Closed System Wort Chiller Success

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ozzy1038

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I have been contemplating making one for sometime. Especially with winter around the corner. I used a 500 GPH bilge pump that is connected to a 2/6 amp battery charger. I use an immersion chiller on the garden hose until down to 100F which takes about 10 minutes while stirring. Then I switch to the Bilge. I put this is in a cooler with frozen water bottles and water of course. From there it only takes about 15 minutes to get me to about 60-65F.

I have another cooler that I can use too as I imagine in the winter when I use this system exclusively, that the water will heat up too much in the first cooler, and rather than add more water bottles, it would be faster and more efficient to put the bilge in the other cooler that already has cold water in it.

My hopes are that this will make the usage of water drop drastically. Who knows, with a 2 cooler setup I may never need the garden hose again.

I brew on mu back porch which is not heated nor air conditioned, so I can leave the water in the coolers and mother nature will keep the water cold for me during the winter months.

The brass 3/4 garden hose adapter fittings were the most expensive part of this endeavor. I already had some hose and the bilge from a livewell setup for my boat.
 
That's interesting, I've been pondering some alternatives myself so that I can brew larger batches in the summer. I too use an immersion and my summertime tap water temps can be upwards of 80F. I'm toying with the idea of packing a corny keg with crushed ice and running the water through it before it gets to my chiller. Once I get water flowing out of the chiller, I should have enough water pressure/gravity feed to pull the water through the keg. I not sure what those tiny holes on the keg fittings will reduce my flow rate too though. I might test it out here soon and find out. While I'm at it, I might as well price a bilge pump.
 
You could probably find some barbed fittings that would fit on the in and out posts. That would increase flow.

I found that if I throw in my water bottles about 30 minutes before flame out that water is down in the low 40's. Also, I direct the return water to to the opposite side of where the pump intake is at. That makes sure that the coldest water possible is being pumped and allows the return water to be chilled before it gets pumped.

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