CFC chiller and whirlpool

Does anyone chill their wort with a CFC and then run it back to the kettle to Whirlpool? I do 10 gal batches with a pump and would like to eliminate the coldbreak and trub from the fermenter. I realize it will take some time to chill this way.

Thanks,

That's exactly what I do with my countertop brutus 20. When the boil is done I turn on the faucet for chiller water and fire up the pump. Wort recirculates back into the kettle until I hit my desired pitch temp and then shut everything down so the Irish Moss can do its work while I get the fermenter ready.

DeepSea said:

I realize it will take some time to chill this way.

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I don't think it will take as long as you think, I do this with my plate chiller and it brings the entire kettle down quite rapidly. Plus, you can recirculate boiling (or near boiling) wort for a few minutes to sanitize your chiller.

I do this .. I get the Kettle to about 130-140 and then I move the output to my fermenter. Works great!! It does not really take that long.

DeepSea said:

Does anyone chill their wort with a CFC and then run it back to the kettle to Whirlpool? I do 10 gal batches with a pump and would like to eliminate the coldbreak and trub from the fermenter. I realize it will take some time to chill this way.

Thanks,

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Yep, do it routinely that way now. I'm convinced that this is the best method to chill the wort. I can take 12 gallons from near boiling to 140 F in about 2 to 3 minutes. The time varies getting it from 140 F to pitching temp depending a lot on the tap water temperature, but it's as fast as any other method IMO. A lot also depends on the design of the counterflow chiller.

I'm more interested in minimizing DMS and retaining hop flavor and aroma than I am in preventing break and trub material from getting in the fermenter. The break and trub does no harm IMO, and some claim it is actually beneficial to the yeast. Regardless, I leave it all behind shortly when I rack to the secondary or keg. I like being able to cool the entire volume of wort more uniformly with the whirlpool method vs. pumping directly into the fermenter from the chiller.

You will find widely differing opinions on chilling methods much like most of the other aspects of home brewing.

Thanks all for the responses. What are you using for to return the wort to the kettle.I do not have a dedicated return port. I was thinking of a copper pipe with a 45' elbow at the bottom. What do you think?

Yes, your pipe idea will work and you could build it so that it hooks over the side of the kettle.

This is how mine is configured. The return manifold works for continuous recirc during the mash, delivers the sparge water and is also the return from the chiller.

This pic shows it in wort return mode during the mash (RIMS)



This pic shows the test run with water only.



It's fully adjustable vertically so it can be used with different batch sizes. Cheap and easy to build.