Fitting Camlocks To Plate Chiller

[aaronpetersen]

I'm about to place a big order with Geordi for various plumbing pieces for my new brew rig build. I want to try to order everyting now to save stuffing around later so I'm compiling a list of what I will need. I don't currently have a plate chiller but that is also on the shopping list. I'm not sure which one I'll get but I like the sound of the KegKing Chillout Mark III. So, my question is, how do you attach male camlock fittings to the wort inlet and outlet? I'm also curious about how to connect garden hose fittings to the water inlet and outlet, which seems to be what everybody does.

 

[mintsauce]

This:

Sorry - I shall just add, this is not mine but is exactly what I did.

also assumes your chiller has threaded holes and not barbs.

 

[Wolfy]

So, my question is, how do you attach male camlock fittings to the wort inlet and outlet? I'm also curious about how to connect garden hose fittings to the water inlet and outlet, which seems to be what everybody does.

As per above, buy a plate chiller with threaded holes and not pre-installed hose barbs, then simply match the camlock size/thread to the holes in the chiller.

 

[aaronpetersen]

As per above, buy a plate chiller with threaded holes and not pre-installed hose barbs, then simply match the camlock size/thread to the holes in the chiller.

@ Wolfy: I've only ever seen pictures of plate chillers with barbs on them so didn't realise they could be unscrewed. That definitely makes things easy.

@ Mintsauce: thanks for the pic. I might copy that idea.

Does anyone know what thread size is on the Keg King plate chiller?

 

[mintsauce]

They can't all be unscrewed, some are manufactured with barbs as they say it's more sanitary.

Mines from Beerbelly and is all 1/2inch stainless fittings (apart from the garden hose fittings which are 3/4 and brass).

I will take some closeup's of mine this evening if I get the chance and post them.

 

[Cannibal Smurf]

Keg king one is the same as the one I recently purchased from Ross @ Craftbrewer (which happens to be cheaper than KK) and has nipples not threaded outlets.

2" of silicone hose, a couple of hoseclamps and a 1/2" nipple camlock fitting on each outlet will do the jobbie

 

[fraser_john]

2" of silicone hose, a couple of hoseclamps and a 1/2" nipple camlock fitting on each outlet will do the jobbie

I'd say this would be the best way, I have heard of brewers screwing on the 1/2" fittings and the chiller plate cracking around the welds of the threaded nipples. The stuff they make these from is very thin and subject to cracking quite a bit. The silicon tubing will allow for some flex before stressing the welds on the chiller.

 

[aaronpetersen]

I'd say this would be the best way, I have heard of brewers screwing on the 1/2" fittings and the chiller plate cracking around the welds of the threaded nipples. The stuff they make these from is very thin and subject to cracking quite a bit. The silicon tubing will allow for some flex before stressing the welds on the chiller.

I don't like the sound of that! Is it really that common though? I just did a Google search and found no mention of cracked plate chillers. I'm not doubting what you said, just wondering if it is a common problem that I should be concerned about or is it just a very small few that have experienced this? I'd prefer to screw the camlocks directly into the plate chiller as I think it's a tidier solution, but not if I run the risk of breaking it.

 

[adryargument]

Use a ton of teflon tape and screw it on quite 'loosely'. There is really no reason to apply a lot of pressure to crack it.
Not too sure if this applies to the therminators, but i had no issues.

 

[glaab]

2" of silicone hose, a couple of hoseclamps and a 1/2" nipple camlock fitting on each outlet will do the jobbie

that sounds dodgy especially if your'e trying to avoid infection, which I'm. Wouldn't it be tidier if there is a barb there to just get camlocks with female threads?

http://www.tsvalves.com.au/products.php?cat=50

 

[mintsauce]

Here's mine in full action from a brewday - I thought I had more piccies but apparently not.

 

[Malted]

Asparagus cooking pot converted to a hopback? Do you have some sort of screen in it?

 

[mintsauce]

yup. you can have piccies of that tomorrow.

it has like a false bottom on legs to hold it above the output valve. Works OK but it was an impluse buy before I knew how much the hop rockets were so we paid the same for this and it's a balancing act to keep enough wort in it so the pump does not dry up but not allow it to over flow, all the while the lid steams up so you cannot see squat inside it.

I'd have loved a hop rocket as it could go after pump and have pressure to push thought chiller etc. ah well hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

[Malted]

yup. you can have piccies of that tomorrow.

it has like a false bottom on legs to hold it above the output valve. Works OK but it was an impluse buy before I knew how much the hop rockets were so we paid the same for this and it's a balancing act to keep enough wort in it so the pump does not dry up but not allow it to over flow, all the while the lid steams up so you cannot see squat inside it.

I'd have loved a hop rocket as it could go after pump and have pressure to push thought chiller etc. ah well hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Yeah I can see that would be a PITA. Fortunately for me my impulse buy was a hop rocket. I also have a plate chiller that I've not used yet either.
So with your chiller in the vertical configoration you have wort going in at the bottom and exiting at the top, is it the same for the cooling water side? Aren't the two flows meant to be counter flow in direction? If you ran the cooling water in at the top you'd almost need sort sort of valve to restrict it coming out the bottom?
Do you run the cooling water flow flat out or let it trickle through? It was my experience with a condensor for some sort of other alcohol production h34r: that if I ran the cooling water through too quickly it was less effective than if I let it linger enough to be able to absorb some heat before exiting the condensor. Is it the same for a plate chiller?
Or is it just a matter of blat the water in either end and it works ok?

 

[Parks]

You want the coldest water hitting the coldest wort, so flow should be opposite, at least in theory. (ie, the water that exits where the wort enters has already warmed from the wort flowing through)

I haven't trialled it myself to confirm though

 

[mintsauce]

The Hot Wort in bottom, cold out top. Cold water in top, hot out bottom. (heat exchanger?)

It's verticle to attempt to get all the air out to increase surface area.

We control both flows: the water with the tap it comes from, the wort with the ball valve on output of pump. The water goes through quite slow, we fill 2x35litre tubs with the cooling water from a single 40 litre batch to obtain ~28degree wort (due to tap water temp up here).

In general (when not using hopback) we recirc back into the kettle till whole lot is ~65degrees then into fermenters - this allows the flow to be at a resonable rate.

 

[Cannibal Smurf]

that sounds dodgy especially if your'e trying to avoid infection, which I'm. Wouldn't it be tidier if there is a barb there to just get camlocks with female threads?

http://www.tsvalves.com.au/products.php?cat=50

My mistake, I forgot threaded fittings were the best sanitary option <_<

Moving forward... threaded or nipple fitting aside, you are going to have to clean it after each use. The chillout were ,as I understand, changed FROM threaded TO nipple to reduce the risk of infection.

 

[Malted]

The Hot Wort in bottom, cold out top. Cold water in top, hot out bottom. (heat exchanger?)

It's verticle to attempt to get all the air out to increase surface area.

We control both flows: the water with the tap it comes from, the wort with the ball valve on output of pump. The water goes through quite slow, we fill 2x35litre tubs with the cooling water from a single 40 litre batch to obtain ~28degree wort (due to tap water temp up here).

In general (when not using hopback) we recirc back into the kettle till whole lot is ~65degrees then into fermenters - this allows the flow to be at a resonable rate.

Cool, thanks for the explanation.
I could see that you wort went in bottom, out top. I was thinking of air in the cooling water side if in top, out bottom. That air could reduce effective surface area covered by water. That is where I was thinking a tap on the cooling water outlet to restrict it to keep it full of cooling water. With the garden tap set at a higher pressure than that let out by the chiller plate tap, it should stay full of cooling water. At least that is what I ws thinking. I often get told I think too much.

 

[Malted]

My mistake, I forgot threaded fittings were the best sanitary option <_<

Moving forward... threaded or nipple fitting aside, you are going to have to clean it after each use. The chillout were ,as I understand, changed FROM threaded TO nipple to reduce the risk of infection.

In my opinion and experience with using barbed fittings and silcone hose: gunk works it's way between the hose and the barb and is not all removed by thorough cleaning. Dissmantling is the only way to properly clean barb and hose fittings. Kind of like threaded fittings...

 

[Cannibal Smurf]

In my opinion and experience with using barbed fittings and silcone hose: gunk works it's way between the hose and the barb and is not all removed by thorough cleaning. Dissmantling is the only way to properly clean barb and hose fittings. Kind of like threaded fittings...

Agreed and I'd rather unscrew a couple of hose clamps, clean and reassemble than mess around with thread tape and/or cleaning the threads themselves.