Will This Leach Into My Reservoir?

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Bobby Smith

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Looking to get the most efficient heat exchanging Cool Coil-type thing they make, and this seems to be the brewer's choice for speed in bringing temps down:



It's made of stainless steel that's "fused" together with copper in an oxygen-free environment?

Can any of you chemists help out? I know that RO water would do something bad to copper quickly (don't know why, but that it does), but if this is sitting in my nutrient reservoir which will at a minimum have 150PPMs from my tap, will the copper leach?

Decided to not use my RO filter this run, so I'm wondering if I can use this heat exchanger.

Thanks.
 
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Bobby Smith

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Bump..........anybody?

I know I could use the stainless steel coils that are all the rage these days, but the link above is MUCH more efficient at heat transfer, and since I have a limited supply of cool tap water to run through it I'm trying to get the most efficient chilling coil possible.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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Let me put it this way--if your plan were to chill an expensive reef aquarium with that thing, I'd tell you to back away as quickly as you can. Copper kills invertebrates and certain microbes is why. I have no idea what might happen in a nutrient reservoir scenario.

I never knew about copper being exposed to RO/mineral stripped water. Interesting, you wouldn't happen to have a link that might explain what happens in that situation, wouldja?
 
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RMCG

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I would think you would be ok. It would leach at a slight rate, but I don't think enough to worry about.





I would just use a SS wort chiller instead of the heat exchanger.
 
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Bobby Smith

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Let me put it this way--if your plan were to chill an expensive reef aquarium with that thing, I'd tell you to back away as quickly as you can. Copper kills invertebrates and certain microbes is why. I have no idea what might happen in a nutrient reservoir scenario.

I never knew about copper being exposed to RO/mineral stripped water. Interesting, you wouldn't happen to have a link that might explain what happens in that situation, wouldja?

Lol........I kinda wrote this post with you in mind and was tempted to put "Seamaiden, Help" as the title - no lie, pretty funny that you're the first responder to it.

And unfortunately I can't find the link where it was talked about - I'm pretty sure it's in Ben Derdundat's thread, but I looked for a while last night and couldn't find it.

I think the gist of it was that tap water and nute solution is most likely fine to use with copper (after all, HI's first cooling coil was made out of copper), but that RO water would do the bad chemical thingy with copper and fuck you pretty good.

The poster also went on the explain how RO water is almost like an acid in how it can strip away..........molecules? Electrons? Can't remember what the noun he used was, but I'm way out of my element (as if you couldn't guess) talking about chemistry.

I'm gonna take another look for the link now.

EDIT: RMCG found the post(s) - they are his (#10) and noone88 (#11).

So RMCG, you think I'd be safe with that bad boy?

And anyone see any issues with my math in calculating the BTUs below?

Just doing some back of the envelope calculations based on this line:

"Chill 10 gal (37.8 liters) of wort in 5 minutes to 68 F (20 C) using 58 F (14.4 C) cooling water at 5 gallons/min (19 liters/min). "

So going from 212F to 68F = 144F difference * 10 gallons * 8.35 lbs./gallon = 12,024 BTUs of heat are removed in five minutes?

Can this be right?

Because if so, this coil would damn near get my reservoir TOO COLD if it's running for five minutes every hour (roughly), right?

Am I fucking that calculation up somehow?
 
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Bobby Smith

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I would think you would be ok. It would leach at a slight rate, but I don't think enough to worry about.





I would just use a SS wort chiller instead of the heat exchanger.

You mean you'd go with the stainless steel coiled vs. the stainless steel/copper plate?

Sucks, because the plate one is MUCH more efficient.
 
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RMCG

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Oh, I know it is more efficient, but for simplicity's sake, yeah a coil will do what you want.

And yes, they DO cool things down that fast, but it will never get colder than your EWT.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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I love bumping an unanswered thread only to come back and find HELLA good stuff!

I hadn't read that thread since I have no need to use a chiller, nor do I have a reservoir. I've gotta start moving out of my comfort zone a little more, it's *very* educational. Thanks. :) The cooling plate deal is, well, cool. I wonder why in reefkeeping they're still stuck on using coils. Could it be because they're so restricted in what metals can be used in a saltwater environment? Titanium can be formed into a plate, can't it?
 
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RMCG

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Titanium ~could~ be formed in to a plate, but the cost would be NUTS.

Hell, even a small (few feet) length of tubing is pricey.
 
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Bobby Smith

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I went ahead and ordered the 50' pure stainless steel coiled one.

Should work out okay, but I really wanted to get a "Therminator"...........just sounds badass, and would've been PERFECT for my application.
 
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