Copper Immersion Chillers

[katzke]

I was thinking of doing a counterflow chiller until I did some research.

A good write up is the follow link : http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php

Im sure the both have their good points and people will prefer different things.. but I thought the immersion chiller will be the way i go with a whirlpool attachment.

I guess it all depends on what equipment you have. Your system requires a pump. To skip the whirlpool you need a good screen. A counter flow with out a pump requires enough height of the brew kettle to get gravity flow into the fermentor.

So no pump, a good screen, and a counter flow chiller gives pitchable wort in as long as it takes to drain the kettle. That is fast enough for most people.

With a pump and no screen the coil chiller may work great. Question is if you have a pump and no screen, dont you have to worry about clogging the pump?

I also question the time results in the link you posted. Maybe if they have very cold water then they can get a fast chill to 100F. I find it takes a bit longer with my smaller chiller. The big problem comes with the drop from 100F to pitching temps. That is not a problem with a plate or counter flow chiller from any that I have seen used. The wort comes out at pitching temps and they are done before I get down to 100F.

Just pointing out the differences in each system.

The Chillzilla is one heck of a counter flow chiller. Not prone to permanent plug ups like a plate chiller and easier to clean. Not cheap though.

 

[manticle]

What didn't you like about it? Curious, I guess.

And Manticle, I do have a copper bending tool (if you want to do 90 bends without the need for elbows) like this:

and flaring tool which you are welcome to borrow or drop by my place for a beer and finish the chiller over here, if you go diy. I'm inner city melbs.

Cheers
reVox

That sounds great. I may very well take you up on that offer. It will be a couple of weeks before I get all the bits together but i'll keep it in mind. Much appreciated.

 

[gava]

I have not used my pump in a brewday its a new addition to my rig.. Ill be investing in a BB screen soon enough to stop the flowers. but I believe it has not problem with pellets..

in any case it'll sh#t on my old chiller we'll see how it goes..

With a pump and no screen the coil chiller may work great. Question is if you have a pump and no screen, don't you have to worry about clogging the pump?

 

[manticle]

Yours is looking great Gava. Thanks for the photos etc - i think I'll be finding those very useful.

 

[komodo]

Any one ever tried to build a combination immersion/counterflow chiller?
Ie tube in tube design counter flow but run the wort through the inner tube and the water through the outter tube and immerse the whole chiller into the kettle

 

[yardy]

View attachment 34932

nice work Alfie, do you have a pic of the inside (the return)

cheers

Dave

this is my next project B)

 

[katzke]

Any one ever tried to build a combination immersion/counterflow chiller?
Ie tube in tube design counter flow but run the wort through the inner tube and the water through the outter tube and immerse the whole chiller into the kettle

That is the way all the counter flow chillers I have seen are built. Water on the outside. So I guess you could but a counter flow chiller is so short I am not sure you would get any advantage. Plus you introduce one more thing into the wort that needs to be cleaned first and after.

A good counter flow chiller will chill boiling wort to pitching temp in one pass at a normal flow. Depending on how cold the water is it can chill to low. I have seen that happen. The fix is to slow the water down as the wort is at full speed anyway.

 

[komodo]

Fair enough.

Might give it a go at building one.
or maybe I'll save my pennies and buy a chillzilla

 

[alford_j]

nice work Alfie, do you have a pic of the inside (the return)

cheers

Dave

this is my next project B)

Yardy,

mine is a plain old immersion chiller- not a whirlpool immersion chiller so no wort return (if I understand the question). I followed tutorial and it was helpful. I also made a counterflow chiller but only used about 5M of 1/2 inch tube and it wasn't very effective- also much harder to make.

Good luck with it,

Alfie

 

[Pumpy]

Mmmmmmmmmm i remember now how do you use those copper wort chillers

 

[gava]

I have the wort return for whirlpool attached to my chiller...

the picture shows the return here.

the work return from the march pump connects to the Stainless Steel camlock..

nice work Alfie, do you have a pic of the inside (the return)

cheers

Dave

this is my next project B)

 

[br33zy]

Good thread Manticle, good luck with your project.

I found this post today on a 'ribcage immersion chiller' - it's a beaut: http://lostinfermentation.com/2009/09/01/r...ersion-chiller/

Cheers

Breezy

 

[jonw]

I just bought an 18m roll of tube from Bunnings ($99) to make one of these. Do you have to degrease the tube (or anything else) as suggested at the end of that youtube video before you use it?

Cheers,

Jon

 

[manticle]

Update from me even though it doesn't answer the above question;

Despite the temptaion to make stuff just for kicks, the amount of water used by immersion chillers balanced against the ease and efficacy of no-chill means I've not yet attempted this and maybe never will. Definitely making a new tun and fermentation/bottle cellar cabinet before I make a chiller. No chill is pretty damn impressive (except for the botulism which has permanently disfigured me).

 

[sim]

What didn't you like about it? Curious, I guess.

And Manticle, I do have a copper bending tool (if you want to do 90 bends without the need for elbows) like this:

and flaring tool which you are welcome to borrow or drop by my place for a beer and finish the chiller over here, if you go diy. I'm inner city melbs.

Cheers
reVox

Anyone know if a bending tool like this be fine on annealed copper tube (the coiled stuff) rather than straight tube? work the same?


cheers,
sim

 

[RobboMC]

Anyone know if a bending tool like this be fine on annealed copper tube (the coiled stuff) rather than straight tube? work the same?


cheers,
sim

Annealed copper tube tends to be a bit like soft spagetti when you try and handle it, that's why most plumbers don't use it. Would be nice if they made the drawn stuff in a coil already but I don't think they do. A bending device like this will easily bend annealed tube, as it's softer than the straight lengths; but on a practal level it's much more difficult to handle. The grips of the bender are also likely to dig into the wall of the soft tube and leave ugly scratch marks. You would also need to be careful not to collapse the soft tube with the grips.

 

[sim]

The grips of the bender are also likely to dig into the wall of the soft tube and leave ugly scratch marks. You would also need to be careful not to collapse the soft tube with the grips.

Thanks Robbo. i dont mind the scratch marks, but im abit worried about squashing it into a crimp. il give it a go though.


cheers,
sim