Need Good How To for Counterflow chiller...

I recently inherited a homemade CFC from a guy leaving town, and I forgot to ask him how to use it.

It hooks up to a garden spigot on the low end and the copper threads into my keggle on the high end of the spiral.

The questions I have are:

First, what is the best way to sanitize and store this thing?
Second, how do I start and maintain suction to drain/chill my wort?

I've been starting with it full of acid sani. and literally sucking it into a bucket until I start seeing wort then transfer it to my fermenter. Sometimes I lose suction, especially when i tint the brewpot to get the last ounces out. Then when I lose suction how do I get it started again without sucking on it. There's got to be a better way.
I feel silly asking this.

You need a bucket and kettle with a spigot. Trying to use a siphon is a skull cracker with a cfc. After use I flush it out with hot water. I have an adapter for the faucet to convert it to garden hose threads. Every so often I'll throw some Oxiclean in the kettle and recirculate it throw the chiller with a pump for 20 minutes or so. For storage I'll blow it out with compressed air to rid as much water as possible.

so you're saying that you suck on it too? that sucks. I was hoping there was a really cool siphon out there...or pump.

jkunz_ said:

so you're saying that you suck on it too?

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That's probably going to go down in the Homebrewtalk.com hall of fame quotes.

But seriously are you referring to putting your mouth on a tube and sucking to start a siphon???? (god I hope I'm reading this wrong) Don't do that...

http://www.strandbrewers.org/techinfo/chillers.htm
will tell you how CFCs work and give you a better idea on how to hook it up.

jkunz_ said:

so you're saying that you suck on it too? that sucks. I was hoping there was a really cool siphon out there...or pump.

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No, it's gravity fed. The kettle at the highest point, chiller at the next step, and finally the fermenter. Open the spigot on the kettle and wort shall flow. To sanitize I hook it up to the bucket with a spigot and run the sanitizer through using the same method.

great article, thanks

I still dont get how to get the flow to start without sucking on it. Gravity is not working...it sure as sheet doesnt start on its own.

heck, it doesnt even fill up with all that air in the line. cold water, no prob, it has the faucet pressure, but the wort is not movin man!

PS: I dont suck wort, but i do hate the taste of starsan.

If you have a spigot on your kettle, then gravity OUGHT to make it flow (unless your tube or CFC is clogged).

If you are siphoning, like I am, then a "T" adapter on the end of the CFC will allow you to start the siphon by sucking on the hose. The short end has a tube clamp and plug the long end with your finger and suck the short end. When the siphon gets going, clamp the tube clamp and the wort will flow out through the still sanitary long end. (Don't forget to let some of the wort run into another container, so as to get as much starsan out of the hose as possible).

Homercidal said:

...If you are siphoning, like I am, then a "T" adapter on the end of the CFC will allow you to start the siphon by sucking on the hose. The short end has a tube clamp and plug the long end with your finger and suck the short end. When the siphon gets going, clamp the tube clamp and the wort will flow out through the still sanitary long end. (Don't forget to let some of the wort run into another container, so as to get as much starsan out of the hose as possible).

Click to expand...

Like this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/flyguys-t-siphon-3-replacement-autosiphon-25774/

jkunz_ said:

great article, thanks

I still dont get how to get the flow to start without sucking on it. Gravity is not working...it sure as sheet doesnt start on its own.

Click to expand...

Sounds like the chiller may not be sitting low enough in respect to the kettle or there's a lot of break material collecting next to the intake of the spigot in the kettle. Sometimes it helps to prime the chiller with sanitizer before attaching to the kettle.

nice, thanks for all the suggestions. We got it working, but still rather slow. Im going to raise it up some more, screen the break material and try that T syphon. I really want a pump next.