Plate chiller w/ 2.5 G batches

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Wagon_6

Wagon_6

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Just used a plate chiller for the first time. I have the blichmann inline thermometer and I couldn't get the flow to dial in to pitching temps, took 15 minutes to go from boiling to 80 degrees. With a smaller batch, is a plate chiller worth it versus an immersion?
My ground water was 60 degrees.
 
I have chilled 7 gals to 68 deg in about 5 minutes with 68 degree ground water using the Blichmann Therminator. Describe your set up.
 
15min for 2.5 gallons, you know something is wrong. Maybe the plate chiller needs to be filled up on both sides, like it needs to be full to work, it can't trickle along the bottom?
 
Its heavily dependent on ground water temps...however my 30 plate dudadiesel chills to 70* at a slightly slower rate than i can pump it. 5-7 minutes for a 6-7 gallon batch. Are you sure your wort and water are running counter.
 
Was everything hooked up right? Were you recirculating back into your kettle or to the carboy/bucket? I use a Shirron (sp?) plate chiller which is the smaller/cheaper one and I can get 2.5 gallons done in a matter of minutes. Five gallons in under ten for sure. I just gravity feed straight through the chiller to the carboy. Are you using a pump? If so do you have a ballvalve on the outlet?
 
swackattack said:
Its heavily dependent on ground water temps...however my 30 plate dudadiesel chills to 70* at a slightly slower rate than i can pump it. 5-7 minutes for a 6-7 gallon batch. Are you sure your wort and water are running counter.
Click to expand...

Yes, double checked everything knowing the counter flow is required for heat exchange.
 
inhousebrew said:
Was everything hooked up right? Were you recirculating back into your kettle or to the carboy/bucket? I use a Shirron (sp?) plate chiller which is the smaller/cheaper one and I can get 2.5 gallons done in a matter of minutes. Five gallons in under ten for sure. I just gravity feed straight through the chiller to the carboy. Are you using a pump? If so do you have a ballvalve on the outlet?
Click to expand...

I didn't recirculate, one pass to the fermenter is what brought me to get a plate chiller. What flow rates should I be using? I imagine your gravity speed isn't fast, do you have the water flow speed cranked wide open? I do use a pump and have a ball valve at the outlet so I backed down the wort flow to a trickle and got it to 74 for the tail end.
 
Wagon_6 said:
I didn't recirculate, one pass to the fermenter is what brought me to get a plate chiller. What flow rates should I be using? I imagine your gravity speed isn't fast, do you have the water flow speed cranked wide open? I do use a pump and have a ball valve at the outlet so I backed down the wort flow to a trickle and got it to 74 for the tail end.
Click to expand...

It flows pretty slow but I wouldn't say a trickle. Like I said, 2.5 gallons in a manner of minutes. I'm brewing today and will actually time it which I haven't done. The cold water is cranked wide open and it is downstairs in the laundry room on a faucet that has a pretty high flow rate. How fast does the water flow from the faucet?

Sometimes in the summer I will stop the wort flow to let let the water cool down the chiller before I open it up.
 
inhousebrew said:
It flows pretty slow but I wouldn't say a trickle. Like I said, 2.5 gallons in a manner of minutes. I'm brewing today and will actually time it which I haven't done. The cold water is cranked wide open and it is downstairs in the laundry room on a faucet that has a pretty high flow rate. How fast does the water flow from the faucet?

Sometimes in the summer I will stop the wort flow to let let the water cool down the chiller before I open it up.
Click to expand...

Yea let me know the time you're getting so I know what is achievable. Maybe that's what I'm missing, having the hose water run at a high rate. My house has some gnarly pressure, I'll try that tomorrow.
 
Well, I didn't time it. But I ran through 2.5 gallons in under five minutes for sure. Probably half that. Hit 67* and could have slowed it to get lower pretty easy.
 

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