wort chiller

[phill71]

I regularly use my homemade copper immersion chiller, probaly once, maybe twice a month.

I always give it a good rinse before immersion, but can't help notice how bright and clean it looks after the cooling has finished.

This surely means something must be washing into the wort.

I don't want to get too hung up on this as copper vessells and fittings have been used in brewing for ever...but it can't be good for health and what might the long term consequences be?

 

[JonnyD]

i wouldnt be too worried about this. Its just the heating and cooling effect of the copper. Its the same when you solder copper pipe. :thumb:

 

[PD]

every few months give the coil a soak in a bucket with Oxy clean...brings it up a treat.

 

[nixhaz]

I thought it was coz the wort is acidic and clears up the tarnish? All your pipes in your house are copper based (usually) so can't imagine its enough to worry about, unless you are drinking 40 pints a day!

 

[nobyipa]

when you first use your chiller it comes out bright an shiny?

do not polish or anything rinse of wort then get the chiller as dry as possible after every brew day
then with time your chiller will look dull and brown thats GOOD!

This is called copper oxide that is relatively harmless and will slow down copper dissolving into your wort

is copper dangerous
I dont think so not in these amounts
what i do it wash the cooler then put in to boiling water to sanitise it
then dry it
do not use bleach based sanitisers

 

[brewtim]

Copper trace is utilised by yeast during fermentation and is required, if you don' t have any copper in the brewery then a copper wort chiller may add enough copper into the wort for the yeast to use.

I was reading this info on another forum if I remember correctly ( or was it one of Charlie Bamforth's books) and the thread was hinting that breweries that were all shiney ( stainless) were suffering with beer problems and the cause was found to be a lack of copper as nutrient for the yeast. Simply remedied.

 

[Awfers]

If you're worried about it, soak it in warm water with vinegar, the acid will remove the tarnish.. Make sure you wash it off thoroughly before putting it in your wort!!

 

[Aleman]

Oh No Not the great copper debate again

Copper is poisonous . . . in sufficient quantities, and there is a WHO guideline as to the maximum permissible amount.

Having said that a trace (ppb) amount of copper is required by yeast for fermentation.

Also in an experiment by the Midland craftbrewers, it was discovered that beer brewed in a brewery with a large amount of copper vessels and fittings did not have a high level of copper . . . even though the wort going into the FV had high levels of copper . . . it was removed by the yeast . . . which does suggest that reusing that yeast several times might cause fermentation problems as the copper concentrations in the yeast cells could cause problems.

Copper oxide is soluble in wort so that lovely brown later on your copper coil will dissolve leaving you a nice clean shiny pink coloured coil