Passivate SS with Citric acid

Texas Ale Works

Texas Ale Works

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Looking to make sure I have the math right, but my plan is to add about 2 tablespoons of Citric acid per gallon of water to get just above a 5% solution to use in my new kettle and fermenter.

Sound right?

I have read that stars can be used but at 1oz per gallon, that cost way to much..

Tim
 
Texas Ale Works said:
Looking to make sure I have the math right, but my plan is to add about 2 tablespoons of Citric acid per gallon of water to get just above a 5% solution to use in my new kettle and fermenter.

Sound right?

I have read that stars can be used but at 1oz per gallon, that cost way to much..

Tim
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Not an expert but I believe any acid will work.
 
Barkeeper's Friend cleanser is oxalic acid. It's cheap and it works fine for this. Work it up into a paste and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. You'll see the swirly marks where it smeared unevenly and you can repeat after some scrubbing and it'll even out.
 
Not any acid will passivate stainless. Nitric and citric are the most common in pro breweries. Citric is the safer of the two and will work just as well as nitric. Phosphoric and latic acids do not passivate.

For home brewers, as JA mentions, bar keeper friend works but requires more time to work. Typically it’s scrub with BKF and then rinsed, left to the air and it will be passivated in 4-7 days.

Citric and nitric acids passivate on contact. Not sure about the dosage.
 
From what I have read it is anywhere from 4-10% citric acid solution, soak for 30-++++ minuets above 140ish F.

So what I am going with is a approx 5% solution at 160 for 60 min, then dump and let air dry....rinse and brew!

It will part of my write up on setting up a new eBIAB in BF......

Tim
 
I used lemon juice to passivate after etching. Worked like a charm (I think) LOL

Don't know how to test passivization. . .
 
I had to google passivation to know what you were discussing. My stainless kettles seem happy but I've using using barkeepers friend without knowing it would passivate for me.
 
ChicoBrewer said:
I used lemon juice to passivate after etching. Worked like a charm (I think) LOL

Don't know how to test passivization. . .
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I don't either, but if it isn't passivated, it will rust.
 
I was reading up about this as well. I think 5.32 oz/gal is what people are using and is what I will use. It was an article online I read somewhere. Temps range between 140-170 for 30-60 min.
 
so, the kettle is 1/2 through the process, 15ish gallons of water and either a cup or 1 1/2 cups of citric acid, heated to 180f.
Will let it sit for an hour, then pump it to the Brew Bucket and let that go a bit longer because of the temp drop that will happen.

Water is taking on a greenish tint, so something is happening

T
 
Strange. I can't imagine needing to passivate stainless at our scale, besides, most of what we use it to contain is acidic anyway. Unless you used chlorine cleaners on it, I can't imagine a need to passivate stainless. And as mentioned above, that's what barkeeper's friend is for.
 
Just an extra cleaning step for the new equipment really, if nothing else getting started on a good foot I guess.

and I never use chlorine, never have.....

might be overkill, but it gave me something to do today......

T
 
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