the boil drives that out.. also it cooks the contaminates to the surface and makes them even harder to remove. in many cases. I found this out the hard way with CIP in the brewpub.. I aim for 140-170 now when using it. I also find that if I clean the element right after use or at least keep it submerged in liquid it cleans up way easier with a piece of rope of non abrasive scrubby. I used ULWD elements though so I havent had the pleasure of having to deal with scorched residue yet. I assume an acid like the lemon juice or vinegar mentioned above would soften it up nice. just be sure to rinse all the pwb or oxy clean away prior to use or they will neutralize each other.

 

[Curt Parker]

Great suggestions in this thread, but I want to point that scorch marks are usually caused by burnt malt sugar and mineral deposits are caused by evaporation.

You should able to tell the difference by it's appearance. Mineral deposits are usually white while burnt sugar looks like tar.

They are chemically different as well. The malt sugar is carbon based while the mineral deposits are not. That influences the methods you need to remove them.

Good luck. I'd like to hear how well you were able to clean it.

 

[singybrue]

Scrub with barkeepers friend