BostonJ
Well-Known Member
Which is better? Adv? DisAdv.? Thanks
I disagree. Thermal heat transfer coefficient K, given in watts / (meter * deg C):
Copper: 401
Stainless Steel: 16
Aluminum: 250
I can't see Stainless Steel pulling heat out as quickly as Copper. You would need a longer length of stainless to get similar performance. Yes it won't tarnish, but properly cleaned copper should last brewers a lifetime.
You can see that Aluminum conducts heat much better than Stainless as well. Makes me feel a little better about my cheap turkey fryer pot.
No tarnish to contaminate my wort, or, god forbid, 'polishing the coil'
It's true that copper has a much higher thermal heat transfer coefficient than SS. However that coefficient is just one piece of the equation that determines how well/quickly heat is transferred. One other very important factor is the thickness of the metal. Obviously a very thin piece of SS is going to transfer heat much better than a thick block of copper even though copper has a higher heat transfer coefficient. My point is don't base you opinion solely on the heat transfer coefficient. SS is a more durable metal than copper and therefore SS chillers are able to have thinner walls than the copper chillers. While the copper chiller may cool your wort a minute or two faster (if even that much) than the SS chiller, there are a lot of advantages of SS over copper. FYI, most plate chillers have use a very thin SS plate inside of them due to the advantages of SS over copper.
Bottom line: get a chiller that you can afford, that you are comfortable putting into your wort and that you are comfortable with the amount of time/effort to keep it clean
I don't have any experience to debate the copper vs. SS argument so I'm not commenting on that. However, I've read of this Copper immersion chiller coming out new and shiny looking thing a few times. I've only used my copper IC three times so far with great success but I've never yet pulled it out and had it looking any newer and cleaner than it went in.
Rev.
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