My Equipment List for JZ's Whirlpool IC Setup

Evan! · 01-07-2009, 04:25 PM

Right now, I have just a 15 gallon aluminum kettle with no spigot. I've got a very nice big IC, so PseudoChef talked me out of spending all that coin on a plate chiller, and instead just going with JZ's Whirlpool Immersion Chiller setup. First thing I needed was a weldless bulkhead. From there, a march pump, the fittings, and I'll end up making a hop screen, pickup tube and the recirculation arm myself from stuff at Lowe's. And, if I ever feel like adding a plate chiller down the road, it should be easy enough. So, take a look and tell me what you think:

(1) March Pump

I'm not paying $15 for a GFCI adapter, I'll just use one of the old GFCI's I have at the house to outfit the receptacle where I'll commonly use this.

Weldless-Bulkhead + Spigot:

Stainless 1/2" Comp. x 1/2" MPT for installing pickup tube inside the kettle.

From the barbed spigot, silicone tubing will go to the march pump. On the "in" and "out" connections of the pump, there will be these:

Stainless 1/2" FPT x 1/2" Barb

Evan! · 01-07-2009, 04:25 PM

The silicone tubing will go from the pump up to the recirc arm. Just before the recirc arm, though, there will be one of these:

1/2" CPC QD set

Once the wort is at pitching temp, I'll turn off the pump, unhook the line at the QD and move it to the fermenter, then turn the pump back on. I've got 12 feet of silicone tubing---too much? too little?

I'll also be making a hop filter to be attached to the compression fitting inside via a copper pickup tube.

So, comments? Better ideas?

Beerrific · 01-07-2009, 04:35 PM

Sorry no help but....

I am in the process of adding the same basic "stuff" to my kettle, adding the pump and recirc. chiller later (I just whirlpool myself with a spoon for now). What are you planning on using for a pick-up tube? And how are you going to situate it in the kettle? I use a combination of whole and pellet hops, and have a couple ideas but nothing that makes me too happy.

Oh, and MoreBeer sells the tub for recirculating. I am sure it is cheaper to DIY, but this has all the bend already in it.
Wort Chiller Recirculation Package - Option One | MoreBeer

Boerderij_Kabouter · 01-07-2009, 04:36 PM

That looks good to me. I think you will be very happy with the whirlpool chiller. It works very well.

What are you using for your return? The angle of the return has a big effect on how well your wort circulates around the kettle and therefore how well it cools.

Evan! · 01-07-2009, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beerrific

Sorry no help but....

I am in the process of adding the same basic "stuff" to my kettle, adding the pump and recirc. chiller later (I just whirlpool myself with a spoon for now). What are you planning on using for a pick-up tube? And how are you going to situate it in the kettle? I use a combination of whole and pellet hops, and have a couple ideas but nothing that makes me too happy.

Oh, and MoreBeer sells the tub for recirculating. I am sure it is cheaper to DIY, but this has all the bend already in it.
Wort Chiller Recirculation Package - Option One | MoreBeer

Just using copper tubing for the pickup, and a 12X24 steel steel screen folded over to form a 12" square, then sewn together and attached to the pickup tube with a tubing clamp at one corner of the square.

I saw that stupid package---paying $15 for pre-bent copper is, well, retarded.

caskconditioned · 01-07-2009, 04:41 PM

Looks good. I'm still tweaking my JZ whirlpool implementation but I love it. I have a second weldless fitting about half way up the keg for the return/whirlpool. The pics in my gallery show it (also show the inside of the kettle w/ a copper pick-up tube). What the images don't show is a recent addition - I added a curved piece of copper tubing to the whirlpool return inside the kettle that is about 5" long and gently curves along the side the keg (hope that makes sense). I used it for the first time last weekend and I got a much better whirlpool and chilled the wort faster. Just another way of doing it.

I started using hop bags instead of a hop filter. I tried it but it kept getting clogged (for both leaf and pellet hops) so in frustration I ditched it. My pickup tube is set to pull from the side of the keg now - it does a good job of leaving a lot of the trub behind. Oh, after I'm done chilling I turn the pump off and I let the wort sit for about 20 min. It really helps the trub settle out (again, just a personal preference). Anyways, I haven't used my CFC for about a year as I love JZ's method.

Evan! · 01-07-2009, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boerderij_Kabouter

That looks good to me. I think you will be very happy with the whirlpool chiller. It works very well.

What are you using for your return? The angle of the return has a big effect on how well your wort circulates around the kettle and therefore how well it cools.

I'm going to do what JZ suggests---30-45 degrees to start, then just play around with it (just going to test with water to start) to find the best angle.

Evan! · 01-07-2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caskconditioned

Looks good. I'm still tweaking my JZ whirlpool implementation but I love it. I have a second weldless fitting about half way up the keg for the return/whirlpool. The pics in my gallery show it (also show the inside of the kettle w/ a copper pick-up tube). What the images don't show is a recent addition - I added a curved piece of copper tubing to the whirlpool return inside the kettle that is about 5" long and gently curves along the side the keg (hope that makes sense). I used it for the first time last weekend and I got a much better whirlpool and chilled the wort faster. Just another way of doing it.

I started using hop bags instead of a hop filter. I tried it but it kept getting clogged (for both leaf and pellet hops) so in frustration I ditched it. My pickup tube is set to pull from the side of the keg now - it does a good job of leaving a lot of the trub behind. Oh, after I'm done chilling I turn the pump off and I let the wort sit for about 20 min. It really helps the trub settle out (again, just a personal preference). Anyways, I haven't used my CFC for about a year as I love JZ's method.

that's what I'm thinking I might do instead. Maybe, with that IC sittiing in the middle of the kettle, it'd be better to have that bazooka T fitting on my bulkhead rather than something that goes out into the center of the kettle. After all, it's not a keggle, so it doesn't have the indentation in the center for a pickup tube to sit in.

Boerderij_Kabouter · 01-07-2009, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan!

I'm going to do what JZ suggests---30-45 degrees to start, then just play around with it (just going to test with water to start) to find the best angle.

Good idea.

I have also found that I get a much better whirlpool the further down in the pot my return is. After figuring this out, I know draw liquid from the top of my boil kettle and return it though my bottom pickup tube which I have attached a curved return to... I hope that makes sense. This way I get a very strong whirlpool of the full volume of wort.

My other benefit from this arrangement is that after cooling is complete. I drop in my aeration wand, and leave the whirlpool sit for 20 minutes. Then when I come back, I drain out of my bottom valve and leave a big hop/break cone in the center of the pot.

caskconditioned · 01-07-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan!

that's what I'm thinking I might do instead. Maybe, with that IC sittiing in the middle of the kettle, it'd be better to have that bazooka T fitting on my bulkhead rather than something that goes out into the center of the kettle. After all, it's not a keggle, so it doesn't have the indentation in the center for a pickup tube to sit in.

Exactly. And the whirlpool action by design pushes everything to the center (or it should - this is the part I'm still tweaking) so picking up from the center is counter-productive.

On my last brew I left the IC in the keg until the end. Next time I'm going to experiment with taking it out after the wort is chilled and running the pump for a couple more minutes after - then letting it settle before running off. See if that makes a difference with a more compact trub cone in the middle.