[travs69]

So I already have 50' of 5/8 copper tubing. Any issue using this?

I have seen the standard design, and the double coil design, I was wondering why no one did a big outter coil and then went into a smaller inner coil?

Any other suggestions before I begin messing with the copper? I see were the bigger the pipe the harder it is to bend so are the spring benders worth it?

Thanks in advance !!!


Travis

[elmetal]

I would prsonally make a prechiller...

but that's because the groundwater here in florida is super hot.

you could do the double design. that sounds fine. no one ever does that because no one has 5/8" 50' copper pipe lying around!

[travs69]

I measured my water temp and it's 60' right now, but of course it's the middle of winter, but, because of a bad design on the previous owner of the house the cold water pipe runs through the heating/cooling duct. That means in the winter the pipe is being warmed up a little, but in the summer it's being cooled down. I will be changing that of course when I get to that part of my rehabing

[Scut_Monkey]

I think I remember seeing one that is a coil within a coil. Of course it would work and 5/8'' copper should work just as well as any other it will just be a PITA to do a coil within a coil if you're up for it.

[travs69]

well.. I guess I'm going to try and find a bending spring, my understanding is that ace sells them individually pretty cheap, and I guess I will have my buddy come help me

[dpittard]

I don't see how an outer coil run into an inner coil would really help. My experience with 3/8" refridgeration grade copper is that the copper transfers the heat so quickly that by the time the water exits the 50' IC, the water is the same temp as the wort. I understand that adding the inner coil creaters more surface area for the copper to transfer the heat, but if the water running through the IC is the same temp as the wort already, there's no point.

Now if you split your 50' of copper into two IC that run simultaneously (i.e., you have a hose running cold water through the outer coil and another one running separately through the inner coil), you could significantly impact the cooling process.

[Bobby_M]

You don't need double coils unless you're trying to make the whole thing vertically short.

My IC is a 5/8" x 50 roll and you certainly do not need a bending spring for the main coil. You would need one if you wanted to make tight radius bends. I skipped that and sweated on elbows.

Here's the thread on that build
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/big-daddy-immersion-chiller-50-x-5-8-a-137341/

and here's a video showing basically how I put it together thought the one I'm building in the video is a 1/2" tube.

YouTube

YouTube

[travs69]

Thanks Bobby, I had watched the video before and never realized you used 5/8, I just FF'd it till I saw how you bent the tubes, I have only one experience sweating copper and it was horrible (no matter what your friends tell you, FLUX is required!!), I was hoping to avoid it again.

[Scut_Monkey]

Originally Posted by travs69

Thanks Bobby, I had watched the video before and never realized you used 5/8, I just FF'd it till I saw how you bent the tubes, I have only one experience sweating copper and it was horrible (no matter what your friends tell you, FLUX is required!!), I was hoping to avoid it again.

You might want to consider practicing on a few joints to avoid butchering your immersion chiller.

[Randar]

Originally Posted by Scut_Monkey

You might want to consider practicing on a few joints to avoid butchering your immersion chiller.

That and skip the propane and use MAPP gas like the big boys. Makes a world of difference.