Going from IC chilling to CFC - maybe?

Hi all. So I have been using a 50' 1/2" immersion chiller for 4 years now. I recently ran my IC over with the car and totaled it. I am considering switching to CFC since I have to buy a new one anyway. If I were to switch I would probably go with a plate chiller such as the Shirron. some concerns I have are:

1) Boiling wort sitting uncooled. I do 10 gallon batches. When I start chilling, the whole 10 gallons is cooled to below 140F in like 3-4 minutes, reducing concern of (insert term for hot wort sitting too long). If I move to a CFC, the hot wort sits at near boiling temps until it passes through the chiller. I don't know how long 10 gallons takes to pass through a CFC but I am sure its somewhere around 15-20 minutes if I had to guess. Is the near boiling wort sitting for that long going to be a concern? I can only assume no or CFCs would not be very popular, but I want some cuddling into this venture.

2) As part of #1 above, how long would 10 gallons take to go through the a CFC like the Shirron?

3) Controller outlet temps - With an IC and 55F ground water I can chill until the desired temp and then stop. If I need something at 70F, then I am done. If I need 50F for lagers I chill until I max out the temp around 60F. Then I can switch to recirculating ice water and get it down to 50F if need be. How can I control temps with a CFC? Does the rate of wort passing through the CFC effect final output temp? I have a pump, so would I slow the flow to near nothing to get real cold and then speed it up if I want it warmer? I would certainly use an inline temp gauge to monitor this.

4) Sanitizing a CFC - Should I pump sanitizer through it or run boiling wort through it before the boil is finished? How long?

5) Shirron vs. Therminator - One is twice the cost and twice as thick. How many degrees above the chilling water will each chiller get my wort? If they are relatively close, what the point of the Therminator over the half-prices Shirron?

Thanks all.

I just went through the same thing you are. I ended up with the Jamil Whirlpool Chiller. Used it for the first time yesterday and it worked great. Chilled at least twice as fast as just an IC by itself. Also chills the whole volume instead of a little at a time like CFC/plate chillers. It also left all of the hops in a nice tight pile in the middle of the kettle. Might be something you want to consider. I didn't like the cleaning procedures I read about that are necessary with CFC/plate chillers.

Yeah I have heard about Jamil's gig. He'a actually going to be at our LHBS on Friday to check it out. I will have to ask him about it personally.

ghart999 said:

1) Boiling wort sitting uncooled. I do 10 gallon batches. When I start chilling, the whole 10 gallons is cooled to below 140F in like 3-4 minutes, reducing concern of (insert term for hot wort sitting too long). If I move to a CFC, the hot wort sits at near boiling temps until it passes through the chiller. I don't know how long 10 gallons takes to pass through a CFC but I am sure its somewhere around 15-20 minutes if I had to guess. Is the near boiling wort sitting for that long going to be a concern? I can only assume no or CFCs would not be very popular, but I want some cuddling into this venture.

2) As part of #1 above, how long would 10 gallons take to go through the a CFC like the Shirron?

3) Controller outlet temps - With an IC and 55F ground water I can chill until the desired temp and then stop. If I need something at 70F, then I am done. If I need 50F for lagers I chill until I max out the temp around 60F. Then I can switch to recirculating ice water and get it down to 50F if need be. How can I control temps with a CFC? Does the rate of wort passing through the CFC effect final output temp? I have a pump, so would I slow the flow to near nothing to get real cold and then speed it up if I want it warmer? I would certainly use an inline temp gauge to monitor this.

4) Sanitizing a CFC - Should I pump sanitizer through it or run boiling wort through it before the boil is finished? How long?

5) Shirron vs. Therminator - One is twice the cost and twice as thick. How many degrees above the chilling water will each chiller get my wort? If they are relatively close, what the point of the Therminator over the half-prices Shirron?

Thanks all.

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#1: I share your concern with unequal chilling but its because I have concern for the flavor/aroma hops which will continue to fade until cooled. You could use a hopback to compensate or just use a pump with the CFC so you can cycle back into the boil pot and get the temp down as low as you want before stopping. From what I've seen, a CFC can cool about the same speed as an IC if the IC is stirred constantly. Possibly faster, depends what target temperature you have. One of my areas of uneasiness with a CFC in a straight-to-fermenter config is you only have one pass at your temperature; what you get is what you get.

#2: I cannot comment on shirron or therminator but on a hose CFC with a few feet of gravity differential, the CFC seems to take 10-20 minutes to cool 5-10 gallons of wort (approx).

#3: I would suggest see #1, slowing the cooling water might help but probably has diminishing returns.

#4: Can't really comment but I am concerned about the cleanliness of what I can't see so personally I'd be backflushing, cleaning, and sanitizing well!

ghart999 said:

Yeah I have heard about Jamil's gig. He'a actually going to be at our LHBS on Friday to check it out. I will have to ask him about it personally.

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Sweet! Please let us know if he's made any adjustments/improvements to the setup.

Will do.

Back to the subject at hand, does anyone has a rough idea of how much above ambient water temps the output wort gets with both the Shirron and the Therminator?