Copper saddles

[Robbo12]

Hi i got a second hand t500 they person i got it off said i don't need to clean the saddles so i did my wash which was a good one distilled my alcohol and noticed a chemical smell and taste ,so this morning i thought I'd clean the saddles and they was really dirty I've soaked the copper ones and will not come clean so ordered some new ones i think that's why the alcohol tased chemicaly.

[Myles]

You can probably get them clean with vinegar or citric acid. Just give them a good soak.

[Robbo12]

I've binned them just waiting for the new ones to arrive.

[Mash]

what sort of smell?

[Robbo12]

Chemical type when i looked at the copper saddles quite Alot were greeny colour.

[Mash]

Lets see what the new ones bring - you can of course use bits of copper pipe.

[Robbo12]

What about the copper wool do people use that ?

[packapoo]

Yes.

[packapoo]

Yes.

[packapoo]

Oops. That was a yes, not a yes yes.......

[Robbo12]

Ok thanks could i use copper all the way in it or do i still need stainless steel saddles too.

[packapoo]

Some folk use those stainless steel winding things and swear by them.....

I don't know, I've only ever used the copper scrubbers/wool/whatever you like to call it.

[Myles]

For general use the stainless steel scrubbers are as good as anything. I would try to put a bit of copper mesh - just 1 roll - right at the bottom of the column. You will need to take it out and clean it occasionally although back flushing the packing after the run with what is left in the boiler (it is mildly acidic) will help.

Every now and then I like to do a run with just water in the boiler and give the packing a good blast of steam.

Those green saddles might just have been left uncleaned after a run. If you leave any copper in that state for some time it will go green. If you are not going to use the column for some time it is best to clean it before it goes into storage.

As for the stainless windy things Spiral Prismatic Packing (SPP) from my point of view it is only good for a column dedicated to producing neutral. Its not as adaptable as other packings.

[Robbo12]

Thanks for the info lads.

[Brewhunter]

I had a similar problem so I changed the copper then rinsed off the stainless steel packing also replaced the ceramic boil pieces which solved the problem.