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Posted by Chris Case @ San Diego on Tuesday, May 06, 2008 at 15:44:55 :
In Reply to: Re: Hexavalent Chromium mentioned in chrome plating. posted by D. Sherman on Tuesday, May 06, 2008 at 12:19:59 :
Don't soak your stainless in chlorine any longer than needed for sterilization. Or use any stronger than recommended. Apparently, stainless forms an oxide layer, like aluminum. Chlorine eats the oxide. If you soak your home brewing apparatus too long, you may have to throw out a batch of beer. Iron is really bad for beer, and without the oxide layer the iron makes a really metallic taste. Like fillings dissolving taste.
Stainless assemblies go through a 'normalizing' process to prevent corrosion. Basically, an acid bath forms the oxide layer. I'd guess that the caustic soda destroys that coating, which acid might not do. In fact, like mentioned here just lately, dairies use phosphoric acid to sterilize their stainless equipment. You know, the stainless equipment that DOES NOT poison us all from drinking milk.