Hey Guys,
I'm a huge fan of the BN! I've listened to every episode (some multiple times) but there is one topic I have yet to hear about. From what I have discovered, there is little known in the brewing community about the passivation of stainless steel. I am suggesting this topic as I am currently facing this dilemma. After doing tons of research online, I am getting mixed answers and mixed warnings.
I just had a 3bbl - 3 vessel brewhouse manufactured for me but I quickly learned that is not ready to use until I give the steel some TLC. When I first received it I felt like a giddy little kid and couldn't wait to test it out. After filling and draining the HLT, the next day there was a small amount of rust forming on the bottom weld seam. I discovered the rust is actually from minimal amounts of nickel and other metals remaining in the weld that needs to be scrubbed, removed and passivated. I used barkeepers friend to remove the rust and it did a great job.
Now I need to passivate the vessels but I have no idea what the best method is. I ordered 50 lbs of citric acid. Do you think I should dilute the acid with water, fill the tanks completely with this and leave them sitting over night? or can I use a spray ball to rinse the entire vessel ? I understand the vessels have to be hand dried and remain open to the air for about a week after passivation. Is this the most efficient way to go about it?
Also, what maintenance procedures would you recommend?
Thanks guys- cheers!
Sky