Anyone ever try one of these. Wort chiller kit.

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I bought a SS version from NY Brew Supply. I had them custom make mine and they were quick to respond. Not quite as cheap as your option but very quick and ready to go.
 
https://coppertubingsales.com/store...cts_id=1215&osCsid=lta158tnkt6epglgttn6he6vi5
I went to Lowes today to look for supplies but the prices were so high that I might as just buy a chiller. So, when I got home I looking for cheaper and found this. Has anyone tried one of these? I think I'm gonna buy it after Christmas.

I purchased some copper tubing from this same company a couple of years back so that I could make a chiller. I really feel comfortable with the company. Anyway, they must have caught on as to why people are buying copper from them, and decided to put together the kit. I think that it should work out pretty well. Mark
 
Looks like a good kit for the money.
When I bought mine, I was going to make one but I couldn't do it for what I could buy one for so I just ordered one.

If I had seen this I probably would have ordered it.
 
I got be of these a few months back when I stepped up to a 15 gallon system. The kit worked well, though I just used a tube bender instead of the included elbows. I'd go with them again if I need to build another IC.
 
I built my 50 foot 1/2" IC with tubing from that company. It was a competitive price, but I didn't buy one of their kits, because I don't see the point of the fancy fittings. I just use bare copper and push silicone tubing over it.
 
BetterSense said:
I built my 50 foot 1/2" IC with tubing from that company. It was a competitive price, but I didn't buy one of their kits, because I don't see the point of the fancy fittings. I just use bare copper and push silicone tubing over it.

How do you connect it to a garden hose with the silicone tubing?
 
I use an electric pump and pump first water, then ice water through it. Most of the year my tap water is warm.

Although one time my pump broke, and I just screwed the male half of one of those quick-disconnects onto my garden hose, and jammed the silicone hose over that. Worked perfectly.
 
I too bought my 50' coil of 1/2" copper from this company. I kit did look good, but i wanted to just build it my own way so just got the coil and some simple vinyl tubing. Good luck with it!

I've added a pic of the IC made. I also made a whirlpool arm with a about 18" of the coil.

image-1377210168.jpg
 
I made mine about a year ago, copper prices have increased since then. I started with 20', vinyl tubing a couple of hose clamps and a hose fitting. As the water got warmer in the summer I added another 20' section that goes in an ice bucket. That only required another coil of tubing and a couple of hose clamps.

I don't have the total but it is 40' and I would take a guess that I spent about $50.

The one you linked to will make the chiller itself. You still need to get the water to and away from the chiller so add that to the total for your final decision.
 
kh54s10 said:
I made mine about a year ago, copper prices have increased since then. I started with 20', vinyl tubing a couple of hose clamps and a hose fitting. As the water got warmer in the summer I added another 20' section that goes in an ice bucket. That only required another coil of tubing and a couple of hose clamps.

I don't have the total but it is 40' and I would take a guess that I spent about $50.

The one you linked to will make the chiller itself. You still need to get the water to and away from the chiller so add that to the total for your final decision.

Yeah I was already taking that into account.
 
Also, if you're not circulating beer through your IC, why use silicone tubing? Just use cheap vinyl tubing if you're just moving tap water through the IC

Silicone HOSE (if it's flexible it's called "hose". You don't water your garden with a "garden tube" do you?) can be boiled. If you use silicone hose you don't have to bend the copper into those tricky 90 degree bends up and out of the beer, which is a waste of probably 2 feet of copper. My IC is just a coil. The silicone hose just comes off each end tangentially and curves up. All the copper is in the wort, where it's needed.

Besides, I have 2 5 foot pieces of silicone hose that I use for the IC, siphoning, and bottling. It lasts forever and you can boil it or bake it to sanitize it.
 
BetterSense said:
Silicone HOSE (if it's flexible it's called "hose". You don't water your garden with a "garden tube" do you?) can be boiled. If you use silicone hose you don't have to bend the copper into those tricky 90 degree bends up and out of the beer, which is a waste of probably 2 feet of copper. My IC is just a coil. The silicone hose just comes off each end tangentially and curves up. All the copper is in the wort, where it's needed.

Besides, I have 2 5 foot pieces of silicone hose that I use for the IC, siphoning, and bottling. It lasts forever and you can boil it or bake it to sanitize it.

Ok now I see what you're talking about.
 
Silicone HOSE (if it's flexible it's called "hose". You don't water your garden with a "garden tube" do you?) can be boiled. If you use silicone hose you don't have to bend the copper into those tricky 90 degree bends up and out of the beer, which is a waste of probably 2 feet of copper. My IC is just a coil. The silicone hose just comes off each end tangentially and curves up. All the copper is in the wort, where it's needed.

I like the bend of copper coming out of the kettle. It provides a nice handle with which you can easily pull it out of your kettle without dipping your hands in your wort. ;) I'm sure you can do that just by pulling the silicone HOSE, but i imagine it's bashing against the side of your kettle as it comes out, not that that matters.
 
Silicone HOSE (if it's flexible it's called "hose". You don't water your garden with a "garden tube" do you?) can be boiled.

:off:
I believe this is your opinion and not a true standard. It appears the difference is how the material is measured (ID vs OD) and has nothing to do with rigidity.

And I know, don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia, but I love the title of the "Hose" article...
 
I like the bend of copper coming out of the kettle. It provides a nice handle with which you can easily pull it out of your kettle without dipping your hands in your wort. I'm sure you can do that just by pulling the silicone HOSE, but i imagine it's bashing against the side of your kettle as it comes out, not that that matters.

The secret is to drop the outlet hose below the level of the kettle before you disconnect the water, and let most of the water siphon out of the IC before you try to lift it (I also blow on the other hose because I'm impatient). It's a lot lighter that way.

Of course, you should always make sure the IC is empty before you lower it into the boiling wort, because if it has water in it, it could flash-boil and shoot hot water or steam out of the ends, or even burst. Unlikely because the boiling point of wort is lower than water, but good practice anyway.
 
:off:
I believe this is your opinion and not a true standard. It appears the difference is how the material is measured (ID vs OD) and has nothing to do with rigidity.

And I know, don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia, but I love the title of the "Hose" article...

Wikipedia actually agrees with me

The terms "pipe" and "tube" are almost interchangeable, although minor distinctions exist — generally, a tube has tighter engineering requirements than a pipe. Both pipe and tube imply a level of rigidity and permanence, whereas a hose is usually portable and flexible.
 
I built my 50 foot 1/2" IC with tubing from that company. It was a competitive price, but I didn't buy one of their kits, because I don't see the point of the fancy fittings. I just use bare copper and push silicone tubing over it.

I got a similar kit from my LHBS that did not include the compression fittings, just worm gear clamps to tighten the hose like you describe.

It was a miserable failure. Leaked like crazy. I went out and bought the fittings and it's all better. Well, almost---one downside to the compression fittings is that they have a much smaller inside diameter than the tube/hose they attach to. If I turn the water up too high, I get a bit of leaking on the hose nipple side. But I've had zero leaking on the compression side.

The kit worked well for me. One thing I would recommend is obtaining a proper tube bender for the small-radius bends. Wrapping it by hand around a form to make most of the turns is fine, but one can very easily crush the tubing or, worse, hyperextend one's thumb trying to make the small-radius bends at the ends. And trust me, the trip to urgent care is far more expensive than a tube bender.
 
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