Whirlpool Immersion Chiller

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doggage

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I've seen several other people posting about Jamil's Whirlpool Immersion Chiller, but I've just gotta say, this has improved my beer noticeably.

It chills very quickly and can chill down to 50^F easy. I don't have to worry about sanitizing my CFC. My late hop additions are much more pronounced in an IPA I recently made, compared to previous batches.
 
I use a pump to recirculate and then the same pump to go to my fermenter. Will take pics of my setup tomorrow.
 
That would be great. I am thinking about also upgrading to this method and am unsure if I want to go with a plate or possiblu a CFC.
 
Sorry about the delay. Here's a pic of how I do it.

jaml-whirlpool-chiller.jpg


At the bottom of the ice bucket of there's an aquarium pump like this. Start off with a big bag's worth of ice (I use my freezer and accumulate a big bag over the week leading up to brew day). For the first 10 minutes or so (of a 5 gallon batch) I don't return the hot water from the IC to the ice bucket--I direct that into another bucket or my mash tun for cleaning. After that 10 minutes (or whenever the water returning from the IC is about 120 or so) I start returning to the ice.

I've built several CFCs and used the heck out of them. They're nice, but this is nicer. You cool the whole wort down much quicker than you would with a CFC. With a CFC you'd be leaving a big amount of your wort at near boiling temps for a long time.

Here's some great info on this.
 
Thanks for the correction Mac. I edited the pic to fix the problem and hopefully make it a little clearer.
 
I been using the JZ whirlpool for awhile now and I love it. I don't need the ice to get my beer down to 60F my well water works just fine. I am going to hard plumb my kettle with a quick disconnect and get rid of the long copper piece the goes inside the chiller. When chilling is done I will whirlpool again to "Try" and get a hop cone in the middle.
 
That is a nice set up! I don't want to be a PIA but could you take a picture of the aquarium pump and it's connections? I am a visual person and not very good at setting these kinds of things up.
 
I Have used mine twice now,, boil to 58f in 21 min for the last 13gall batch,,
I need a bigger pump to get a better whirlpool going (working on that)
ya Pumps are really nice to have..
a pic of my cooler 30 1/2 copper + fitting cost me around 100.00 to build



 
Sure. No PIA at all. I already had the pic but figured you'll need to get the fitting at your local hardware store to fit whatever aquarium pump fittings you have.

IMG_6962.JPG


I had to get a plastic coupling to fit the outlet on the aquarium pump and then a little hose barb adapter to go from the female coupling to the hose. Basically, once you get the aquarium pump, put a little water in the bottom of a bucket, plug in the pump and submerse the pump to see which side is the inlet and which is the outlet. Then go to the hardware store and figure out what kind of hose you want to use to go from your pump to your IC. You'll need to adapt from the aquarium pump's outlet to that hose size. I'd take your pump to the store with you. Just make sure to get some hose that easily slips over the ends of your immersion chiller if that's how you want to do it. (see my pic for how I did it). There are any number of ways you could do it though. Everyone sets up their system a bit differently.
 
Henry, I love how that hangs over the pot's edge and how the whirlpool is attached. Did you just solder that hot wort return arm onto the IC?
 
Dogagge,

Thanks for the picture! I was contemplating going the CFC or plate route but I am thinking this will be way easier to sanitize and just as effective. This will also be more effective in the summer in MN when I am brewing 10 gallon batches.
 
its all silver soldered,, had to use a oxy-acy torch to get the copper tubing hot enough to join the tubes together,, hold the oxy torch far away till it sweets and apply,, I bent the tubing around a 6 gal bucket then fit the hard tubing to the boil pot as I was making it, I'm going to notch the lid so it closes, maybe
I did crimp the end or the wort return flatter to get a better whirl-pool going
more pics

 
Ok, so I probably wouldn't be able to do the same with a regular torch and solder? Might give it a try. I'd like to extend the arms on my chiller and solder on my return tube so I don't have to finagle everything everytime to get it all just right.
 
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