Herms coil vs immersion chiller where to use my 18m coil

[Navin]

Hi guys,

I've been looking at buying some annealed copper to make a wort chiller and 18m (1/2") is the best value (I'll call around the air conditioning places before committing to the big green shed). I like the idea of future proofing my brewery for potential upgrades the best I can so I don't buy too much of the same type of gear.

I'm currently brewing in a keggle with a megajet burner and a 40L mash tun cooler. I was thinking of putting 5m of the 18m aside to save for a potential herms coil later on leaving 13m for an immersion chiller. 13m should be plenty for single batches but would this be inadequate if i move into doubles. Is 13m and 5m a good split to potentially do both jobs in the future? Alternatively just commit to 18m chiller and worry about a herms coil when i get to it.

Before I get a HLT (which much love for gadgetry will probably lead to when money allows) i was thinking of buying a pump and pumping my mash wort through the 13m (or 18m?)of immersion coil sitting in the keggle heating up the sparge water. With a bit of fiddling with the gas flow can i get a more stable temperature this way? How much hotter do you run your HLT than your mash to transfer adequate heat? I imagine it would be altered by both flow rate and HLT temp and just need some dialing in. A first run target could be good though.

Thanks in advance.

Navin

 

[Camo6]

Hey Navin, my immersion chiller is from an 18m roll of 1/2" annealed copper from the big green shed. Paid $100 for it plus fittings, straight tube and connections. Pretty much copied a Jamil Whirlpool chiller. Over kill for single batches as a quarter of the chiller is out of the wort but pays for itself with doubles. There are cheaper options out there but I enjoyed making it myself. If I were you I'd commit it all to a chiller and if you look into herms seriously consider using stainless so you can use caustic cleaners.
Just be aware if you go for refrigeration tubing that they use a different standard of measurement and common compression fittings likely won't fit.

 

[Navin]

Are caustic cleaners that much better? Should I consider replace the pick up tube and the wort return I was thinking of adding to the kettle using copper with stainless. Napisan and Star-San have been the go to thus far. I'll go with the 18m immersion better to overshoot then under build it and be disappointed later down the track.

 

[Yob]

I can live without a chiller but I can't live without my HEX..