Should I clean my wort chiller?

[02stangguy]

I just made a wort chiller from some extra copper I had laying around and I was wondering if I should take some sand paper to it to get off all the grime and tarnished looking stuff or will a good scrub with soap and water be ok? Also I soldered quite a few pieces on it and was just making sure it's ok to put the soldered pieces into the wort. Thanks

 

[johngaltsmotor]

The solder won't hurt, you don't get it warm enough to release anything.
No matter how well you think you've cleaned it, the acidic wort will make it even brighter so you'll think you screwed up. As long as it's cleaned with soap and water you'll be fine.

 

[02stangguy]

Cool! Thanks

 

[dmcman73]

If it's flux, I would scrub it off. Use TSP and hot water with a scrub brush. All manufactures or metal parts will always tell you to give it a good cleaning with TSP or PBW to remove any residual manufacturing oils.

If it's just the copper that is discolored, then don't worry about it. If you want it shiny prior to using it, you can let it sit in StarSan for a bit.