Show us your DIY wort chillers
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bendavanza
Well-Known Member
I plan to use these 2 3/8" coils together, inner and outer along with recirculation. Stainless steel scrap yard find.
BrewBeemer
Well-Known Member
Now that picture hurts, no scrap yard hunting not alone cornys to be found in my area. The used commercial and restaurant supply place with tons of stainless equipment, conicals, mixers, steam jacketed kettles sold out his business. Called forced out by the city for future redevelopment. I was paying $3.50 a corny years ago, forgot about the conicals until they were all gone. Stupid on my part.
uhhhhhh....sick @$$ find!
BrewBeemer
Well-Known Member
When i'm looking only thing happens to me is I step in poo and come up empty.
I have one friend that said he located two to four 1/6 barrel kegs with the standard Sankey tops. These are to be freebies to me. He's so happy I gave him $20 for those two Timter 414 medical compressors that are now both working.
http://www.soymedical.com/bf14615.html
storm_rider_1
Member
here is the one i just made
25 feet of 3/8--$30
4 feet of 1/2--$5
some fittings--$5
25 feet of 3/8--$30
4 feet of 1/2--$5
some fittings--$5
BrewBeemer
Well-Known Member
Me likey for the 5 gallon batch cooling. Yankee engineering vs shelling out big money with deep pockets, us brewers are cheap with wild and some better ideas than what is only available by manufactures. Looking good congrats.
duffman2
Well-Known Member
Has anyone built one with stainless tubing? I just ran into 3 - 20 ft lengths of stainless that I wanna use but I don't have a bender and would like to avoid buying one just for this project.
But I don't think that wrapping it around a soda keg is gonna happen. Ideas or pics anyone??
But I don't think that wrapping it around a soda keg is gonna happen. Ideas or pics anyone??
bendavanza
Well-Known Member
duffman
It depends on how thick the wall is and how inventive you are. If the tubing is thin and pliable enough you could lay it out on the ground and hook one end into the handle of the keg, have a friend help you slowly roll the keg over the tube. Cheater bar through the handles might help but you don't want to tear the handles off. I can't quote specs for thickness but someone probably will.
It depends on how thick the wall is and how inventive you are. If the tubing is thin and pliable enough you could lay it out on the ground and hook one end into the handle of the keg, have a friend help you slowly roll the keg over the tube. Cheater bar through the handles might help but you don't want to tear the handles off. I can't quote specs for thickness but someone probably will.
theBinDandB
New Member
We actually use a combination of two IC's and a transmission radiator for a Pontiac Grand Prix (never used). One of the guys at our brewstore suggested the radiator, so we can't claim all the credit. The first IC goes in a bucket of ice water to bring the water down to about 40 before getting into the brew kettle, then the wort is pumped out through the radiator (also in a bucket of ice water) straight into the fermentor. 12 gallons from boiling to pitching temp in 15 minutes flat.
Really wish I had seen this thread before I built mine last weekend. I like the extra elbow to point the out-spout downward on many or y'alls chillers
android
Well-Known Member
i found a good deal on some 1/2" ID copper tubing this winter and went for the whirlpool chiller a la Jamil, this is a picture of before i put the whirlpool return on, but it is just a simple copper return that looks very similar to the one in the link. works freaking awesome, i can cool down to 60 in about 12-15 minutes with cool ground water. during the summer i just switch to a pump immersed in ice water.
bendavanza
Well-Known Member
We actually use a combination of two IC's and a transmission radiator for a Pontiac Grand Prix (never used). One of the guys at our brewstore suggested the radiator, so we can't claim all the credit. The first IC goes in a bucket of ice water to bring the water down to about 40 before getting into the brew kettle, then the wort is pumped out through the radiator (also in a bucket of ice water) straight into the fermentor. 12 gallons from boiling to pitching temp in 15 minutes flat.
Is the radiator made of food grade materials?
TomRep
Well-Known Member
Should be made of copper and/or brass. Not sure about the solder though.
tom
tom
grimeey
Member
Hey all - I'm the guy in the picture holding the transmission cooler.
It's actually a stacked aluminum plate chiller and is cleaned thoroughly before and after each use. It is a small area of concern for us and will be the first culprit if we ever get an infection. We run PBW through it both directions with a pump as well as sanitize the hell out of it with StarSan - not a single problem yet. cut our chill time in half...
Blackhawkbrew
Well-Known Member
I dig seeing all the chiller pics!! My chiller has gotten soo bent out of shape from trying to get it to sit upright whent he hoses are attached and to fit my new, wider, brewpot. One silly question, how does the whirlpooling work? Are you just recirculating the wort?
BrewBeemer
Well-Known Member
We actually use a combination of two IC's and a transmission radiator for a Pontiac Grand Prix (never used). One of the guys at our brewstore suggested the radiator, so we can't claim all the credit. The first IC goes in a bucket of ice water to bring the water down to about 40 before getting into the brew kettle, then the wort is pumped out through the radiator (also in a bucket of ice water) straight into the fermentor. 12 gallons from boiling to pitching temp in 15 minutes flat.
I would rather use a copper tube cooler with aluminum fins like this Derale Cooler Pt# 15300 below for $54.95. The inlet and outlet are AN-8 vs stepping down to 3/8" like Flex-a-Light or Hayden 405 10" x 15.875" x 3/4".
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DER-15300/
I would first run thru this above Derale cooler with a electric fan forced air cooling it air to liquid cooler first as this is a 4" thick cooler. This will remove a large amount of heat before going into your cooler in the water and ice tub, saves your ice water plus allows for better cooling going with two stages. JMO.
Tried the Rib Cage design... 30' of 3/8"... It gets the job done, just takes about 40 min.
This one I built for 2 purposes... 1. for small extract batches and it works great for that. and 2. as a pre-chiller for the ribcage chiller in my keggle.
I'll be moving to a plate chiller once I integrate pumps into my system.
This one I built for 2 purposes... 1. for small extract batches and it works great for that. and 2. as a pre-chiller for the ribcage chiller in my keggle.
I'll be moving to a plate chiller once I integrate pumps into my system.
powerslave73
Well-Known Member
I used the same fittings in your ribcage design,but the hose would move them and make them leak, so i tightened them and then fluxed and soldered them. No leaks anymore.
grimeey
Member
It's not our first choice for a chiller, but it was at the right price - free
I'm also very happy with boiling to pitched in less than 15 minutes.HOP-HEAD
Well-Known Member
Tried the Rib Cage design... 30' of 3/8"... It gets the job done, just takes about 40 min.
This one I built for 2 purposes... 1. for small extract batches and it works great for that. and 2. as a pre-chiller for the ribcage chiller in my keggle.
I'll be moving to a plate chiller once I integrate pumps into my system.
Your designs are fine, they're just way too light on the surface area which does all your cooling...
dstar26t
If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing
I really like that design. So simple with no soldering. Nice job.
DraperyFalls
Active Member
Simple, Cheap and doesnt take up any space when not in use. Brilliant!
But also doesn't work very well, and especially so for larger batch sizes. IMO, an immersion chiller or a CFC is a much better way to go. Ice will get you there eventually if you use enough of it, but so will the no-chill methods. I want fast chilling and the faster the better.
BrewSpook
Well-Known Member
So I got bored the other day...
50' 5/8" black rubber hose: $27
50' 3/8" refridge copper tubing: $34
various connectors and such: $0 (had on hand)
This is 1/2 of materials used, each will be 24' give or take
I call it the stealth chiller
50' 5/8" black rubber hose: $27
50' 3/8" refridge copper tubing: $34
various connectors and such: $0 (had on hand)
This is 1/2 of materials used, each will be 24' give or take
I call it the stealth chiller
Quan
Well-Known Member
To your defense.... I have one of those extra elbows and I kinda somewhat dislike it because it makes it hard to drain the damn thing.
I hear ya, I made an IC as well, works great. But if space is limited and time isnt an issue then Ice is fine.
OP
OP
BadgerBrewer
Well-Known Member
This isn't mine..but I like the compactness of this unit.
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I'm trying to figure out exactly WTF that is and how it works.
Looks like wort comes in at the top, goes into CFC and flows to the bottom, exits the CFC and flows back up through the bare copper coil before finally going down to the bottom again to an out-spout.
Seems a little goofy to me, to be honest.
Looks like wort comes in at the top, goes into CFC and flows to the bottom, exits the CFC and flows back up through the bare copper coil before finally going down to the bottom again to an out-spout.
Seems a little goofy to me, to be honest.
OP
OP
BadgerBrewer
Well-Known Member
I think the way that this works is that the bucket gets filled with ice first. Then water is ran through the IC to super chill it, then it runs through the CFC while the wort runs through the CFC the other way to cool it on its way to the fermenter. At least I think it works likt that! Nice and compact though and a cool way to prechill the water before going into the CFC.
I don't think so. All of that copper (the bare coil as well as what is hidden inside of the CFC) is all connected. Wort flows through the copper. Water flows through the back hose of the CFC. The bucket is probably filled with ice water or something, but... it's kind of strange.
.
OP
OP
BadgerBrewer
Well-Known Member
The more I stare at it the more I think you are right. The wort must flow through the exposed copper coil since there appear to be a hose connect in and out on the black rubber hose. I suspect it is used as a normal CFC in that regard, so wort must flow through the copper coil surrounded by ice, which starts the wort cooling before it hits the CFC to be chilled the rest of the way going into the fermenter.
I think if I were to design one I might do it like I originally thought it worked and prechill the water before entering the CFC. The heat differential between the hot wort going through the copper coil and the ice surrounding it wold cause the ice to melt awful quickly and lose its cooling power.
I think if I were to design one I might do it like I originally thought it worked and prechill the water before entering the CFC. The heat differential between the hot wort going through the copper coil and the ice surrounding it wold cause the ice to melt awful quickly and lose its cooling power.
I still think you have it backward. There is a quick connect at the top (to connect to pump, I presume) and it first goes through the CFC. The last thing it does is go through the bare coil before going down and out that bare copper tube at the bottom of the bucket (into a fermenter, I presume.)
Like I said... it's sort of weird, so maybe I'm completely wrong.
There is a quick connect at the top (to connect to pump, I presume) and it first goes through the CFC. The last thing it does is go through the bare coil before going down and out that bare copper tube at the bottom of the bucket (into a fermenter, I presume.)Like I said... it's sort of weird, so maybe I'm completely wrong.
AlchemyBrewing
Well-Known Member
Where did you get 50' of 3/8 copper for that price? The best I have found is HD for $56!
I found mines at Lowes (50' x 3/8"). It was $38, but i'm in Hawaii.
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