wort chiller problem

[400d]

I made a wort chiller from copper tubing. The device works great and I am really satisfied...

The only problem is that I can not remove stains on the copper, that formed after some time it stayed in my basement. I kept it in a plastic bucket, dry and washed.

At the beginning it was perfectly clean, and I used it only once. After couple of days these greenish mold-like stains formed on copper tubing, and I can't remove them, even with dish washing detergent. It seems these stains got deep inside of material...

I was thinking of using fine sand paper to remove them..


what is this?? and how can I remove it and prevent new ones to appear?

thanks

 

[JonK331]

Don't use sandpaper. The stains will just come back. The stains have no effect on flavor and are just signs of oxidation. If you want the tubing to look clean boil it in a vinegar and water solution. Seems like a waste of energy, water, and vinegar though.

 

[pompeiisneaks]

its standard copper oxidation, it won't hurt anything, and if you boil the copper int he wort prior to chill, for 15 mins or so, it will clean it up for you. I think everyone sees this w/ copper...

 

[400d]

its standard copper oxidation, it won't hurt anything, and if you boil the copper int he wort prior to chill, for 15 mins or so, it will clean it up for you. I think everyone sees this w/ copper...

but, won't this boiling release the stains into the wort? I suppose it could color and add the taste to the beer...?

Anyway, I don't like this idea of boiling this ugly thing inside my beautiful beer :fro:

 

[buzzkill]

if mine gets bad I use a green scrubby and hot water,no soap. but if its just some spots I don't bother. if you brew more oftern then it will never look bad.

 

[Catt22]

Use some Barkeeper's Friend on it with a scrubbie pad. The BK is made for SS, but it also does OK on copper and brass. The oxides should come off fairly easily, but the copper won't remain bright for long. Next time you use it, rinse it off well immediately after use and dry it with a cloth. Drying it well should prevent excessive oxidation which seems to describe what you have going on there. You could also step it up a notch and do it like this:

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/kitchen-and-bath/kitchenware/how-to-clean-copper-cookware/

The googles are your friend. I found that in about three seconds.

 

[oceanselv]

If anything does come off your chiller it will be a copper oxide and will likely settle out with your protein. If you want bright copper a soak in vinegar will remove it. But it will continue to come back as copper oxidizes rather easily in the presence of heat, water and oxygen.

 

[Weezknight]

Use some Barkeeper's Friend on it with a scrubbie pad. The BK is made for SS, but it also does OK on copper and brass. The oxides should come off fairly easily, but the copper won't remain bright for long. Next time you use it, rinse it off well immediately after use and dry it with a cloth. Drying it well should prevent excessive oxidation which seems to describe what you have going on there. You could also step it up a notch and do it like this:

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/kitchen-and-bath/kitchenware/how-to-clean-copper-cookware/

The googles are your friend. I found that in about three seconds.

I like how that link points out that copper is toxic. So what exactly am I leeching into my beer when I use an IC? Or what is coming into my tap water from the pipes?

 

[400d]

Use some Barkeeper's Friend on it with a scrubbie pad. The BK is made for SS, but it also does OK on copper and brass. The oxides should come off fairly easily, but the copper won't remain bright for long. Next time you use it, rinse it off well immediately after use and dry it with a cloth. Drying it well should prevent excessive oxidation which seems to describe what you have going on there. You could also step it up a notch and do it like this:

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/kitchen-and-bath/kitchenware/how-to-clean-copper-cookware/

The googles are your friend. I found that in about three seconds.

thanks for the link. it seems google can be your enemy sometimes:

"...When used for cooking, there are some precautions that need to be taken during the cleaning process. Copper is toxic and cannot be exposed to the actual food items that are being cooked inside..."

beside this, I found some easy ways to clean it. thank you....

 

[pompeiisneaks]

+1 on settling

I rarely get much of the protein break and hops after the boil... what little may have made it into the ferment, is heavy metal, and will sink into the yeast. I would guess ingesting copper would be bad, yes, but not having it touch things. People have used copper pipes for a very long time w/o any adverse effects.

 

[Montanaandy]

A little bit of patina on the copper won't hurt you. I had the same problem after the 1st time I used my WC (may have been residual Star San that the WC was in that caused the problem). I just scrubbed it with a sponge that has a scrubber on one side. That got the vast majority of it off. I placed the WC in the boil during the next batch for 15 minutes, used it to chill afterwards, and then sprayed it off. Have repeated this each brewing session and the copper continues to shine. Montanaandy

 

[Catt22]

Some copper is supposed to be beneficial to yeast. I'm not a chemist or a metalurgist, so I can't really add anything to the discussion related to the toxicity of copper, but I've been exposed to an awful lot of it over my lifetime and I haven't noticed any problems. Nothing showed up in my baseline tests when I was working at a toxic waste cleanup site. IIRC, it's actually best to leave the oxide on the copper to minimize exposure. IMO, it's nothing more than wishful thinking to believe that the copper drops out during the chilling process. I could be wrong on that, but I don't think so.