Brewtus
#beerbackhome
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After much thinking about this over the last year or so, today I built a water saver chiller to chill wort in my new 16l half batch kettle. I used my old Bonaire evaporate air conditioner, 6m of 10mm (12mm outside dia) vinyl hose, 5 x 12mm x 100mm pieces of vinyl hose for joiners and 6m of 10mm copper pipe.
To do the same, open the back of the AC. You will see a vinyl hose going from the pump (out of sight) to a T joint at the top that feed 2 smaller pipes to the top of the cooling mat. pull this pipe away from the T joint and feed it out through the back frame next to the mat 1/3 from the bottom. Connect the new 10mm hose to the T joint and feed it through the side as well, but 1/3 from the top. Put the back back on the AC. Cut the new hose so it only stick out a few CM, about the same as the old pipe does. If you join them with a 12mm joiner than the AC will work as normal.
To add the chiller, take the copper pipe and bend it into a chiller shape to fit your pot. (note, for a full size AG version, you need 15m or so but I worry about how effective this system would be for a pot that big) Next cut the remaining 10mm pipe in half to give 2 lengths of about 2.7m and attach them to the ends of the coil. Attach the other ends to the 2 pipes at the rear of the AC. Now you are ready to go.
I have not used mine in anger yet but it only need 5l to run. Also, as I need to add 10l of cold water to the fermenter after the gain derived wort and the extra malt extract are added I do not have to get it that low, just take the worst of the heat out.
I will update the post when I test it out in a real situation.
To do the same, open the back of the AC. You will see a vinyl hose going from the pump (out of sight) to a T joint at the top that feed 2 smaller pipes to the top of the cooling mat. pull this pipe away from the T joint and feed it out through the back frame next to the mat 1/3 from the bottom. Connect the new 10mm hose to the T joint and feed it through the side as well, but 1/3 from the top. Put the back back on the AC. Cut the new hose so it only stick out a few CM, about the same as the old pipe does. If you join them with a 12mm joiner than the AC will work as normal.
To add the chiller, take the copper pipe and bend it into a chiller shape to fit your pot. (note, for a full size AG version, you need 15m or so but I worry about how effective this system would be for a pot that big) Next cut the remaining 10mm pipe in half to give 2 lengths of about 2.7m and attach them to the ends of the coil. Attach the other ends to the 2 pipes at the rear of the AC. Now you are ready to go.
I have not used mine in anger yet but it only need 5l to run. Also, as I need to add 10l of cold water to the fermenter after the gain derived wort and the extra malt extract are added I do not have to get it that low, just take the worst of the heat out.
I will update the post when I test it out in a real situation.
