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DirtyMick · 08-28-2007, 01:08 AM

I just bought a Chillzilla and used it last weekend. I live in Texas and it has been HOT , thus the coldest I could get the tap water was ~80 DegF. I wanted to get the inlet water cooler than that for maximum heat transfer, so I coiled about 10 ft of garden hose in a cooler filled with ice and water, doing this dropped the inlet water temp to ~50 DegF at wide open faucet. Using a gravity feed set up I opened the boil kettle valve and let the wort flow out full open. It took about 10 minuted to run 5 gallons of wort through it. The wort starting temp was 205 DegF and after Chillzilla was 100 DegF. I was not that impressed with the cooling efficiency. And want some thoughts on how I could get a cooler wort. Note ambient air temperature that day was ~100 DegF and 30% humidity.
I think in the future I will keep the water rate High and try and slow down the wort rate as it runs through the counter flow chiller. I have also thought about running the wort output hose through an ice bath before it goes to the carboy...
Other suggestions welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Mike

**Bobby_M** · 08-28-2007, 01:25 AM

Sorry man, I have to call bullship on your "prechiller" dropping your tap temp by 30F at full flow. You problem measured water coming out that had been sitting in that hose for a while. You'd have trouble doing that with 10' of COPPER in icewater, nevermind a garden hose. It's more likely that the chiller was seeing 79F water.

I do have an Idea for you though. Fill your cooler up with ice to the very top. Then top it off with water and add rock salt. Hook the drain of the cooler up to the input of the chiller and let it flow. Run your garden hose into the cooler to replenish the water draining out. You'll have near freezing water running in your chiller for at least as long as you have ice melting.

DirtyMick · 08-28-2007, 01:40 AM

Bobby,
When you called bull**** it got me thinking... I did measure the "prechiller" water only once and that was right after I turned it on, so the water temp I measured was the water that had had been static and cooled way down, not the true flowing water temp...
I like your idea and will give it some thought. Have you used such a set up???
Cheers,
Mike

**Bobby_M** · 08-28-2007, 01:48 PM

Yes, I have done the icewater gravity feed. It works. My tap water was 86F on my last batch. It uses a lot of ice unfortunately, but that's just what it takes during the summer. It's far better to brew twice as much in the winter and just drink all summer long.

**EdWort** · 08-28-2007, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

It's far better to brew twice as much in the winter and just drink all summer long.

Ya got that right!

**Lil' Sparky** · 08-28-2007, 07:17 PM

If you're using a chillzilla, why not stick the whole thing in an ice bath? It's all copper, so you'd be chilling the cooling water as it chills the wort. Might be worth a try.

FWIW, I use a post-chiller immersed in an ice bath after my CFC for similar reasons. I can get the wort down below 70', but I've got to restrict the flow to about 3-4 mins/gal.