Screwy faucet threads - no ability to connect wort chiller to kitchet faucet

I am assembling my gear for my first brew and wanted to buy a wort chiller. Before purchasing the chiller, I wanted to make sure that I could connect the chiller to our kitchen faucet, which has a bit of a wonky looking connection. I ordered the garden hose to faucet connector from MoreBeer.com (which is where I was going to order the chiller from), and sure enough, it doesn't fit.

My question - is this really something to worry about? It seems like plenty of folks get good results withou the chiller and just using the ice bath, but I am just wanted to hear about others' experiences, in case this is something worth trying to do something about.

On a side note, I live on the third floor of an apartment building and don't currently have access to a hose, so that is out as well.

Thanks,
Matt

I do extract brews, I don't do full 5 gallon boils (usually about 2 1/2 to 3 gallons in my biggest pot with some extra room above to prevent boilovers). I use an icebath, and as long as I planned well and have plenty of ice on hand, I can chill from boiling down to 80F in about 10 minutes -- I stir the wort around in the pot as I move the pot around in my sink with ice/water, to keep heat transfer rate high, when the ice melts and water warms up, I drain it out and start with new water/ice. It isn't a hassle, but I want to step up to AG with full wort boils and when I do that the icebath method will end.
You'll be fine with an icebath. Or, spend 25 bucks for an el-cheapo kitchen faucet at The Home Dumpot...

Since you are living in an apartment, I'll assume you are doing a partial boil, i.e. 3 gallons or so, instead of a full boil of 6 or more gallons. In that case, you can cool your wort pretty efficiently in 30-45 minutes by placing the pot in an ice-water bath. I typically use a couple of bags of ice. I think they may be 8 lbs or so a piece. No real need for a wort chiller in that case. Of course if you go with a wort chiller, you'll bring the temp down even quicker. It will save you some minutes, but probably not make any difference in your end result.

With a full boil, its a little harder to get the wort temp down in the same amount of time. But even in that case, there is nothing wrong with the ice water bath method.

When you say the adapter doesn't fit, is it just that it's the wrong thread size, or does your faucet not even have a threaded connection? There are several different possible threaded connections used on faucets (some are inside-threaded, some outside-threaded, and various thread sizes for each), and they usually sell adapters for all of them at places like home depot, hardware stores, etc. I've had to use two different faucet-to-garden-hose adapters in the 3 different sinks I've used for chilling at different places - and both of the adapters were purchased from regular local hardware stores.

I'd take the nosole thing off the faucet and just take it to the home home and get the correct adapter, they are only a few $

Do you have a washing machine hook-up? If so, you could hook a "Y" adapter up to the cold water inlet, and run a garden hose to your kitchen sink for the chiller and drain in the sink.

Just curious, when you put it in the ice bath, do you cover the pot when you aren't stirring?

This is what I have been doing to keep any unwanted bacteria out of the pot but it tends to cool down slower if it's covered.

I keep it uncovered and stir it the whole time with same spoon I use during the entire boil (I never take it out of the wort so it stays santized.
So far no infections, but have to be careful not to let sweat drip into it and also watch for splashing the icebath water into it. I thoroughly clean my sink then spritz it with iodophor before I start brewing just to minimize the nasties - sinks can be pretty germy.

Take it outside and use the buildings water faucet/tap/hose.

I went and bought an adapter from Home Depot. Works like a charm.

What about the bathroom faucets?

I went to a plumbing specialty shop, and brought in the fittings that I needed and the specifics of each side (one need be much, much longer than the other). The guy looked at it for a second, then walked to a shelf, grabbed the piece, and charged me $1.34.

That's my recommendation. Those dudes are amazing.

JoSeR said:

What about the bathroom faucets?

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good call man


As far as the ice water bath is concerned - that is an expensive way to cool your wort. It is either time consuming in that you have to start freezing water a week before brew day, or you have to buy a couple bags of ice (which starts adding up). I would assume that a wort chiller would pay for itself in the long run... but for now I use the ice bath, too

Luckily my freezer has a decent sized ice-maker in it so I don't have to fill trays, freeze, break, repeat, etc.

homebrewer_99 said:

Take it outside and use the buildings water faucet/tap/hose.

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You not catch the part where he lives on the third floor of the apt?