Building an HLT..

I am putting together an HLT out of Sankey keg. Starting with a spigot and a thermometer. But, I would like to add a Sight Glass and possibly work my old 25' immersion chiller in there to recirculate my mash. (Once I get a pump)

My question has to do with the 25' immersion chiller. Is that enough copper line to properly heat while recirculating?
I have thought about stretching the chiller but understand I run the risk of breaking it.
I would like to use that chiller somewhere in my gear.
Thanks!

How are you going to stretch the copper?

Well, I was hoping I wouldn't have to stretch it. I have heard of heating it and stretching it slowly but I would rather not if I don't have to. Before I got the Counter Flow Chiller I was thinking of making one. That was when I had considered stretching my immersion chiller.

Hawgbranch said:

Well, I was hoping I wouldn't have to stretch it. I have heard of heating it and stretching it slowly but I would rather not if I don't have to. Before I got the Counter Flow Chiller I was thinking of making one. That was when I had considered stretching my immersion chiller.

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I used 20 ft of 1/2" copper and it seems to be working pretty well. Just make sure your flow rate is slow enough to give the liquid time to heat up and you should be fine. I felt a very very noticeable difference in temperature between the water that was in my MLT and the Water coming out of the heating coil. It's not going to heat the whole thing up quickly from like 100 degrees to 170, but I don't think it will have any issues maintaining or stepping up from my original mash in temp.

HTH!
Craig

Yeah, I had planned to go ahead and heat my water to strike temps and then use the recirculation to maintain mash temps or even raise it to mash out temps if possible.

Just need to know if a 25' immersion chiller is effecient enough to use in an HLT for recirculation purposes.....

Hawgbranch said:

Well, I was hoping I wouldn't have to stretch it. I have heard of heating it and stretching it slowly but I would rather not if I don't have to. Before I got the Counter Flow Chiller I was thinking of making one. That was when I had considered stretching my immersion chiller.

Click to expand...

Someone was messing with you.

Maybe so.
But I didnt mean stretch the copper per se, but stretch the chiller. Enough so that coils aren't touching.
If 25' aint enough to do the job I won't mess with it.

I think most people use about 25' for a HEX so you should be fine.

What is the diameter of the tubing? Personally, I wouldn't make a hex coil from less than 1/2" diameter. Less than that at 25' long really starts to restrict your pumps ability to move the wort.