What specs for my dual coil chiller?

Im going to build a dual coil chiller for my 10 gallon brew pot. I'm just wondering how I should build it. Should the outer coil be pretty close to the walls of the pot, or should I build it to allow several inches of clearance from the outer diameter? Should the inner coil be fairly close to the outer coil, or should it be wound tight to the center of the pot? Thanks for any info.

I would leave an inch or two from the pot's walls. And maybe 2 or 3 inches inner coil from outer coil. I am no expert but I think that if you come too close to the pot's walls you are not maximizing the contact surface between wort and copper. Also, if you are going to stir the wort with a paddle it's easier to get the flow going with a 1-2 inches gap.

I have used immersion chillers in the past, and I have always stirred the wort around it because it speeds up the cooling a lot. I found that annoying because you have to be careful to not mix oxygen in while you paddle. So I built a counterflow chiller. I like it much better because you don't have to "nurse" it: just open the valve and let the wort flow through it. Also I get MUCH better cold brakes which give a very clear beer without any filtration.

IMHO if you are going to brew for a long time, I think that the extra effort to build a counterflow chiller is well repaid over time. Costs about the same to build, maybe 20 bucks or so more.

thanks for the info

Do you have fittings for a ball valve or thermometer. If you do, just make sure it is small enough to fit past them. Or flatten the bottom coils where they come in contact. I built a dual coil about six months ago. Best thing I ever did. It is affectionately called the "whore" on club brew days.

You're going to feed both coils with cold water right? If you're going to solder anything, you should be able to drill two 3/8" holes in the end of a 3/4" copper cap.

Bobby_M said:

You're going to feed both coils with cold water right? If you're going to solder anything, you should be able to drill two 3/8" holes in the end of a 3/4" copper cap.

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I was going to have both coils coming into copper tee's on both ends for water feed and water exit.