bk0
Well-Known Member
This seems like exactly backward priorities. Infection is far more common and will make your beer undrinkable. DMS is rare and will (at worst) give slight off flavors.
Wort chiller vs. Ice Bath
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This seems like exactly backward priorities. Infection is far more common and will make your beer undrinkable. DMS is rare and will (at worst) give slight off flavors.
hepcat
Well-Known Member
You're entitled to your opinion and way of doing things, as am I. Cheers.
>>Can't get my lid on around my IC. I don't worry about infection in the 15 minutes it takes to cool.
Maybe cover it as best you can with the lid, realizing that you can't cover it all the way.
It seems pretty easy to do so, and may save an infection.
Considering how much work i put into a brew, plus the money, I put the lid on to cover as much as I can of the pot
>>Which is why I get the wort down to ~100*F in <=20 minutes
You are unlikely to get DMS at this point. On the other hand, there is a lot of dust outside. A wild yeast wont necessarily ruin your batch, but it may impart unwanted flavors. Keeping the lid on slows down your chilling by how much? 3 minutes?
Maybe cover it as best you can with the lid, realizing that you can't cover it all the way.
It seems pretty easy to do so, and may save an infection.
Considering how much work i put into a brew, plus the money, I put the lid on to cover as much as I can of the pot
>>Which is why I get the wort down to ~100*F in <=20 minutes
You are unlikely to get DMS at this point. On the other hand, there is a lot of dust outside. A wild yeast wont necessarily ruin your batch, but it may impart unwanted flavors. Keeping the lid on slows down your chilling by how much? 3 minutes?
I used an ice bath for my first couple batches. Bought an IC and can't imagine going back. I like not having to buy the ice, and I use the water from the chiller to clean up all my kit and water my plants. In north texas I can get it down to about 80 in 20 minutes in the summer. I just put the carboy in my fermentation fridge for a couple hours before I pitch.
sww35
Well-Known Member
How about buying gallons of distilled water and freezing them and then adding them to the wort to bring down the cooling temp? Seems like it would be a quick process and a safe way to introduce the water that may be needed in the ice form.
hepcat
Well-Known Member
Don't brew outside. Brew in my kitchen. Not alot of 'dust' there. Let me see if can put this to bed: You want a put a lid your wort while you cool it down go for it. I don't care who or how many of you tell me to. Ain't gonna do it.
Well, that doesn't work that well unless you chill the wort a bit first.
I'm no math whiz, but as an example let's say you have 3 gallons of 212 degree wort. Adding two gallons of 32 degree water (ice) will NOT get you 5 gallons of 65 degree wort- more like 100 degrees. So then you have 5 gallons of too-warm wort that takes even longer to chill.
BUT- if you have 3 gallons of 212 degree wort that you stick in an ice bath for 15 minutes and get to 100 degrees, and THEN add 2 gallons of frozen water, then you'll be in the ballpark.
Partial boils? LOL, I know what you mean.
FWIW, groundwater temps down in the Houston area are in the mid 80's in the summer.
Just 48 hours ago, I brewed an all grain IPA, finished at 10:30 pm.. at night!
I always keep track of my wort chiller's ability to cool down to pitch temp.
Started cooling 212* wort at 10:12, was down to 90* by 10:24, 12 minutes time.
I switched to a 30 lb ice bath @ 10:25, in a walmart laundry basket with rope handles, and took about another 12 minutes to get down to high 60*'s
I've found that a switch over at about 90* is the perfect temp. Once I get to 90, I'm not going any lower on wort chiller only. BTW, mine's a 50ft, 3/8" stainless steel wc.
Feels pretty good to be down to high 60's in about 25 minutes.
That is a pretty nice freakin chiller!!!! Mind building me one?
It's very simple.
20' of copper coil 3/8" = $13.48
http://www.lowes.com/pd_311863-69305-CU06020N_0__?productId=3142375&Ntt=copper+coil
8' of clear tubing 3/8" ID = $0.33/ft
Garden hose adapter 3/8" barb = $2.99
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/female-garden-hose-thread-with-3-8-barbed.html
4 hose clamps = $0.90
Total of $20.01
I'm interested to give it a try and see how efficient it is, if it's not that great I'll pick up a longer length of coil.
But our ground water stays pretty cold, so we'll see.
hepcat
Well-Known Member
Was wondering how you built yours so cheap.
3/8 x 20' copper tubing on Lowe's site (in my zip code) is $25.86.
You getting a contractor's discount or something?
http://www.lowes.com/pd_311863-6930...8+x+20+copper+tubing&productId=3142375&rpp=24
edit: looks like my link did the same as yours, just takes you to their home page.
deercreek
Well-Known Member
Try searching for the item code 311863. That shows up as $13.48 for me too.
hepcat
Well-Known Member
OK just did that deercreek, still shows $25.86. Strange. But thanks for the suggestion.
Oh good, it isn't just me! I just bought 20' of 3/8" at Home Depot last night, and I paid just under $30. Also picked up 20' of 5/8" clear vinyl tubing for $7, so all told I should be right at half the price my LHBS is charging for a similar IC (although theirs is 25').
deercreek
Well-Known Member
IFMracin said:
Have you had a chance to give it a try yet? I just made a Lowes run and picked up the same materials. My hose clamps were $0.92 and my tubing was $0.32 a foot, though. I was trying to come up with a water attachment I could buy there, but I would have had to do it in three pieces. This just gives me a good excuse to place an order with Midwest.
CBXBob
Well-Known Member
Evidently it's just cheaper in the midwest?
Your chiller looks great, I bought 50' of 3/8 copper tube for $86. (local store, not big box) got the hose fittings for another $7. So a home made 25 ft cooler cost me about $50. Doesn't look as nice as yours, but works great! If I had known I could go to nybrewsupply and get one for $45. I'd have gone that route. IC versus Ice Bath, IC baby!
Clonefan94
Senior Member
Reviving a bit of an older thread here, but as I was searching around I came across this and thought this was a good place to post what I do. I have an immersion chiller I built from 50' copper coil. It was a little long for my operation, so I cut 10' off and built a pre-chiller as well. These worked great, but with the hot summer this year, I was still struggling to get those last few degrees out, so I used a couple of those stainless steel water bottles, packed them with ice, put in a little salt and filled the remaining space with water. When I started my boil, I threw them in the freezer. When I started my normal chilling, I took them out of the freezer and dropped them in the bucket of starsan solution I had, completely submersing them. Then, when the wort got down to about 100 degrees, I pulled them out and set them in the brewpot. They are tall enough that about 2" still sticks up above the wort. So standing them up I dind't have to worry about the plastic lids being an issue in the wort. This really worked great to get it down to 70 degrees a lot quicker than just running the IC like I first did.
I picked them up at target for $6/each I think. They have the screw on sealable lid and being stainless steel, should sanitize easily. I only use them for Brewing, so keeping them clean really isn't an issue. I don't think you'd need them once the temperature drops, but fighting the heat on those 90+ degree days while trying to cool wort wasn't working well. It might be overkill or add another chance for infection, but on really hot days, it helped the cooling process and was worth the chance, imo.
I picked them up at target for $6/each I think. They have the screw on sealable lid and being stainless steel, should sanitize easily. I only use them for Brewing, so keeping them clean really isn't an issue. I don't think you'd need them once the temperature drops, but fighting the heat on those 90+ degree days while trying to cool wort wasn't working well. It might be overkill or add another chance for infection, but on really hot days, it helped the cooling process and was worth the chance, imo.
freisste
Well-Known Member
Yooper said:
Yooper, your math is good (3@212 + 2@32 = 5@140). However, you are forgetting two points. One, ice from the freezer is more like 0-5f I think. Two, a lot of energy is needed to melt the ice (energy in the form of heat from your wort, aka "latent heat of melting"). Doesn't matter because you are still correct that it won't get you where you want to be.
Also, I have built an emersion chiller very similar to what is being described. All parts from Lowe's, total cost around 24 compared to LHBS at 70. Anybody else having problems with the copper to vinyl hose clamp connection? I'm afraid to tighten more for fear of crushing the copper, but I have noticed a very slow leak. Planning on making a solder connection.
One more note that I thought was cool and I haven't seen in the past - I wanted the cool to have a low profile so I could use it on very small brews (think yeast starter). I bent my 20ft into a double helix so it is about half as tall as other models I have seen. Probably took me 5 min of though plus 10min of bending instead of just 5 min of bending, but worth it IMHO.
when you are carrying the boiling wort to the ice bath. Just remember, if any spills on you... It might be painful.
My old cooler mash tun is going to be my new holder for ice and water. I am going to add a pond pump and use it to pump really cold water into my imm. chiller.
My old cooler mash tun is going to be my new holder for ice and water. I am going to add a pond pump and use it to pump really cold water into my imm. chiller.
You drop it in with 15 minutes to go in the boil. It's sanitized by chill down time. You clean it immediately after you rack to the fermenter, just like with your boil kettle. Fill with hot water and PBW (or Oxyclean or whatever you clean with), let is soak for 15 minutes. Use a standard kitchen sponge, and wipe it down. Rinse, dry.
It's really not all that hard, as a owner of 2 coil chillers I also don't think it's a valid complaint. Cleaning one is no harder the filling the sink with ice, filling it with water, draining it, do it again. It's just a preference thing.
I'll use my $60 coil chiller and not carry 60lbs of Boiling liquid any day. I'm too klutzy to take on that risk too many times.
2 words: compression fittings. as far as crushing the copper with a hose clamp, i doubt it.
freisste
Well-Known Member
eastoak said:
I looked into compression fittings, but I couldn't seem to find the right thing. My current plan is to solder two 3/8 hose barbs which should be pretty economical. Current setup only cost about $22 and I don't want to spend an extra $20 on fittings if I don't have to. I'll update when make the changes.
As far as crushing the copper - I tightened until the torque started going down. I'm either crushing the copper or (more likely) pinching the tube and causing the leak. Either way I will feel better with brass barbs.
zeg
Well-Known Member
I was playing with my new kit and I think your latter guess is right. On mine, the hose clamps are pretty clearly getting out of round as they tighten. There's a cusp right beneath the screw mechanism, and the hose bunches up, leaving noticeable gaps.
I'm going to look for compression fittings, but if I can't find 'em, my plan is just to make sure the dripping is outside the kettle.
Freistte,
That is really nice work you did on your chiller. Kudos!
That is really nice work you did on your chiller. Kudos!
freisste
Well-Known Member
jbaysurfer said:
Thanks! Always nice to meet a fan
.So far I am 1 for 1 (chiller made, waiting first batch of homebrew to finish fermenting, waiting anxiously with fingers crossed that I didn't screw anything up).
i just got a solid copper reverse flow wort chiller ( copper pipe inside of copper pipe, coiled) and i'm not looking back!! this thing takes in boiling hot wort and dispenses 80 degree wort with a quickness. I can drain my boil kettle in 6-8 mins..
almost just like this one..
http://www.breworganic.com/deluxecoppercounter-flowwortchiller.aspx
almost just like this one..
http://www.breworganic.com/deluxecoppercounter-flowwortchiller.aspx
J187
Well-Known Member
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I don't think I fully understand what you do...
To those who are getting their wort to 60-70 deg in 20 min with nothing more than an ice bath - are you sure? I use an ice bath with plenty of ice and continuously change my water, I stir constantly and I can get my temps down to pitching in about 35-40 min... but 20 min for an icebath seems crazy for anything over 2 gallons - especially 5!!
FuzzeWuzze
I Love DIY
$220 for wort chiller?!?!
I honestly dont think chilling in 10 minutes instead of 20 is going to make a damn bit of difference, in fact we all know it doesnt because there are plenty who wait 8+ hours for wort to chill on its own and make great beer.
zeg
Well-Known Member
At that point, I think you're paying for a bit of convenience more than the time (and it basically saves all 20 minutes of cooling time if you siphon from your kettle to your fermenter, since it does both cooling and siphoning simultaneously).
Whether that's worth it depends on many factors...
