Wort Chillers - Whats Best?

[captaincleanoff]

I've just moved to AG, and am looking into a chiller.

What have you guys found is the best? A coil? Plate chiller? Any other methods?

Did a brew last weekend and tried cooling it in the bath... took ages, and made the bath absolutely filthy from all the black stuff on the bottom of the pot.. dont want to do that again.

 

[drsmurto]

Plate chiller for me - i can adjust flow rates to adjust the resulting wort temp and with a thermo on the wort outlet of the plate chiller i can see at a glance the temp of my wort. Can get the wort down to below 30 at full throttle in less than 10 mins.

 

[TasChris]

I use a immersion chiller and find that to be very simple to clean, no internal blockages, easy to sterilize in the boil. But I live in an area with average rainfall of 1300mm and run the water I use back through the gutter into the rain water tanks so water wastage is not a problem.
Takes me about 45 mins to drop the temp from boiling to 18-20 deg in summer and about 30 mins in winter

Cheers
Chris

 

[newguy]

I've used:

1) Kettle in snowbank.
2) Kettle in bathtub.
3) Immersion chiller.
4) Counterflow chiller. This is what I presently use.

1) probably isn't an option for most areas of Australia. Good thing too, because it sucks.
2) as you've found out sucks too. Takes ages and is a pain to haul the full kettle in & out of the tub.
3) worked well, but wasted a lot of water. ~20l would take about 30 minutes to chill to pitching temperatures in winter when the tap water was about 5C. In summer it would take much, much longer.
4) is my favourite. I presently do 40l batches and it takes about 25 minutes to chill it all to pitching temperatures, so 20l would take about 12-13 minutes. I like this method because it 'flash chills' and the hot wort left in the kettle stays sterile until it's chilled. This method does waste water, but if you recycle/capture it, then water use isn't much of an issue.

Methods 3 & 4 can both be jerry-rigged with an ice water pre-chiller to increase the efficiency of the system. They can also be run in a closed loop to save water as well.

 

[sunburnt]

I use an immersion chiller.

The water comes from my rainwater tank and then I run the outflow from the chiller back into the tank.

That way I don't waste any water.

Works a treat

 

[oldbugman]

I'm going to return to selectively using an immersion chiller, with a pump whirlpooling

 

[Cracka]

Just while on this subject, can you post some pictures of different set ups please

 

[matti]

I've got a Immersion-chiller.

Good for watering the garden and bring things down to ale pitch temps in 30 minutes. 90-129$

Plate chiller is more effective cause it exposes a greater area of the water and will chill cooler and faster.
$$$$$ :blink:

No chill= $12-$20 for a cube(s).

 

[RobW]

I use a CF chiller for the reasons newguy mentions. I hook the outflow up to the garden dripper system and don't water on the weekends when I brew.

 

[newguy]

Just while on this subject, can you post some pictures of different set ups please

There's a picture of my CFC and kettle set up in this post.

 

[captaincleanoff]

There's a picture of my CFC and kettle set up in this post.

thats a really good post there newguy. Great setup! Not sure the chiller option is for me though.. interested to see more setups!

 

[Cortez The Killer]

There is also the no-chill option

Cheap and effective - plus a range of other advantages

Worth a go before lashing out on a chiller

*ducks for cover*

Cheers

 

[razz]

Plate chiller for me captaincleanoff. Best thing I've done since i got it 3 years ago is to run the outflow back into the top of the kettle for 20 minutes before I run it all into the fermenter.

 

[captaincleanoff]

Plate chiller for me captaincleanoff. Best thing I've done since i got it 3 years ago is to run the outflow back into the top of the kettle for 20 minutes before I run it all into the fermenter.

Are they easy to clean? Anyone have the Chillout Mark III that ross sells? how does that go?

 

[Hully]

G'day

I use 2 of the Mashmaster Mark III in series and it cools 250lt to pitching temp in less than an hour using mains temp water. I recirc to kettle for about 10 mins to whirlpool and then single pass to fermenter. In the peak of summer I ran water through immersion chiller in ice bucket prior to plate cooler to egt extra couple of degrees from wort.

First water off to HLT for cleanup water (or mash water for next batch if 2 brew day).

Re cleaning, I reverse flow with caustic solution. To sanitise recirc boiling wort for few minutes prior to turning on cooling water. Just need to chemical sanitise valve and line to fermenter.

Pete

 

[GMK]

I use a COnvoluted Copper Conter Flow Wort Chiller.

Very very effective.
Check it out at More Beer - Convoltus Maximus.

 

[schooey]

I use 2 of the Mashmaster Mark III in series and it cools 250lt to pitching temp in less than an hour ...

Just curious if you are pushing it through with an 809 March? I've tried pushing wort through an 18m 1/2" immersion chiller in an esky full of ice and it barely flows into the fermenter with the amount of friction loss. Just wondering if there is less friction loss in a plate chiller?

 

[Hully]

G'day

I am using an 815 March, slightly more capacity than the 809. Yes there is flow rate loss due to back pressure from the heat exchangers but not showstopping.

Pete

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Just curious if you are pushing it through with an 809 March? I've tried pushing wort through an 18m 1/2" immersion chiller in an esky full of ice and it barely flows into the fermenter with the amount of friction loss. Just wondering if there is less friction loss in a plate chiller?

I pass mine through a Convoluted Copper Conter Flow Wort Chiller and then through a SS coil which is immersed in ice. Works a treat. The only problem I have encountered is the SS coil can freeze up if the wort does not go through first. I can get it under, well under 20c.

BYB

 

[schooey]

Hmmm, maybe I have some nasties lurking inside the immersion chiller restricting the flow... <_< Anyone know if it's kosher to pump warm caustic through a March?