Cheap Plate Heat Exchanger too good to be true?

Here is a link to a plate heat exchanger that is on ebay. This guy has a lot of these, also has models that have 15, 20, 25, 30 plates. This link goes to the 10 plate chiller it is listed at $49 bucks with free shipping. With a couple fittings this should work just fine right? I mean its half the cost of a shirron exchanger. Is there something im missing about these? They are stainless steel with copper blazed.

I'm pretty sure the Shirron has larger plates so the overall surface area of this one is lower. I'd go with at least the 20 plate version.

I just bought 2 of the 30 plate chillers, if you want to look at the website its here
DudaDiesel.com Biodiesel Supplies (how do you change the name so it says "Here", instead of showing the link)?

Anyways, if you look, there is one review for it, and it is from a homebrewer.

I think it is money well spent, and if doesnt work, oh well, if it does, I save myself almost $120.00, compared to the other brand.

An e-mail was sent to them, asking if it was food safe, and got the reply that it is.

Im going to on my brutus clone to recirc similar to what Lonnie Mac laid out in his magazine plans. ( IE fill HLT with ice water and use a pump to push it through chiller while the other pump pushes the wort.) For 10 gallon batches should the 15-20 plate be sufficient?

Sherpa FE said:

(how do you change the name so it says "Here", instead of showing the link)?

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HERE
type the word out; highlight it then use this icon to enter the URL

No, I got the 30 plate chiller, its almost the exact same size as the blichmann. I also got mine with the 3/4" MPT so I can connect QD's to it.
I also bought mine for my Brutus build.

RC0032 said:

HERE
type the word out; highlight it then use this

icon to enter the URL

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Thanks, that is great to know!

I purchased the 30 plate from the same place. $89. First brew with it is this Saturday, but initial water only tests are very promising. I added hose fittings from Lowe's to one side, and brass barbs to the other for the wort. No leaks. I also purchased some silicone tubing for the hot side as standard vinyl tubing wont stand up to the heat.

I will be building a cheap back flow flushing fitting for it also to clean it out, which just equals a piece of vinyl tubing with a mail hose fitting on one side and nothing on the other to fit over the barb.

Picture:
Plate Chiller with Fittings

this is my question it might be brazed with lead instead of silver rod

Neither. It is brazed with 99% pure copper in an oxygen free furnace.

I am very interested in how well this works. I would love to replace my IC with a plate chiller.

I really do not think that plate chillers that can not be taken apart are a good way to go when chilling wort because you really have no way to know that it is free of material inside after flushing both directions. I think you are much better off building your own counter-flow chiller or an imersion chiller. If any bacteria builds inside the plate chiller you will have instantly infected your beer when you chill your wort. If you have steam to sanitize just before chilling then it might be OK but otherwise I would not buy a furnace brazed plate chiller.

mr_goodwrench said:

I am very interested in how well this works. I would love to replace my IC with a plate chiller.

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I will let you know after Saturday!

WBC said:

I really do not think that plate chillers that can not be taken apart are a good way to go when chilling wort because you really have no way to know that it is free of material inside after flushing both directions. I think you are much better off building your own counter-flow chiller or an imersion chiller. If any bacteria builds inside the plate chiller you will have instantly infected your beer when you chill your wort. If you have steam to sanitize just before chilling then it might be OK but otherwise I would not buy a furnace brazed plate chiller.

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Does a counter flow chiller not suffer the same condition? You would have to have pretty long eyeballs to see all the way through one. To its credit, however, the inside surface would likely be smoother and less prone to collect.

I have a false bottom in my keggle and have purchased 3 x 3" stainless steel mesh tea infuser balls (Amazon.com, very cheap) to put the hops in during the boil which should limit the stuff that can collect in the plate chiller. I know there is debate regarding containing the hops versus letting them go free, but I think it will be fine. The balls will be free to float around the wort as it boils. I'll find out how well they work on Saturday!

A good back flush right when you are finished and everything is still moist should get most of the junk out. Beyond that, plate chiller is a tough customer. You can:
1. Soak it in a bucket of sanitizer that will permeate and sterilize every crack and crevice.
2. Place it into a pot full of water and boil it.
3. If you are REALLY concerned, place it into a pressure cooker and let it go for awhile.
4. Run still boiling wort through the chiller for a minute or two before you turn on the water. This will sterilize most anything hiding in there.

I don't fear using it at all, and love the compactness. The tremendous surface area should lend itself to a quick cool. People in areas with warmer ground water would really see the benefits, especially if a chiller with more plates was utilized.

My 2 cents.

Phill

I got the 10 plate and I've only used it once. The ground water was at 68* and I recirculated the hot wort until it was 100* about five or six minutes. Then straight to the carboy. I was happy with it.

WBC said:

I really do not think that plate chillers that can not be taken apart are a good way to go when chilling wort because you really have no way to know that it is free of material inside after flushing both directions. I think you are much better off building your own counter-flow chiller or an imersion chiller. If any bacteria builds inside the plate chiller you will have instantly infected your beer when you chill your wort. If you have steam to sanitize just before chilling then it might be OK but otherwise I would not buy a furnace brazed plate chiller.

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I've brewed countless batches with my Shirron and there's no issues at all. As long as you take good care of it, it will take good care of you.

What is NPT and MPT (male pipe thread)?

In an effort to not spend extra $$ on additional thread adaptors, what would I specify if I wanted to attach a garden hose to the in/out of the chiller, and 1/2" Polysulfone Quick Disconnects (like at Midwest Supplies)from Boil kettle and pump?

Since this eBay seller allows for custom fitting attached before shipping, I want to make sure I know what to tell him exactly.

Thanks!

It stnds for National Pipe Thread found Here

YEAAAA I did it... Thanks for showing me how to do the link thing. guys...he he.

In my post #12 I said that "Steam" was a good way to be sure infection could be prevented but because plate chillers have very small passages and there is a very good chance that sooner or later a piece of solid matter could become stuck inside. I would think that if you boiled it in a pressure canning pot before use that this would also be a good way you could avoid any possible infections.

Someone mentioned that any chiller could infect the same way but I feel that if you clean them right after use the chances are very good that you will not have any material that gets stuck inside the smooth interior and be able to create bacteria inside the tubing. I always pump boiling water through my chillers before use anyway.

mr_goodwrench said:

I am very interested in how well this works. I would love to replace my IC with a plate chiller.

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Used the chiller on Saturday, and it is fantastic! Gravity fed through it and the wort came out at hose temp (68 degrees) as fast as it could flow. Flushed it in each direction when complete until no more junk came out of it, and soaked it in an oxyclean solution. I will boil it before the next use.

Completely satisfied.

Sherpa FE said:

I just bought 2 of the 30 plate chillers, if you want to look at the website its here
DudaDiesel.com Biodiesel Supplies (how do you change the name so it says "Here", instead of showing the link)?

Anyways, if you look, there is one review for it, and it is from a homebrewer.

I think it is money well spent, and if doesnt work, oh well, if it does, I save myself almost $120.00, compared to the other brand.

An e-mail was sent to them, asking if it was food safe, and got the reply that it is.

Click to expand...

I ended up buying one of those after reading your post. I've done two batches so far and I'm loving it. I'm gravity feeding it, cooling the entire batch to 68 in under 10 minutes. Incredible unit considering the price.

I bought one of these things too. Then I got a bunch of other stuff Ive been putting off brew pot and aeration kit. I'm on my 3rd batch of EdWorts Apfelwein and its time to try my luck at beer.

Which plate chillers, if any, CAN be taken apart for full cleaning?

MadDwarf said:

Which plate chillers, if any, CAN be taken apart for full cleaning?

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Only the ones you find a commercial breweries and dairies. They are pretty expensive

If someone made one for the homebrew scale I suspect it would still be $500-$1500

phillc said:

...
1. Soak it in a bucket of sanitizer that will permeate and sterilize every crack and crevice.
2. Place it into a pot full of water and boil it.
3. If you are REALLY concerned, place it into a pressure cooker and let it go for awhile.
4. Run still boiling wort through the chiller for a minute or two before you turn on the water. This will sterilize most anything hiding in there.

...

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5. Put it in an electric kitchen oven and run a cleaning cycle for the oven. Back flush to remove any ashes.

There was once a tiny plate and frame chiller available about the size of a shirron but it was $500. IMHO, most homebrewers would pass.

camiller said:

5. Put it in an electric kitchen oven and run a cleaning cycle for the oven. Back flush to remove any ashes.

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I've been doing just that for some time now.

Reeeaaalllyyy! That's a good trick...No problems encountered with this? That's a lot of heat to be pumping through something...You just let it cool overnight then flush it out? I think I might have to get one of these...

camiller said:

5. Put it in an electric kitchen oven and run a cleaning cycle for the oven. Back flush to remove any ashes.

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What kind of temps would you need to hit? I don't have an electric kitchen oven but I'm wondering if our standard NG oven might suffice.

I think the cleaning cycle gets well above 500f...but I'm not sure. I hear you really only need about 350f to get the job done, but why not go a little higher if you can?

anyone have a link to anything diagraming or showing in photo's how these work when being gravity fed? i'm sort of a visual person

olllllo said:

I've been doing just that for some time now.

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Me too. I've had my shirron for about 3 years and I've never had a problem with this method.

I don't have a self cleaning oven either...i just put it in for a half hour or so at 500 degrees, flush it out. Sometimes I do another soak in PBW but I never see crud come out anyway, so that is even a fruitless step IMHO.

Whats the minimum size for a 5 gallon with gravity feed and no recycle? It would be sweet if the 10 plate would work.

Dude said:

Me too. I've had my shirron for about 3 years and I've never had a problem with this method.

I don't have a self cleaning oven either...i just put it in for a half hour or so at 500 degrees, flush it out. Sometimes I do another soak in PBW but I never see crud come out anyway, so that is even a fruitless step IMHO.

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Dude-

What kinda stuff comes out? Does it look like ash? If so, I think that's cool.:rockin:

right now with the price of the shirron at ahs its perfect size for any amount.

I got the 15 plate one .. i havnt got to use it yet though.. probably wont for a while.. if i do ill make sure to post a vid.

I'll just add that I got the 30 plate small chiller from duda and IIRC when I looked at the specs, the surface area puts it in between the shirron and blichmann. So far I am totally digging it...one pass and I am down to my water temp.

That is amazing.

I now have a 20 plate and a 10 plate from duda. The 20 plate I have tap water going through and the 10 plate I pump ice water through. In the winter when my tap water is cold enough I'll probably just jumper the tap water between them or put in a tee so cold tap water is hitting both.

I like the fact that when I'm recirculating wort through them for the last 10-15 minutes the flow isn't very restricted like it was when I was using a CFC

never heard of this method. cool.