Counterflow Chiller - Advice

[eamonnfoley]

G'day all,

I've been using my new 20 plate chiller (beerbelly) for BIAB all grain batches and am having slight problems. The best I can get my wort down to is about 38C into the fermenter. I am then forced to wack the lid on, run to the shop and get some ice, and immerse the whole fermenter in the laundry sink for a few hours to get it down to the mid twenties before pitching. This is a little frustrating and upsets my whole brewday. I've tried reducing the flow of wort through the chiller with the ballvalve, but it doesnt have a great affect. Given its summer and its been hot here in Perth, the tap water isn't particularly cool. But not warm either.

Any advice? I dont have a pump or anything like that. Just racking with gravity from the brewpot. I'm considering getting an immersion chiller, or cubing, but I reckon I should be able to get results from my plate chiller.

Cheers,

Foles

 

[Zwickel]

Hi foles,

20 Plates is indeed a little bit too small.

Im using 32 Plates in winter and 62 Plates in summer.

Just for example: if Im going to use the 32 plate chiller, the flow rate wort/water is set at about 1:4, then Ill get a delta T around 1.5degree.
That means, the wort out is about 1.5 degree higher than the inflowing water is at.

If Im going to use the 62 plate chiller, I can reduce the water flow to 1:2, that means the water consumption will be half the amount.

So maybe you have to increase the water flow.

Cheers :icon_cheers:

 

[eamonnfoley]

Thanks for the response. What good is a 20 plate chiller then? I guess it will be more effective in winter.

Is it safe immersing the whole fermenter in a water bath for a few hours to get the temp down to pitching level? Or will some water/bacteria get through the closed fermenter tap?

 

[Thirsty Boy]

You should be able to do a fair bit better than 38 - I have a mashmaster 20plate chiller and usually I was able to get down to the mid 20s on one pass - with enough water flow and a slow enough wort flow.... you should be able to get the wort to only a few degrees above the water inflow temp. You may not do as well as zwickels 1.5 but 3 or 4 should be within your reach.

Hints

1 - first and foremost. The liquids must run counterflow, the wort needs to go in where the water is coming out and visa versa. The other way round will cool your wort, but not nearly as effectively
2 - air trapped in the chiller buggers its performance - mount the chiller vertically with the wort outlet at the highest point so as it fills up it displaces the air.. I jiggle mine a little to make sure - For the water side (because its filling from the top, put the tap on full blast for a few seconds to really blast through there and force out any air, then you can back it off to your working flow rate.. make sure that your hose fittings are nice and tight etc, I found on low flowrates, by garden hose fittings were sucking a little air and the chiller was eventually getting air gaps in it and wouldn't work properly.
3- slow the wort flow, increase the water flow.

It easy to test if your chiller is working properly. if the water isn't coming out of your chiller nearly as hot as the wort going in... its not working as efficiently as it could be. Check for air, adjust your flow. You can always turn the water flow up, but if the water is significantly cooler than the inflowing wort - you are just wasting it.

TB

 

[user3673]

I use one of the mashmaster chillout ones, I did a brew last weekend and got mine down to 27c with the Brisbane water not being particularly cold at the moment.

I would suggest you make sure there are no air pockets in your water path, this could be causing the increased temp, i always run the water through flat out first to make sure all the air pockets are flushed out

edit: What thirsty said

 

[KHB]

I use a 20 plate chiller and on a hot day like 37.c i can get my wort down to 32.c Not too bad i think, next summer i plan on using a pump in a salty ice water solution to drop it lower.

KHB

 

[Darren]

Foles,

Make sure your hoses are not in the sun or on hot concrete. You would be suprised to seehow quickly water in a closed line can heat.

cheers

Darren

 

[Tony M]

Scheme water in Scarboro was 28C the other day so Maylands may be around that as well. My CFC delivers wort about 4C above that of the cooling water which is not adequate this time of the year, so I coiled up 5M of 1/2" copper and put it in a container holding 4KG crushed ice in a slurry. I pass the wort thru this after the CFC and have no trouble getting 20C even at the height of summer

 

[drsmurto]

G'day all,

I've been using my new 20 plate chiller (beerbelly) for BIAB all grain batches and am having slight problems. The best I can get my wort down to is about 38C into the fermenter. I am then forced to wack the lid on, run to the shop and get some ice, and immerse the whole fermenter in the laundry sink for a few hours to get it down to the mid twenties before pitching. This is a little frustrating and upsets my whole brewday. I've tried reducing the flow of wort through the chiller with the ballvalve, but it doesnt have a great affect. Given its summer and its been hot here in Perth, the tap water isn't particularly cool. But not warm either.

Any advice? I dont have a pump or anything like that. Just racking with gravity from the brewpot. I'm considering getting an immersion chiller, or cubing, but I reckon I should be able to get results from my plate chiller.

Cheers,

Foles

What temp is the water coming out of the tap?

Did you have the tap from your kettle on full or did you slow it right down?

I still got wort down to 20C on the weekend with air temps in the mid 30s. Kettle tap only just open, wort came out the chiller as a trickle. Not water friendly if you are using mains but i am on tank water and recirculate back into the tank.