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**StankAle** · 11-20-2007, 05:21 PM

I am looking to jump into all grain brewing after Christmas. I plan on brewing outdoors with a propane burner, but I am trying to figure out how to use an immersion wort chiller to cool the wort. What is everyone else doing out there? I certainly do not want to make a frozen lake on my driveway or in my yard with the exhaust water.
Any advice on outdoor brewing techniques (especially chilling the wort) will be appreciated.
Thanks!

Soulive · 11-20-2007, 05:28 PM

You could just drain it into some buckets

***Yooper*** · 11-20-2007, 05:33 PM

It's too cold here to run a hose outside (I brew inside anyway) but I would do it if I had to. You can drain your wort chiller out into the yard (not the driveway) and at least the ice will be out of your way where you'd fall.

**StankAle** · 11-20-2007, 05:34 PM

That's a good idea,
Of course I would have to turn the water off everytime the buckets filled up and run into my basement to drain it.
Might be my only option though.

JeffNYC · 11-20-2007, 05:38 PM

Are you using your outside tap? Any risk of that freezing?

**StankAle** · 11-20-2007, 05:42 PM

I would be using my outdoor spigot, I didn't think about it freezing on me.
Maybe I can just brew in my unfinished basement with the windows open. I can pick up a carbon monoxide detector to keep myself from falling over and use my laundry basin for the chiller. Hmmmmm..........

Soulive · 11-20-2007, 05:45 PM

Honestly I'd just get some more tubing and telescope it onto the out hose of the chiller. Then you can route the water wherever you think is best. Do you have a sewer drain nearby?

**Chriso** · 11-20-2007, 05:49 PM

If it were me, I would still use your garden hose, but would connect it to your "cold" faucet for your washer (to prevent the tap from freezing due to outside temps) and then just drain into an isolated area of the back yard that people don't need frequent access to. Unless you're in the middle of a big cold snap, the ice shouldn't stick around long.

Otherwise, whenever i'm running my exhaust water from my CFC, I drag the hose across the front yard, and tuck the end of it directly into the runoff drain in the street curb. Then the water is in nobody's way.

If it's cold enough outside, you could hook it to the sprinkler, and wind up with a hell of an icicle display for the neighbors?

ohiobrewtus · 11-20-2007, 05:57 PM

I'll be running my outlet hose into the side yard. I'm not concerned with my grass freezing.

**StankAle** · 11-20-2007, 05:58 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys. I am already starting to plan this out. I will probably run the water into my chiller from the washer (good idea) and run the exhaust into my laundry basin to drain. This will still allow the burner to be outdoors. I just hope I can still get a boil during a chicago winter. We shall see.