Thoughts on THIS counter flow wort chiller

Grimsawyer · 11-01-2006, 07:45 AM

Thoughts? Opinions? Pros and Cons vs. a Coiled smaller pipe in a larger pipe or hose? I will use a CFC in my AG system. This one is different from others i've seen and I kinda like the design. Wondering if it's a good one or not.

http://www.concentric.net/~vsabbe/portabrew.htm (got to click on wort chiller btw, LOL!!

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**Yuri_Rage** · 11-01-2006, 11:16 AM

A buddy of mine uses one almost exactly like this, and it works really well. He actually chills his pale lager to 60 degrees with it (takes just a bit longer than if you were to cool to 70-80).

sonvolt · 11-01-2006, 02:07 PM

I have seen design plans for this type of chiller, but I can't remember where I saw them. It may be in that book called Brewware (or something). I remember really wanting to make this thing, but I totally forgot about it.

Let me know what you find. I hate using my immersion chiller - pain in the a$$!

**Chairman Cheyco** · 11-01-2006, 02:30 PM

That's a fairly uncommon design, I think I saw it in Papazian's Homebrewer's Companion. I think it's a good design.

disaffected · 11-01-2006, 02:56 PM

It's one of the designs discussed in Appendix C of John Palmer's How To Brew book.

**david_42** · 11-01-2006, 04:45 PM

I'm seriously considering re-cycling my immersion chiller into something like this, but I'm a little concerned with cleaning it. I do see one problem with Palmer's design, the cooling water would tend to go straight through missing the coil unless you had some kind of baffle.

disaffected · 11-01-2006, 06:07 PM

Agree, you'd need something in that PVC tube to create significant turbulence in the water. Else you don't break up the temperature zones that form around the copper pipes. Smooth flowing water won't do it. I've noticed similar with my pre-chiller in a bucket of ice. The water coming out of it won't be really cold unless you vigorously move the pre-chiller up and down in the ice bath to break up the temperature zones that set up around the copper.

Injecting air might do it.

**Chairman Cheyco** · 11-01-2006, 06:12 PM

If you have the water exiting from the other end of the tube instead of from right beside the entrance, I don't think you'd need to worry that much about turbulence.

sonvolt · 11-01-2006, 07:25 PM

Would you have to use a pump in order to use a chiller of this kind? I see how the water would flow through the pvc, but how would you get the wort moving through the copper. Will this type of chiller work with a siphon or by gravity?

Ryan_PA · 11-01-2006, 08:13 PM

Gravity should work with no issues if you stand it up vertically.