Rainwater chilling, sending back into tank, asking for trouble?

[labels]

I use a 30,000L swimming pool with a submersible pump running through a plate chiller. Not everyone has a swimming pool but if you do, USE IT! Rainwater tanks would work equally as well, the bigger the better of course and drop-in submersible pumps (cellar or basement pumps) are cheap

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Haha ill pick one up from funnings on monday, theyve got olympic swimming pools in ailse 7 right? ;-)

 

[Lincoln2]

My brewery has 3x44 gallon drums and a 1000L tank - all linked and re-circed via air compressor pump. A mate came up from Lithgow and saw the green tree frogs living in the tanks and he FLIPPED HIS FUCKIN LID! The man never had Frog Soup before. Everything is cool.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

So you're a murderer?

 

[Midnight Brew]

Nath, if you have intentions of using the rainwater for brewing try and reduce the debris that get in from the roof via a rain head. Catches all the big stuff before it comes down the down pipe and anything that makes it through the mesh on the tank should take care of. I switched the rainwater 1.5 or 2 years ago and haven't gone back.

 

[jyo]

What types of hoses are you guys using for your return line? If reusing the water for drinking / brewing, I'd be more worried about using a normal garden hose with hot water going through. Plastic leeching and flavour could be an issue.

 

[Midnight Brew]

The blue caravan type from bunnings. It's food grade.

 

[TSMill]

I'm impressed you can make 150-300L of 90 degree water by cooling 60L of ~100 degree wort, think you may have just solved all of the world's energy issues. For 1000L you will get no more than a 3 degree rise in the tank.

 

[TSMill]

Double take.

 

[Bribie G]

According to Mixing Calculator with say 80L you would get around 6 degrees rise in the tank at the most, even if there were no heat loss on the way to the tank and back.
In Victoria in the Winter you'd be flat out cracking 20 degrees in the tank.

As commented by QldKev and Stu etc.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

I'm impressed you can make 150-300L of 90 degree water by cooling 60L of ~100 degree wort, think you may have just solved all of the world's energy issues. For 1000L you will get no more than a 3 degree rise in the tank.

Stop being logical in the bounds of physics/thermodynamics!!! This is a beer brewing forum, anything is plausible

Ps. Point taken; )

 

[spog]

Just do it, recycling etc draw the water from the outlet at the bottom of the tank and return it into the top of the tank.
Heat rises etc so the heated water will be near the top with the cold water at the bottom,takes a lot to heat that amount of water"