Scrap yard copper. Salvageable??

[thorHB]

So I work at my friends scrap yard a few weekends a month to help her out and make some extra cash. Found this coil of 5/8 copper that is pretty badly oxidized and dirty but structurally in good shape. I have been wanting to update my chiller and hopefully reduce my chilling time. Have any of you had any luck salvaging used copper. any advice on how I could clean it up? Might be more hassle than its worth.

 

[cantrell00]

So I work at my friends scrap yard a few weekends a month to help her out and make some extra cash. Found this coil of 5/8 copper that is pretty badly oxidized and dirty but structurally in good shape. I have been wanting to update my chiller and hopefully reduce my chilling time. Have any of you had any luck salvaging used copper. any advice on how I could clean it up? Might be more hassle than its worth.

Cap the ends and dip it in hot wort...

 

[Rhumbline]

You have no idea what it was used for?

Pass.

Or if you do use it, you have an obligation to warn anyone who might drink your beers. This reminds me of that guy who wanted to use lead fishing weights to weigh down his bag of hops during the boil.

 

[thorHB]

You have no idea what it was used for?

Pass.

Or if you do use it, you have an obligation to warn anyone who might drink your beers. This reminds me of that guy who wanted to use lead fishing weights to weigh down his bag of hops during the boil.

haha, that risky huh? There is no way to thoroughly clean it? The way it is coiled up so cleanly makes me believe it was never used. The ends do not appear to have ever been soldered.

 

[IslandLizard]

You can sand it clean, it removes the oxide layer and whatever else adhered to it. Only the outside is exposed to beer, so the inside is less critical. But still... is it worth it?

 

[coyotebrew]

Acid sanitizer wil eat oxidation quick then u can inspect it, if the whole thing ends up shiny clean id say go for it!

 

[thorHB]

You can sand it clean, it removes the oxide layer and whatever else adhered to it. Only the outside is exposed to beer, so the inside is less critical. But still... is it worth it?

That was my thought as well. Go to town on the outside and not worry about the inside as much.

Might not be worth it. That is what I am trying to figure out. 50' of 5/8 at home depot is $120. This coil is about 40' and I can take it home for $20. To me that is worth it if I can somehow guarantee no ill effects to my beer. Sounds like I cannot though..

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Acid sanitizer wil eat oxidation quick then u can inspect it, if the whole thing ends up shiny clean id say go for it!

This is what I'd do. Get the patina off, then inspect it for issues.

$20 and an overnight soak isn't a bad investment to see if it's usable. If it's no good, scrap it. I'm sure you know a good scrap yard somewhere... lol!


Go for it!

 

[thorHB]

This is what I'd do. Get the patina off, then inspect it for issues.

$20 and an overnight soak isn't a bad investment to see if it's usable. If it's no good, scrap it. I'm sure you know a good scrap yard somewhere... lol!


Go for it!

haha not sure why it never even crossed my mind that I can just bring it back if it doesn't clean up nice. I'm going to give it a go for sure.

 

[flars]

Three-eighths inch copper tubing may be more efficient for cooling, unless your water is very cold. Three-eighths copper refrigerant tubing is not very expensive, and very easy to bend.

 

[IslandLizard]

The inside can be acid treated too, even run a steel wire brush on a string through it if it's badly oxidized or caked on.

Before acid treating/cleaning, I would first soak it in a heavy duty degreaser, then brush and rinse. Acid cannot permeate grease and dirt well.

The thinner the copper wall, the quicker the heat transfer. M is thin, K is thick, L in between. It should work well.

 

[thorHB]

Three-eighths inch copper tubing may be more efficient for cooling, unless your water is very cold. Three-eighths copper refrigerant tubing is not very expensive, and very easy to bend.

5/8" has to be more efficient due to increased surface area and potentially higher gpm correct? A cheap 25' x 3/8" is what I use now and it is not efficient at all. Doesn't help that I have warm central FL water but it takes forever to get down to 100 deg F. I usually get my wort down to 100 and then transfer to fermenter, place in fermentation chamber and pitch in the morning. If this actually works I will most likely use the old chiller to pre-chill the water in an ice bath.

 

[cantrell00]

5/8" has to be more efficient due to increased surface area and potentially higher gpm correct? A cheap 25' x 3/8" is what I use now and it is not efficient at all. Doesn't help that I have warm central FL water but it takes forever to get down to 100 deg F. I usually get my wort down to 100 and then transfer to fermenter, place in fermentation chamber and pitch in the morning. If this actually works I will most likely use the old chiller to pre-chill the water in an ice bath.

5/8" would chill much more rapidly everything else being equal.

 

[IslandLizard]

I agree, more surface is faster chilling, everything else being the same. The coil shape should create enough turbulence to keep the chill water mixed, preventing stratification.

 

[flars]

5/8" has to be more efficient due to increased surface area and potentially higher gpm correct? A cheap 25' x 3/8" is what I use now and it is not efficient at all. Doesn't help that I have warm central FL water but it takes forever to get down to 100 deg F. I usually get my wort down to 100 and then transfer to fermenter, place in fermentation chamber and pitch in the morning. If this actually works I will most likely use the old chiller to pre-chill the water in an ice bath.

You need to move North. It really is difficult to cool a wort with warm water.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

As mentioned, soak it to clean it........Don't sand it.

 

[TeeJo]

For $20 I'd be on it like white on rice.

Boil it with some heavy duty degreaser or detergent (Tide, used to get used a lot for degreasing engine blocks and oil stained driveways) to loosen up any oil or grease, then dry it out and then do the boil act again with some citric Acid.

The outside will be in contact with the wort, the inside (which is hard to see to confirm it's cleanliness) will only ever be in contact with cooling water, yeah? Perfect!

A couple green Scotchbrite pads will go a long ways to helping scrub off any persistent corrosion.

TeeJo

 

[RufusBrewer]

If it looked unused (still coiled up for shipping) when you first got it, you have a very good chance that it is now safe to use.

If it looks as if it has been bent or used somehow, I would not touch it. Not without being absolutely sure of it's providence. I tend to error on the side of caution, I would rather use good, safe, known materials over saving a few bucks.

If you decide you want to use it....

Scotch Brite it shiny and clean, PBW warns that it can take the teflon off a pan. I would soak it inside and out with PBW. When I used to etch PC Boards, I used pool acid to clean the copper. Can you still get that stuff cheap?

After this, the potential threat is chemiclals and/or contaminents that your cleaning steps left behind, but you cannot see.