My New Bling...

[tk75]

I just couldn't wait to show off the new bulkhead I have made up and the new tap for my fermentors. Still have to get some locknuts/stainless washers and a silicone backing tray(to make washers out of). Some may think a little over the top but I went this way so that all my equipment will last so IMO it's all a good investment. Got all the parts from Bunnings @ just over $50.(How do I attach pics?? It's not there??) Ah. Ha...I worked it out...maybe?? Nope - YEP!!Everything is 3/4"(25mm)

 

[lucas]

not sure I'd want all that brass in contact with my beer for the long period of fermentation...

 

[tangent]

i'm a little confused. they're for your fermenters?

 

[tk75]

Yeah...I'm fitting this to my fermentor. I wouldn't have thought that brass would be a problem considering most tapware is made from brass.

 

[Zizzle]

Tap water has a different pH to your beer.

 

[Guest Lurker]

Tap water has a different pH to your beer.

5.2 ish vs 7.5ish, remembering that pH is a logaritmic scale

 

[Barramundi]

a simple formaula for your consideration



Brass = Lead
___________ = Dead

Too much




how exactly do these fit onto your fermenter ???

 

[tk75]

I pulled this from John Palmer's - How to Brew"Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 5-10 minutes at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green and the brass darkens, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve, exposing more lead. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution."From what I have researched Sodium Percarbonate is also safe on brass...but if others have more to add??I plan to fit the brass tube through the tap outlet. I was planning to bore out the last piece of plastic in the tap outlet so the brass tube goes all the way through inside, then the elbow(inside) will be fitted from there.

 

[Guest Lurker]

My brewing setup is all brass, cant see the point in buying stainless, and I didnt bother pickling it, it did it itself after a couple of brews. But that is in my HLT, kettle, and mash tun. I wouldnt personally put it in the fermenter where the pH drops compared to the wort, and the beer stays for weeks. You will notice JP refers to brewing equipment, not fermenting equipment.

Edit: To clarify. I am pretty sure the health implications of drinking the alcohol in the fermenter will be orders of magnitude greater than the potential implications of the brass. But if you have already decided to drink the alcohol, why add to the risk? I also mis-remembered the beer pH quoted above, in Dave Logsdens talk I think he actually said some yeasts will take the beer below pH 4 by the end of fermentation.

 

[Sammus]

Ive also heard that soft metals in fermented (and thus slightly acidic) wort isnt great. But then again, someone wrote that beer has a pH of 5.2, I always thought it would be lower than that. if that is the case, then what about everyone that uses brass fittings and plumbs their brewery with brass and copper? are they all going to die? I'm pretty sure mash pH is down around there too, even lower if you use a lot of dark grains...

And why use such a huge length of all thread? I seem to be the only one who likes to cut it to size, so many pics of people with 10cm of allthread sticking out of each of the vessels with a tap on the end...

 

[Barramundi]

give it a go , it is of course entirely your decision , but for me i would pay the extra and use stainless just for peace of mind if nothing else .... lead isnt something i wanna be eating / drinking if i can avoid it ...

 

[tk75]

Ok, well firstly after the first few posts I was starting to get a little disappointed(I can't do a sad face??) but after Sammus' and Barramundi's more upliftling comments I will continue with what I had planned to do.Sammus I too was thinking well, brass plumbing fittings are used in so many different situations were food stuff is concerned, so that's why I didn't think it would be a problem. The beer is only going to be in contact with the brass for a few weeks at any one time too.Basicly as I see it as far as cost and life span go, materials would go Plactics, Brass/Copper alloys then Stainless. Obviously there is different grades in all materials too. If I had a pocket full of cash I would have just gone straight for stainless and all 316 or higher grade and if I had 2 pockets full of cash I would have had all the parts machined from scratch(maybe next year??)Sammus I plan on cutting down the tube...I want everything fitting nice, neat and snug so once I measure everything I will cut to size.Also I can't get stainless washers as I had wanted to use so I am just going to drill/bore a 3/4" hole in some brass welsh plugs...it should work. I want to get it all done this weekend so I can get a brew on ASAP!!

 

[yardy]

admiration for having a go, i could probably think of other gear to buy for the brewery though. i see in your sig you don't have kegs, an extra $20........ Cheers BTW, why does my post end up all on line ???????

 

[Jye]

Before using it in a fermenter pour off a couple of liters of fermented beer into a container and soak the parts for a week. Then have a look at what effect the lower pH had on the brass.

 

[domonsura]

And to think, for $75 I could have put together a 1/2" 316 stainless set together for you (elbow, allthread, locknuts, washers, ball valve and hosetail)..........cut to length and ready to install......oh well....

I know some of you guys have had scarey stainless prices from some of the plumbing shops etc, but the fact is that buying stainless from the right place often isn't that much more expensive than getting ripped off for brass fittings by some of the plumbing shops......something to bear in mind for next time.

Can I ask why you decided to go 3/4"? Seems a curious size....

I agree with Jye, before you go ahead and use it for a full brew, soak it in some fermented beer and see what happens - and remember that whatever is 'no longer part of that brass fitting' ie: everything that has been corroded off the fitting.......and is now part of your brew (and soon to be part of your diet...). Brass is not designed to be in contact with acidic or alkaline solutions.

 

[tk75]

Jye have you seen what happens? or are you just suggesting to do this before I go ahead and fit everything...I am setup and ready to drill the fermentor but I would like to know for sure if brass is going to be a problem in the fermentor. Does anyone know what AS3688 is?? Does it just refer to pressure rating standard?? If anyone out there has used brass for the same purpose and died please contact me and let me know!!

 

[domonsura]

You won't die. I'm just of the opinion that adding lead to your diet isn't great in any amount, even tiny amounts. Not sure what it would do to the beer taste wise, but i wouldn't be suprised if it led to some kind of taint.
Ever seen a brass cooking pot?

 

[Jye]

Ive never done it but will be interested to see what the brass looks like after a soak.

Soak it in a few liters before installing it on a fermenter.

 

[tk75]

Ah, F$#K!!Now Domonsura has gone and screwed up everything!! Nah, just kidding but maybe you have just spoken up in time...I can still take all this back to Bunnings, get a refund and put it towards something you can make up for me Domonsura??I went for 3/4" so I didn't have to damage my fermentor too much, just boring out the tap hole all the way through...Send me a PM and we'll see if we can't get something sorted...and thankyou too!

 

[domonsura]

Just dropped a brass fitting in some fermenting beer, after taking pH reading. Will post in another thread.
We'll see exactly what happens, then I might see if there's a test for significant levels of lead in the beer that's left after 2 weeks......
I can do something for you if you want maltaddict, just shoot me a PM when you have seen if you can return the gear to bunnings....