Question on 2" copper pipe that may have had freon in it?

[roadrunner]

I did a search and came up with allot of info about useing freon for cooling but very little about if you can reuse copper pipe that has possibly had freon in it. I have access to allot of 2" copper pipe and it is from a refrigeration unit in a brewery, I was curious if this is usable and if so what steps do I need to take to clean it or get it to a usable state?. I have read some info on useing the 50/50 vinegar and there are some acids that will clean up the copper then followed by a sacrificial run, hopeing something like this will work as this pipe would be free and I dont have allot of money to throw around for new pipe. Thanks for any input

[Samohon]

Patio cleaner has 30% hydrochloric acid in it. It will pickle the inside of the pipe to a salmon color. Cap one end and leave the acid to work for an hour, a good rinse with salt water and a steel wool pad forced back and forth a few times with a broom handle I reckon would do the trick...

Try it on a length about a foot long first to get an idea how it would turn out...

Thats what I would do... Dont forget to wear safety glasses, gloves mask and clothing...

[rad14701]

The extent of the possible hazards depends on what, exactly, the copper had in it for refrigerant... It could have been any of a a number of freons, artificial freons, ammonia, or something else... Freon produces phosgene gas (mustard gas) when superheated... Years ago we used flame based sniffers to detect freon leaks but they were banned in the 70's or 80's due to the fact that they produced such a deadly gas at which time I switched to an electronic sniffer...

Perhaps one of the HVAC guys can shed more light on the subject of reusing that copper in a still...

[LanMan]

I made an immersion chiller for my beer brewing. It was kinda dirty and the frendly folks on my beer forum said to soak it in Star San wich is an acid based sanatiser. It will turn the copper pretty pink just like Samohon said.

[Samohon]

Just thought of another alternative roadrunner and definitely a lot safer:

If you have a lot of piping, get all the scrap copper you can, trade it for cash and go and buy a spanking new pipe...

I know, sorry, does'nt really help, but as Rad says, maybe some of the HVAC guys will chime in and help...

Just a thought...

[Caveguy]

The freon itself isn't the problem, it evaporates completelly.
It's the compressor oil you have to worry about, especially when you have a burned compressor.
I used 2" copper tubes that have been used in a HVAC for 25 years, but after soaking it in an acid bath and polishing it afterwards, it looks like new.