Passivating Stainless Steel FV ?.

[Greg2013]

I have a new shiny SS FV i need to passivate,however i have no Starsan to hand and largest i can get citric acid in locally is 100gr tubs.What else can i use to do the job that i might be able to get locally ? For instance i can get kettle descaler which is Formic Acid and i am curious would that do the job safely,also may be possible to get dairy bulk tank descaler locally which i believe is a mix of nitric and phosphoric acid. I would like to get it done over the next few days if possible as i can't get Starsan anyway until next week

I am asking because i am impatient for one,secondly the FV is 50lt so i am assuming i would need a shit ton of Starsan to do the job which could be expensive. Alternatives that could be sourced locally is what i am asking for,tia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formic_acid

[Greg2013]

Second question is after a good hot oxclean bath and being rinsed and dried will SS no naturally passivate by itself anyway ?

[LordEoin]

Why do you want to passivate it? have you been cutting it or scrubbing it with brillo pads or something?
Give it a good clean and dry and it'll passivate itself from exposure to air.

[Damofto]

I have been wondering about this too as I bought two fermenters in the group buy. One thing though, I think I read somewhere that Oxy shouldn't be used with Stainless as it strips the protective coating or something, I stand to be corrected though.

[Leann ull]

   http://howtobrew.com/book/appendices/appendix-b/passivating-stainless-steel

[Greg2013]

I have been wondering about this too as I bought two fermenters in the group buy. One thing though, I think I read somewhere that Oxy shouldn't be used with Stainless as it strips the protective coating or something, I stand to be corrected though.

I didn't hear that tbh,however when a vessel comes straight from factory i see no harm in giving it a good hot oxyclean bath to get rid of all the gunk from manufacturing.

[molc]

CH's link is interesting, as it suggests you need to give the welds a good cleaning, as they aren't passified.

[Greg2013]

CH's link is interesting, as it suggests you need to give the welds a good cleaning, as they aren't passified.

I would have to agree with that,i see welds as the weak points as regards rust etc. 

That said for a 50lt FV how much Starsan would you need to use to passivate it if you fill to the brim ? From what i have seen when using citric acid at least a 5-10% w/v is used which would indicate anywhere from 2.5-5kg Citirc Acid for 50lt  Going off that it strikes me you would need a helluva lot of Starsan to do the same job ?

I think we need some solid practical indication as to how best to approach this given what we can source here in Eire,half the stuff the get in USA we can't get here.

[molc]

Well, the point the article is making is that you need to clean that off first, as it can't be passified. Once it's gone, the stainless will just passify with oxygen exposure.

[Greg2013]

Well, the point the article is making is that you need to clean that off first, as it can't be passified. Once it's gone, the stainless will just passify with oxygen exposure.

I did all that,hot water and oxyclean for two hours,scrubbed inside and out with one of them non metallic scrubbing pads for doing dishes,rinsed and dried with a towel and left open to air.

Sorry guys i may be obsessing about this but it's my first shiny 

[Greg2013]

Why do you want to passivate it? have you been cutting it or scrubbing it with brillo pads or something?
Give it a good clean and dry and it'll passivate itself from exposure to air.

Because it is fresh from factory and just post manufacturing process,the general consensus seems to be that you need to do it at least once ?

[Greg2013]

I just ordered some Barkeeper's Friend from link below,i went with this option because my keg setup could also do with a good clean.Hopefully this will be here end of next week,should be handy to have around anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172164153963?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Oh Crap]

I just ordered some Barkeeper's Friend from link below,i went with this option because my keg setup could also do with a good clean.Hopefully this will be here end of next week,should be handy to have around anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172164153963?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Do not use that on the inside of any vessel....it will taint everything for a long time...

[Greg2013]

I just ordered some Barkeeper's Friend from link below,i went with this option because my keg setup could also do with a good clean.Hopefully this will be here end of next week,should be handy to have around anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172164153963?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Do not use that on the inside of any vessel....it will taint everything for a long time...

I would have thought that too but yet all the advice from USA brewers so far has been to use it on the inside and wash well after. I will make use of it anyway on outside cleanup of my kegs. 

[Oh Crap]

I just ordered some Barkeeper's Friend from link below,i went with this option because my keg setup could also do with a good clean.Hopefully this will be here end of next week,should be handy to have around anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172164153963?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Do not use that on the inside of any vessel....it will taint everything for a long time...

I would have thought that too but yet all the advice from USA brewers so far has been to use it on the inside and wash well after. I will make use of it anyway on outside cleanup of my kegs. 

It'll shine up the outside nicely....but trust me on the inside...an expensive lesson