Recirculating through CFC... who has done it?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Randar

Half rib short of a full rack
HBT Supporter
Joined
Sep 26, 2008
Messages
55,961
Reaction score
10,650
Location
NW Burbs
I have a big-ass CFC that I can get my 200-210 degree wort down to around 75 degrees in one step. I would like to get the cold break out of my fermenter and would like to get things down to at least the 50-60 degree range but don't really have a good means to do so in my current setup.

So, with the idea that I long-term will be needing a pump for my brew stand, I was considering getting one and doing a recirculated CFC cool.

- Who has done this and was it as effective as you hoped?
- How much extra time to get the desired temps? 2x? 3x? more?
- Did you notice improved cold break in the kettle?
- Did you recirculate to desired temp then go to kettle or recirculate a couple times and then just go back through the CFC into the kettle?
- When you recirculated were you able to get a whirlpool going and leave as much junk behind as you had hoped?

TIA!
 
I used my CFC for maybe 2-3 brews and would recirculate through it. I just wasn't happy with the speed I could move the wort. Maybe with larger tubing it would work better. I switched to a plate chiller and I can pump at full speed now.
 
I too use a chill plate and man does it kick some butt. I have only used it with water so not to sure how well the whirlpool works. But I did make one. I got 6-7 gallons of boiling water to 79 degrees in 15 mins. Mind you my cold water comes out at 74
 
I get pretty good flow through my chillzilla using gravity, so I am not too concerned about the flow aspect. More about the observed benefits and trying to gauge if it is worth it as a valid means of getting my post-chill temp down further and getting a better cold break/whirlpool before sending the rest off to the fermenter.

Edit: It currently takes about 10-15 min to do 10g through from 200 degrees to the 75-80 with my 55 degree water, so it's pretty solid in terms of efficiency, IMO.
 
- Who has done this and was it as effective as you hoped?

I recirculate through my CFC and back to the kettle for the whirlpool chilling effect. Yes, it is as effective as I had hoped, much better than I ever expected. My chiller uses 1/2" ID copper.

- How much extra time to get the desired temps? 2x? 3x? more?

Not sure I understand this question. It takes less time, not more time.

- Did you notice improved cold break in the kettle?

Yes I did.

- Did you recirculate to desired temp then go to kettle or recirculate a couple times and then just go back through the CFC into the kettle?

I pump through the CFC then back to the kettle in a continuous loop until the desired temp is reached and this varies depending on the beer style. I chill to 50 F for lagers; 65 F for ales most times. Once chilled sufficiently I redirect the flow to the fermenter(s).


- When you recirculated were you able to get a whirlpool going and leave as much junk behind as you had hoped?

Yes, I get a good whirlpool effect. My primary objective is rapid cooling to retain more hop flavor and aroma. Leaving the break/hop debris behind is a secondary benefit and I've never been much concerned about it. I stop the circulation when the wort has been chilled sufficiently and wait for 15 minutes or so before pumping to the fermenter(s). The additional time allows more break material and hop debris to settle out.

TIA!

............
 
Back
Top