Building your IC into the keggle.

Any unforseen problems building my IC into the keggle? I like the idea of having it a permanent fixture that doesn't need to be removed and subsequently seperately cleaned. I know the acidity of the wort does slowly dissolve copper, but I'm assuming the rate and only moderately acidic pH shouldn't be a huge issue. If done, there would only be smooth coil in the boil--no soldered connections or lashing to provide refuge for bacteria.

I would have searched for past threads but the search feature isn't showing up on this arcaic computer I'm using right now.

Eh...more holes in the keggle which is more issue for leaking and more of a PITA for cleaning...i'd just have it a drop in one that you can take in and out..

the inlets and outlet would be well above the fluid level, so leaking is really a non-issue. Besides, I'm going to have the fittings welded in. Right now I find having to seperately clean AND store the IC more of a PITA than it would seem having it permanently inside the boil vessel.

First off, this just came up a week or so ago:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=56451

Cleaning the IC and keg separately sounds like LESS work than having to clean a keg with an IC built into it, which would make it awkward if you need to reach in and scrub the thing... For me, cleaning the IC means setting it in the bathtub and using a spray hose to spray it off on all sides. Takes less than a minute, no scrubbing involved, and it never looks dirty or grows fuzzies or anything.

And as far as storing the IC, personally mine goes right back into the keggle after cleaning both, so I don't consider it much of an issue.

I REALLY don't see the point... it will cost more to install it than leave it separate, it will take more work, won't really be reversible (unless you can easily plug up the holes in the kettle after), and I really don't see the benefit. Even if it did somehow make cleaning a LITTLE bit easier, I still really don't think it'd be worth it.

If you're determined to do it, I would suggest you at least consider using stainless steel tubing instead of copper. It'll eliminate potential problems with corrosion/etc, and also allow you to use more chemical cleaners than you'd be able to with copper. If you go with some kind of clean-in-place process, cleaning the keg with IC in it shouldn't be any more tricky than without, but such a process isn't likely to be nearly as cheap as BKF and elbow grease.

i toyed with this notion when i was setting up my ag system years ago. and on occasion i give it a muse. i think it would work great if the coils were separated enough to facilitate cleaning. as far as leaks are concerned, well any time you put a hole in a vessel there is that possibility. you'd just have to be fastidious about sealing it up.

i think one great advantage to the whole notion would be that you really wouldn't have to clean two items separately nor would you have to lug out your ic when it came time to chill.

ddroukas said:

the inlets and outlet would be well above the fluid level, so leaking is really a non-issue. Besides, I'm going to have the fittings welded in. Right now I find having to seperately clean AND store the IC more of a PITA than it would seem having it permanently inside the boil vessel.

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I think thats a good idea. I'm building one right now. I plan to weld in two stainless steel tubes to the keg then use compression fittings to connect the wort chiller to them. Then if I need to I can take the chiller out. I am also putting in a water heater element in the keg too for the boil so all I have to do is add the wort and plug it in.

When I use to add my chiller to the wort without attaching the hoses it would spit out the water that remained in the chiller. This may be something to consider if you decide to go this route.