Why don't wort chiller fittings extend over the edge of the boil kettle?

Hi.

I did a quick search and couldn't find an answer to my question.

I have a 20-gallon Blichmann kettle and a 50ft. copper immersion chiller that I ordered from Northern Brewer (pics attached) and I noticed that the threaded fittings come close to extending over the edge of the brew kettle, but not quite (and especially not if I move the IC around the wort to expedite the cooling).

I haven't used it yet, but it seems to me that a few drops of garden hose water could end up in wort post-boil and that obviously wouldn't be a good thing as I'm sure the inside of a garden hose has all kinds of nasties in it.

How do you solve this problem? If connected nice and tight is there no chance of losing a drip into the wort?

It just seems a better design would be to extend the ends out a foot or two.

Thanks.

Bend it. Gently move the bottom coil so the fittings lean out. You want a little space on the bottom for trub to settle anyway.

I built my out of 50' of 3/8 tubing, and specifically bent it so that the inlet/outlet fittings go up and over the rim of my keggle, then extend about 6" out and down. I've seen lots of chillers with tubing just clamped onto the ends - the whole thing would be beneath the surface of the wort when I do a 10 gallon batch, and the idea of making it so east to wind up with a few gallons of hose water in my beer wasn't overly attractive.

ScubaSteve said:

Bend it. Gently move the bottom coil so the fittings lean out. You want a little space on the bottom for trub to settle anyway.

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Thank you. I'll try that. Based on the picture in my original post, it appears that I will have to bend it in the opposite direction that it is currently leaning. If I kink it, I'll cry.

No....you only need to bend it a little bit. The weight of the chiller causes it to lean. If you even things out, it should be fine.

I always liked to check my IC for leaks BEFORE putting it in the boil. It would pop and sizzle, but I could be sure it wouldn't drip water in the wort.