cleaning CF chiller?

[modenacart]

How do you guys keep your CF chiller clean? I haven't used mine in a while. I plan on brewing soon and don't want to screw it up.

[Tom C]

prior to attaching the hose i send some boiling wort through. 210 degrees f will kill anything!

Tom C

[modenacart]

In the past I would flush it with the hose for a few mintues and send about 3 gallons of boiling water. I wasn't sure if this was good enough.

[BrewDog]

How long has it been since you last used it?

I'm assuming internally it's copper. The thing to worry about with copper is the green stuff that forms on copper called verdegris.
It is very poisonous. You really don't want it getting in your beer.

You can clean it with a vinegar solution. Use the search button on this board for the words "corky douche". Be sure to use distilled vinegar, NOT malt vinegar. You don't want your beer equipment to turn into a vinegar factory.

Good luck-

[danno]

one other tip, run your cleaning stuff through in both directions...

[vw addict]

Originally posted by BrewDog

I'm assuming internally it's copper. The thing to worry about with copper is the green stuff that forms on copper called verdegris.
It is very poisonous. You really don't want it getting in your beer.


uh-oh, I kinda stuck my not so clean wort chiller into the kettle of my first all grain batch. I wouldn't say it was green, but it was kinda dingy. It came out after cooling sparkling copper tho. Is the batch ruined? My friend is a chemist, can I get her to do a test for something to see if I made toxic sludge?

[BrewDog]

An immersion chiller 'cleans' itself in the boil. Dingy is ok. If it was only the 'old copper' color on the outside, don't sweat it at all. Dirty is, well, how dirty was it? If there was crap peeling off of it when you stuck it in the boil, then it's up to you....

[vw addict]

Originally posted by BrewDog
An immersion chiller 'cleans' itself in the boil. Dingy is ok.
Pheeew! That's what I thought. There was no chunky stuff on it, just slight discoloration.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by vw addict
uh-oh, I kinda stuck my not so clean wort chiller into the kettle of my first all grain batch. I wouldn't say it was green, but it was kinda dingy. It came out after cooling sparkling copper tho. Is the batch ruined? My friend is a chemist, can I get her to do a test for something to see if I made toxic sludge?

you're fine - lot's of homebrewers do this. Wort is acidic and cleans the copper - all the grime (theoretically) falls out in primary if not the kettle

[modenacart]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will have to try it. I haven't had in infection yet, but I haven't brewed in about 4 months.

[corkybstewart]

Hopefully you brought it back to a boil after sticking it in the kettle. That was one of the reasons I didn't like my immersion chiller-it stopped the boil and added 5-10 minutes to the process.

[corkybstewart]

Originally posted by modenacart
Thanks for the suggestions, I will have to try it. I haven't had in infection yet, but I haven't brewed in about 4 months.

After I've finished sparging, I add a few more gallons of water to the HLT and bring it to a boil. Run a gallon of boiling water thru the CFC. If any chunkies come out, keep running boiling water thru. If it comes out clean and clear you're good. After brewing I run 2 or 3 more gallons of boiling water thru it to clean it, and about every third batch I douche it.