Used Boil Pot

[mezak1gd]

I Picked up a 48 quart, aluminum pot I want to use for boiling at a garage sale. It was definately used, not too bad but some marks. The lady said it was used for tamales. It's in bleach now. Is it good to use? Does anyone have experience with pots after they were used for cooking?

 

[Gedvondur]

Basically, if you clean it out properly, scrub it down, it should be fine.


If you are worried, boil water in it for a while. Between the scrubbing and the water and bleach it should be fine.


BTW, I would recommend Barkeeper's Friend for scrubbing. Its a powder like Comet, you can get it at most hardware stores. I think even Kmart has it.


Gedvondur

 

[BreckBastion]

There's no reason it shouldn't work just fine. As long as you've cleaned it well the boil will sanitize it. Even if there are some knicks in it, it should be hot enough for long enough to take care of whatever might live in those knicks.

 

[Simphoto02]

I would NOT bleach it too strong. Use PBW or Bar Tenders Friend to get grime off. Get some 00 steel wool and polish the inside of any dents and dings and them BOIL the HELL out of it. Bleach and Aluminum are not good friends if the bleach is too strong.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Hate to be a critic, but steel wool will leave some of the steel behind...get a synthetic type scotchbrite pad and scrub a dub. Or hell even some fine sandpaper will make it look near brandy new.

 

[Simphoto02]

Hate to be a critic, but steel wool will leave some of the steel behind...get a synthetic type scotchbrite pad and scrub a dub. Or hell even some fine sandpaper will make it look near brandy new.

I agree, I just figured that will additional boiling and cleaning it would remove the minimal steel left behind. The important part is to put a "Mirror Like" finish on the pot getting rid of the pits and dents. Get some 00 or even 0 steel wool get a good finish on it THEN use the scotch brite pad to finish and help get the small amounts of steel out. Steel woll will work MUCH faster. start with 0 and the 00 the scotch brite.

 

[mezak1gd]

S H I T. I bleached overnight and simphoto you were right today it was black. I grabbed sandpaper and got as much as I could off but there is still definately some black. Is there anything I can do about this or is it garbage? Will a long boil, star san or PBW get this off?

 

[Sawdustguy]

From "How to Brew":

For general cleaning, mild detergents or percarbonate-based cleaners are best for steel and aluminum. Bleach should be avoided because the high pH of a bleach solution can cause corrosion of aluminum and to a lessor degree of stainless steel. Do not clean aluminum shiny bright or use bleach to clean an aluminum brewpot because this removes the protective oxides and can result in a metallic taste. This detectable level of aluminum is not hazardous. There is more aluminum in a common antacid tablet than would be present in a batch of beer made in an aluminum pot.

 

[Rick500]

Boil water in it (higher than the level you'll use for brewing) for a half hour and you should get a nice oxide coating on it again, then it should be fine. (Pour that water out; it'll taste like aluminum.)

 

[rico567]

This forum is about beer, not a discussion of metallurgy, nevertheless: Aluminum WILL corrode. This corrosion occurs as a thin layer of aluminum oxide that forms on the surface, and serves to protect the metal. If this layer is scrubbed away, it will just re-form as the aluminum oxidizes (corrodes).
Iron and carbon steel do the same thing, but the oxide layer is less protective. Stainless steel has iron in it, which corrodes like any other iron. However, when SS is produced, it is passivated, which means that molecules of other metals in stainless like chromium and nickel are brought to the surface. These molecules do not corrode, and serve to protect the alloy.
The advice in this thread sounds good to me- don't use bleach to clean or sanitize these metals, use PBW or Oxi-Clean if your water will tolerate it- my water won't, so I rely for cleaning most brewing gear on PBW. Star San is best for sanitizing, which isn't the same thing as cleaning....but that's another thread.

 

[Simphoto02]

Part of me says stick it out and try and clean it and enjoy your bargain. The other side says dump it, get Stainless steel and enjoy your time brewing. JMHO Aluminum is ok for starters, but you WILL go to SS in the future. As I said in another post, I do not like spending the same money twice.

 

[Rick500]

This forum is about beer, not a discussion of metallurgy, nevertheless:...

Well, this particular part of the forum is frequently about metallurgy, so your metallurgical advice is welcome.

 

[mezak1gd]

Rico, I realize I shouldn't have used bleach, and this forum is about equipment related to brewing beer. My question is can I still use it after I bleached it and it turned black. I sandpapered most of it off and boiled water for a long time to build up the oxide layer, so ios it safe?

 

[Rick500]

It's safe.

 

[mezak1gd]

Thanks Rick