Brew kettle/stock pot contamination?

[lucus_j]

Hi all,

Had a little bit of an accident; a bottle of no-rinse sanitiser (not sure what type) broke and spilled in my stainless steel brew kettle/stock pot and sort of corroded it. I've rinsed, scrubbed & boiled a ton of water in it.

Question is, has it become irretrievably contaminated? Should I bin it and buy a new one?

I've zero knowledge of chemistry but obviously don't want to waste a a brew or worse poison myself!

Would welcome some clear, non-poisonous advice from someone with relevant knowledge.

Thx!

 

[terrym]

Your pan has, as you say, been corroded by whatever was in the sanitiser. Its probably pitted it or etched the surface of your pan. Whatever damage is now done but its not contaminated. Rinsing and boiling should have removed any trace of the chemical and should have passivated your pan in the process. But if its heavily pitted you might consider replacing it, especially if the metal has thinned a lot. If its light pitting however I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[lucus_j]

Your pan has, as you say, been corroded by whatever was in the sanitiser. Its probably pitted it or etched the surface of your pan. Whatever damage is now done but its not contaminated. Rinsing and boiling should have removed any trace of the chemical and should have passivated your pan in the process. But if its heavily pitted you might consider replacing it, especially if the metal has thinned a lot. If its light pitting however I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks for the quick reply - very reassuring! ☺

There's no pitting as far as i can see, more like etching, as you say. The photo makes it look like residue but i hasn't come off with wire wool scrubbing.

Seems sturdy and safe to use

Thx again!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Thanks for the quick reply - very reassuring! ☺

There's no pitting as far as i can see, more like etching, as you say. The photo makes it look like residue but i hasn't come off with wire wool scrubbing.

Seems sturdy and safe to use

Thx again!

Just for curiosity you could try scrubbing it with a little vinegar and see if that helps at all. If it is any form of residue it’s likely to be alkaline so scrubbing with something acidic may help?

 

[terrym]

Just for curiosity you could try scrubbing it with a little vinegar and see if that helps at all. If it is any form of residue it’s likely to be alkaline so scrubbing with something acidic may help?

Why? The surface is corroded, so the damage is done, but it wont worsen. If its a no rinse sanitiser it will be water soluble, and rinsing, scrubbing and boiling (as the OP said) will have removed any chemical contamination. So any further treatment is unnecessary in my view. Indeed any further exposure to chemicals with scrubbing may make matters worse or at least remove the new passivation layer boiling will have provided.
And curiosity killed the cat

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Why? The surface is corroded, so the damage is done, but it wont worsen. If its a no rinse sanitiser it will be water soluble, and rinsing, scrubbing and boiling (as the OP said) will have removed any chemical contamination. So any further treatment is unnecessary in my view. Indeed any further exposure to chemicals with scrubbing may make matters worse or at least remove the new passivation layer boiling will have provided.
And curiosity killed the cat

I can’t tell from the photo if this is corrosion or residue. Agree the original formulation will have been soluble but the decomposition or reaction products?

Still curious...

 

[lucus_j]

Funny you mention vinegar; I did throw a cup in, left it for a bit, scrubbed it for a bit, boiled it for a bit.

I'll give it another boil with water before using it (full clean and sterilise cycle)

Thanks again folks.

Edit: I've got some Bar Keepers Friend; I'll use that to passivate the pot again before use (every day's a school day eh?!)