A cheap wort cooling pump !

Don't have the bucks for a cold water pump for cooling your wort??
Well never fear. If your a beginner or just can't eliminate groceries for the little woman, go to HomeDepot,Lowes etc. and buy a pump for about $8 dollars that attaches to your favorite drill motor. Buy garden hose converters,adapt down to 3/8......hook to your coiled 3/8 copper tubing that will be in your wort kettle ....and bingo!! Turn the drill on and circulate ice cold water through the copper tubbing cooling your wort in jiffy time. Run the warmer water right back into the ice water container and on and on ! Yes better tasting beer and your not broke from buying a fancy electric pump, that will come in due time!!! I use ice water and pump out of that for cold water to tube supply!

Pretty slick cheap solution. Will have to keep that in mind for when I graduate to full boils. Thanks. MPW

I would avoid putting the run off, especially the initial run off, back into the ice bucket. The run off is REALLY hot, which it is supposed to be. Putting hot water into your ice bucket will melt your ice in no time flat.

tnlandsailor said:

I would avoid putting the run off, especially the initial run off, back into the ice bucket. The run off is REALLY hot, which it is supposed to be. Putting hot water into your ice bucket will melt your ice in no time flat.

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I would also like to humbly suggest not letting it splash on to flip-flopped feet, either.

BeeGee said:

I would also like to humbly suggest not letting it splash on to flip-flopped feet, either.

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Ha ha. I completely agree. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's had that happened before.

You guys wear shoes when you brew? Heck I have a hard time wearing pants.

Baron von BeeGee said:

I would also like to humbly suggest not letting it splash on to flip-flopped feet, either.

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As well, I would like to suggest not letting it run directly on the nice lawn...or the formerly nice lawn w/ the big brown spot in it where the chiller burned a hole...

tnlandsailor said:

I would avoid putting the run off, especially the initial run off, back into the ice bucket. The run off is REALLY hot, which it is supposed to be. Putting hot water into your ice bucket will melt your ice in no time flat.

Click to expand...

2-3 bags of ice and a 3/4 full cooler (48qt), chill 5 gallons in about 15 minutes. I recirculate it with a pond pump I found at harbor freight for <$20.

http://www.harborfreight.com/264-gph-submersible-fountain-pump-68395.html

One of the coolest things I heard of was guys circulating water from their swimming pool. Summer recreation to spa in one 50 liter batch...