Does Chrome React With Beer?

[Fingerlickin_B]

Oh, I almost forgot reason "C" - aside from naked brass it was all I could find at the time

PZ.

 

[Borret]

Dare we tell them that some machining grades of stainless contain lead. h34r: Doesn't that blow all the brass hating stainless users out of the water :lol:

I'm not particularly concerned about the levels of lead in brass...almost every glass of water I have ever consumed came through a system with brass fittings & even taps, plus the water in my beer does too

The reasons I went for the chrome-plated fitting are these:
a- Chrome is easy to clean.
b- I found myself more concerned about the fact that brass is semi-porous and may harbour otherwise non-hazardous bacteria that might screw with my brew...don't tell me it isn't porous either, I've oiled many a spigot bush in my day

PZ.

[post="87892"][/post]​

I have no problem with chrome fittings, they make sense.

The spigot bush probably was porous, but only becasue it was sintered as self lubricating bushes are. Solid brass...well sorry no.

Cheers

Borret

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Alls I knows is when I take my measurements to the shop and say "please make this out of brass" the bush always weeps when I oil it...but maybe that's just because the boys know what it is for...

PZ.

 

[Borret]

Yep, I'd say so. The porosity is manufactured to a specific size to enable capilary action to work. When cold the oil is retained, when warmed from friction of rotation the oil comes to the surface and lubricates, when stopped and it cools it draws it back in. That's why they only need oiling once in a blue moon. Great but simple technology.

Cheers

Borret

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I can dig it...so brass plumbing fittings are non-porous?

What about the barbed tails I use for automotive fuel? They seem to get somewhat darkened/wet (even oily when 2-stroke is involved) over time (all over, and regardless of how good the thread seal is)...

^Serious question here^...I always thought all brass was semi-porous...

PZ.

 

[Borret]

I can dig it...so brass plumbing fittings are non-porous?

What about the barbed tails I use for automotive fuel? They seem to get somewhat darkened/wet (even oily when 2-stroke is involved) over time (all over, and regardless of how good the thread seal is)...

^Serious question here^...I always thought all brass was semi-porous...

PZ.

[post="87928"][/post]​

Ok, I have just done a little reading.
I must appologise as I am more than willing to do when wrong. I shall remove my blanket statement. You are right in the respect that brass is somewhat porous althogh more modern practices have minimised that and forging can eliminate it. I would still maintain that your bushes are indeed sintered for you to be noticing oils weeping from them the way you have noted. The porosity is not that extreme.
The likes of fuels weeping through it over a very extended and constant period of time may be possible. Remebering also fuels probably penetrate much better than water due to their viscosity.. I am only speculating here but the surface oxides may also encourage this surface colouration due to a porous outer layer for the fuel to creap along. I imagine the material underneath is still lusterous if you scrape some away. Have you found this?
I still have no great problem with brass in brewing but understand your concern.

Appologies Borret

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Thanks for the reply Borret

No, removing material from the fuel fittings will not reveal an "as new" appearance or colour, but it does look lighter in colour than the "tainted" fitting...I put this down to the fact that fuel/oil attracts dust, hence adding to the darkening of the outer surface.

Also, in regards to the penetrative qualities of petrollet us not forget that it is made up of mostly hydrocarbons, which will inevitably find their way through just about any material a lot easier than water/beer (as you already eluded to).

Who would have thought a thread could go so off-topic and still remain within my sphere of interest? :lol:

PZ.

 

[Borret]

Mate, it's all interesting stuff. Loved manufacturing topics at uni. Shame I don't get to deal with the good stuff so much these day's. More palstic moulding and sheet metal.

Funny thing is we are finding interesting but everyone else is probably just shaking their heads :lol:

Cheers

Borret

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Cool, so now I'm going to do a u-turn back to the original topic, but before I get there I'll take a sharp left...

I'm worried about the chrome eventually flaking off the fitting (it's a cheap one, so as soon as it meets Mr Spanner the stuff will no doubt start chipping).

Even if it does not harm the brew, I obviously have no wish to ingest chrome flakes, nor do I wish to feed them to my mates Sooner than later the chromed fitting must go!

Do I:
a- Use brass fittings?
b- Fork out for SS fittings?

You seem to envisage no problem with brass, but I fear you are only thinking of when it is used in short-term contact with the brew

Bearing in mind that this isn't a few-minute brew-contact, but in fact for at least a week in the fermenter.

I probably should have posted this question in the "is brass a no-no" thread...too late now!

PZ.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I'm worried about the chrome eventually flaking off the fitting (it's a cheap one, so as soon as it meets Mr Spanner the stuff will no doubt start chipping).

I should have added the fact that although I have started a brew tonight with these fittings in the fermenter they were only hand-tightened

PZ.

 

[barls]

Nice wheels Barls fair bit of work done there :beerbang:

[post="87885"][/post]​

thanks deadly its taken 14 months so far and we still dont have an engine in or seats fitted

I'll see what I can find out. Probably been a couple of years since the father in law got something from them but one of our friends down here does some hobby foundry work and still gets them to plate it (mascots, hub centres, rad caps etc)I assume their quality is still good.

Taree, eh, centre of the universe. Everyone seems to have a connection to it. I grew up out near Krambach.

Borret

thanks for the info mate ill look in to it. yeah taree is the center it seems cause just about everyone i work with seems to know someone up there and i have worked with 4 different people from there.

 

[browndog]

Seems to me that the amount of lead that might leach out of a brass fitting would be not worth worrying about. Granted, S/S looks the goods though. You Blokes talking about lead in brass get me really worried when I remember back to being a nipper running around in the scrub with my air rifle and a heap of slugs in my mouth for easy access hehe.


cheers

Browndog

 

[sosman]

Don't start me - metals are my business & it makes me laugh the way some people carry on

So why do we not see the food and beverage industry using chrome plated fittings?

My experience with chrome plated things is that invariably, part of the chrome wears off and then you are down to crappy metal.

 

[vlbaby]

I'm a little suspicious of using chrome since I fitted one to the tap of my fermenter. It seems the the acidic nature of fermenting beer has just about removed the entire chrome plating from the fitting. If it hasnt decayed the chrome away, it had at least discolored it seriously.
The same thing happened to my HLT / part time fermenter. It has an electric element fitted, which is chrome plated. When i used this vessel as a secondary fermenter, I discovered that chrome plating had decayed of the element. Obviously this ended up in my beer!
I'm not too keen on using chrome anymore.

vlbaby.

 

[vlbaby]

Before contact with fermenting beer...




After.... ( same element but now fitted to a keg hlt)



vlbaby.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I'm a little suspicious of using chrome since I fitted one to the tap of my fermenter. It seems the the acidic nature of fermenting beer has just about removed the entire chrome plating from the fitting. If it hasnt decayed the chrome away, it had at least discolored it seriously.

How long (how many brews) did it take for this to start happening?

I certainly wouldn't like to loose the brew I just put down in this thing...$40 is a lot to loose for me...I'm always broke :huh:

PZ.

 

[wessmith]

Folks, chrome plated finishes are VERY pourous. Normally they are underplated with copper and nickel (as in car bumpers) but the nickel also needs to be of a sufficient thickness to avoid the chrome porosity causing degradation. And there is the rub - all plating is expensive and people try to cut corners by reducung thickness.

The bottom line is dont use chrome plated fittings for beer. Nickel is OK (ball valves) and of course S/S is fine. Invest upfront and avoid the dissapointment.

Wes

 

[Darren]

Folks, chrome plated finishes are VERY pourous. Normally they are underplated with copper and nickel (as in car bumpers) but the nickel also needs to be of a sufficient thickness to avoid the chrome porosity causing degradation. And there is the rub - all plating is expensive and people try to cut corners by reducung thickness.

The bottom line is dont use chrome plated fittings for beer. Nickel is OK (ball valves) and of course S/S is fine. Invest upfront and avoid the dissapointment.

Wes

[post="88106"][/post]​

Glad someone agrees with me

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I plan on investing...in fact I sent an order to G&G last night but didn't get a reply today...sh*tty service if you ask me

Beer needed to be in the fermenter last night as previously stated...I wasn't being a tightass, I didn't have anything else

Here's hoping my friends and I don't get a gut full of chrome flakes then huh

PZ.

 

[Darren]

FL, one batch is going to be fine. Not worth the risk compared to the cost when your health and your beers sanitation. Look at what commercial breweries are using. This is the food grade standard which probably also includes sanitation (lost batches)

cheers
Darren