IC v. CFC v. Plate v. Whirlpool

I'm sure there's a thread or 20 in here discussing this, but I can't find it (not a definitive one, that is). I'm going to upgrade my IC (which is too small) and can't decide if I should just make a bigger one, go CFC, plate or Jamil whirlpool. Thoughts?

plate Chiller is > CFC > IC > Ice bath

there you have it if you have money for a Plater chiller get it, if not a CFC is next best , than an IC, followed up by and Ice bath

whirlpool just puts the trub in a nice cone shape in the center of the keg


-=jason=-

To be honest, Id go Jamil Whirlpool or something similar if you already have an IC. I bought a plate chiller from kegcowboy, then after they dicked around for 3 weeks with them being out of stock (and still taking orders for them) and me begging for my money back, finally did so. Best worst luck Ive ever had. I spent the money on a new weldless fitting and whirlpool attachment (so the whirlpool attaches to the keg instead of the IC like Jamils). Since the whirlpool is constantly moving the wort around, it cools down extremely quick. Plus then you dont have to worry about keepin the plate chiller clean, getting clogs etc.

whirl-pooling while using an IC helps cool the wort faster. I used a IC and while whirl-pooling and ice bath (packed 5 gal bucket of snow from outside) 210F to 55F in 12 min! although it was only a 5 gal partial boil

Flomaster said:

plate Chiller is > CFC > IC > Ice bath

there you have it if you have money for a Plater chiller get it, if not a CFC is next best , than an IC, followed up by and Ice bath

whirlpool just puts the trub in a nice cone shape in the center of the keg


-=jason=-

Click to expand...

I can gravity feed with my CFC, not sure that I could with a plate chiller.....

I can still updgrade to pumps if I want, but right now I can chill 11 gallons of wort in about 14 minutes with my gravity fed CFC...

I think it's more of a function of 1) your set up, 2) your tap water temp, 3) your budget

IC with whirlpool cools extremely fast.

CFC here, better with a pump, still great with gravity. With 70F gray water for cooling my 25' cfc gets me down to 72 using gravity in about 15 mins for 5 gals. In the winter when the rain barrels are COLD I can do 5 gals in about 10 mins running it all out on wort, and seriously throttling back the cold water.

Edit: Plate chillers are more efficient in terms of space, maybe better at water usage, but CFC's don't clog and are easy to clean, just run boiling water through after chilling, and fill with starsan from kettle right before the boil. Better yet, recirc your cfc into the kettle for about 10 mins at flameout, then into the fermenter. Whirlpools, sanitizes, and starts cooling all in one!

Pump through a DIY CFC and back to the BK in a continuous loop. Cooling is very fast, but how fast depends largely on the temp of the cooling water. Never have clogging problems with my CFC.

Bumping this thread...

So, are you guys worried about getting break material and hops into your fermenter? I try to leave as much as I can behind. Even with my pickup tube I still get a lot, which is what has me leaning towards the Jamil rig.

Should this be a concern or is it one of the many things in this hobby that is preference or some perpetuated myth/worry?

johnnybrew said:

Bumping this thread...

So, are you guys worried about getting break material and hops into your fermenter? I try to leave as much as I can behind. Even with my pickup tube I still get a lot, which is what has me leaning towards the Jamil rig.

Should this be a concern or is it one of the many things in this hobby that is preference or some perpetuated myth/worry?

Click to expand...

Quoting myself from a similar thread, (sorry to others rereading my drivel)

I make 11 gal batches in my keggle and put 5.5 gal into each fermenter. When I transfer, I typically get 1 carboy with clear wort, and a second carboy full of hot break, cold break, hops, and other sludge. They both get the same yeast pitched into them, and ferment the same. I've tracked the beers through my kegerator and not noticed a bit of difference between the clean one and the trubby one...so no worries on my part.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Shorty. This is good info. Anyone else have info or thoughts on the effects of trub in the fermenter? How do the big boys do it?

Using hop bags seriously reduces the trub in the brew pot...

I'm using a home made IC to cool my wort down. From full boil (212F) to <70F in about 15 minutes (full 5.x gallon batch size). I do stir the wort while letting the IC do it's job, which does help. I used a 20 foot coil of 3/8" copper to make my IC. I get about 19 feet into the wort, which really does help. When I go to larger batches (10 gallons) I'll probably get/make a 50 foot IC to use.

I do like how the IC doesn't have any wort running through it, so your chance of something bad getting into the wort is greatly reduced. It's also a snap to clean, compared with the plate chillers. With the CFC, you would need to run enough clean water through the part that the wort goes through, in order to clean it. Personally, I'd be concerned about something staying behind, either previous batches, or the cleaning solution you use.

I also think that with the cooler tap water temperature in the north east (and more northern states too) the need for additional chilling methods isn't as important, or necessary as other areas. Where I expect to be able to cool my wort, with the IC, in under 20 minutes (even during the heat of summer) people in Florida probably struggle even during their winters. I can also, easily, add another IC to my current one, to pre-chill the water going through it, into the wort. I could use either a 10 foot section of copper, or use a larger IC (for the 10 gallon batches) and use my current one to pre-chill the water.

It's all about being able to adapt to how things are during that time. It's also about what works where you are, and with your rig/setup... I don't think any of us would consider our current rig to be the final version of what we'll be brewing with forever. At least I don't (still too new to brewing, and I know my setup will change as my living situation changes)...

I see this is an older thread but I asked a similar question a few days back and included a poll. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-do-you-chill-your-big-batches-10-gallon-219873/

Looks like CFC is most popular. There is also a couple of alternative methods suggested that has caused me to try using what I already have before I buy any more equipment.

Photopilot said:

I see this is an older thread but I asked a similar question a few days back and included a poll. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-do-you-chill-your-big-batches-10-gallon-219873/

Click to expand...

This is great! Thanks for sharing! Still, though, my 'burning' question is whether or not trub is something a brewer needs to 'worry' about. My thought is that it is easy to just use a CFC and move the wort to the fermenter in one easy step (provided your source water is cold enough). But, with that method the brewer will get a lot of trub in the fermenter. Sure, using a hop bag will help reduce the hop material, but there will still be some hops, and a bunch of hot/cold break proteins in there.

• Does trub have an effect on the flavor profile?
• Will it have any effect on yeast performance?
• Can the trub grow legs and eyes and terrorize the neighbor's pesky cat?

Thanks!

I vote CFC, but I may be a little biased

I have heard from others besides shorty that it has little to no affect.

I however do not want any extra junk in my primaries, since I do not secondary. My plan:

Use my IC externally in chilled water
Pump my wort through it back into my keggle.
Add ice as needed
Give the wort in the keggle a good spin for whirlpool to let trub settle into center (my pickup tubes t-s and picks up on either side.)
Drain into fermenter.

I am guessing this will add 15-20 minutes over just using a plate of CFC but will be faster than my current process and will remove most of the trub early on.