My Homemade Wort Chiller

I recently upgraded to doing full boils, and after it taking 2 hours to cool down my last 5 gallon batch, i knew i needed to get a chiller. So after reading lots of posts on how to make one and watching Bobby_M's video decided to make my own, it turned out pretty good considering i haven't soldered in 5 years.

25 feet of 3/8--$30
4 feet of 1/2--$5
some fittings--$5




Is there something I need to do to prep this thing before i use it, or can i just wash with oxyclean and start using it?

Just wash/rinse it all up, and throw it in for the last 15mins of the boil!

Do you need to use a special type of solder for wort chillers? I don't know much about soldering but I was curious if there is anything in the solder that is dissolvable in the acidic wort.

You'll want to use a lead-free solder. Look for one that is used for drinking water supply. most home improvement stores carry this exclusively now I think.

I used a lead free, silver solder, like what plumbers use, hopefully it holds up. I didnt even think about the acidic part, I just figured if it was good enough for drinking water it should be fine for my brew.

You did fine, and you can soak that chiller in vinegar water or star san to clean it up.

bendavanza said:

You did fine, and you can soak that chiller in vinegar water or star san to clean it up.

Click to expand...

+1

That thing is pretty good right now. But a soak in hot vinegar or even a good dose of lime juice. The acid will eat off the surface corrosion and make it bright and shiny. Then just rinse it off in cold water and don't touch it.

I throw mine in at the end of the boil and when I am done I pull it and rinse it off with cold water. Nothing more. i make sure I don't touch the coils and let it dry by hanging it from the water connections. I do my handling of the chiller from the water connections only. By doing this my chiller will stay bright for months. A bright chiller means nothing to come off in the mildly acidic brew you sanitize it in.