Help choosing a wort chiller

[Hazelwood Brewery]

That's what I'd expect from a plate chiller!



Why wouldn't you do it again? What's not to like about quicker chilling and knocking time off your brewday? I'm clearly missing something...

I use that time for cleaning up and sterilising the FV, just my routine!

 

[Ghillie]

I use that time for cleaning up and sterilising the FV, just my routine!

Kinda with you on the routine part.

If it was me, I'd be sanitising my FV at flameout and using that extra 30mins to do my cleaning

May well invest now, 13 minutes is appealing.

 

[samale]

Must be a serious waste of water at that rate. Has anyone measured the amount of water used for cooling

 

[Ghillie]

Must be a serious waste of water at that rate. Has anyone measured the amount of water used for cooling

Not on a meter pal, so it's moot.

 

[Clint]

Some collect it and use it for other things..

 

[samale]

Seen some do that I have heard others using rain water Butt's. I currently no chill. I have the soft copper in the garage just haven't got around to it

 

[Ghillie]

Some collect it and use it for other things..

Did contemplate it, but cold water is of no use to me when I'm not paying per volume.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Must be a serious waste of water at that rate. Has anyone measured the amount of water used for cooling

I use the hot outflow as my cleaning water and as it gets cool for watering but you’re right it does use a lot. Next time I do a brew I’ll see how long it takes to fill my boiler at the same flow rate and come up with an estimate.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Kinda with you on the routine part.

If it was me, I'd be sanitising my FV at flameout and using that extra 30mins to do my cleaning

May well invest now, 13 minutes is appealing.

You might even be able to shave time off 13 minutes. My flow rate was constrained by the small bore of the washing machine hose that I use to connect up the chiller. Now, if you used garden hose...

 

[Ghillie]

You might even be able to shave time off 13 minutes. My flow rate was constrained by the small bore of the washing machine hose that I use to connect up the chiller. Now, if you used garden hose...

Wow, that’s impressive.

I bought a very impressive DIY immersion chiller on here that was amazing. Sadly, I never accounted for the spring clip on top of my brew kettle that holds the malt pipe for sparging. Was literally about 5mm too big...

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Wow, that’s impressive.

I bought a very impressive DIY immersion chiller on here that was amazing. Sadly, I never accounted for the spring clip on top of my brew kettle that holds the malt pipe for sparging. Was literally about 5mm too big...

An adapter might make a good project for @Buffers brewery ?

 

[Cyberjip]

Helpful.

As copper gives of ions in an acidic environment, which beer is, I was hoping someone might have something constructive to add about why a copper wort chiller is acceptable.

Before SS was first used all boiling vessels where copper (Hence why boil kettles are often called coppers) I think the fact that it is only in contact for a small amount of time helps it not be an issue.

I have also read a little bit of copper in the boil is a good thing, but can't now find where I read it so this may not be factual.

 

[Simonh82]

That's the one. This is the stainless version. @Simonh82 bought and imported the copper version and posted about it in this thread.

I can't recommend the Hydra highly enough. It is a stunning g piece of kit. I brew 30L batches and end up with 37L post boil. My last brew took 10 minutes to chill from 97°C to 19°C.

They do suggest you need a good flow of water to achieve the quickest chilling times. I use it on an outside hose tap but it might not be as efficient if you used it on a kitchen tap.

My main objective at the time was to reduce how long I was spending brewing as I brew in the evening and was staying up till the small hours. Combined with a move to full volume BIAB I cut at least 90 minutes off my brewday.

 

[Richie_asg1]

I made a double coil copper chiller from 10mm heating pipe You just need an extra two equal tees to make a double coil. Used lead free solder.
The idea of the double coil is you get more of a squat chiller so there is more coil in a 12L brew, and thermal transfer is worse the longer the pipe run is. So it has the effect of a larger pipe in the wort - but easier to make.
There is a bit of maths involved because the smaller coil inside the bigger one has to be shorter, and one is counterclockwise so the pipe ends line up, but I think I only wasted about 100mm of pipe by trimming the connections.
Also added a straight solder ring coupling cut in half at the connections to make a flare so the pipe would stay on it.

Chills 18L down from boiling to 30 degrees in about 6 minutes, but our water is coming out at 7°C at the moment so will be worse in summer. May do the ice bath and pump method then.

Regarding time it takes to chill a batch - it takes Brewdog over an hour and a half to do it. - big kettle!

If you are starting out I would make one, and maybe upgrade later.

 

[Buffers brewery]

An adapter might make a good project for @Buffers brewery ?

Picture would help

 

[Buffers brewery]

Must be a serious waste of water at that rate. Has anyone measured the amount of water used for cooling

I run it into my garden water butt and use it later for......watering the garden. Not a total waste. Also use the first hot stuff for clean up.

 

[Buffers brewery]

You might even be able to shave time off 13 minutes. My flow rate was constrained by the small bore of the washing machine hose that I use to connect up the chiller. Now, if you used garden hose...

Before you make any changes you might like to do the science and calculate the potential cooling capacity of your chiller, surface areas, emissivity, temperature gradients, plate thickness, flow rate, Newton’s law of cooling and throw in a bit of calculus you might find out 13 minutes is the maximum. What do you think @strange-steve . Sadly no quantum mechanics in this one

 

[Buffers brewery]

Before SS was first used all boiling vessels where copper (Hence why boil kettles are often called coppers) I think the fact that it is only in contact for a small amount of time helps it not be an issue.

I have also read a little bit of copper in the boil is a good thing, but can't now find where I read it so this may not be factual.

See my earlier post on this thread for an article I found online.

 

[terrym]

Before you make any changes you might like to do the science and calculate the potential cooling capacity of your chiller, surface areas, emissivity, temperature gradients, plate thickness, flow rate, Newton’s law of cooling and throw in a bit of calculus you might find out 13 minutes is the maximum. What do you think @strange-steve . Sadly no quantum mechanics in this one

Or get hold of a copy of Kern 'Process Heat Transfer'.

 

[strange-steve]

Before you make any changes you might like to do the science and calculate the potential cooling capacity of your chiller, surface areas, emissivity, temperature gradients, plate thickness, flow rate, Newton’s law of cooling and throw in a bit of calculus you might find out 13 minutes is the maximum. What do you think @strange-steve . Sadly no quantum mechanics in this one

I like your style buddy, that's the stuff that makes brewing fun