Chillus Convulutus vs. plate type chiller

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bull8042

bull8042

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I am "remodeling" my brew structure in the coming weeks since acquiring another keg. I am modeling it after the "Wort-O-Matic" from Baltobrewer.
Wort-O-Matic: Articles
He used a Chillus as his cfc, but I am interested in the Chillout MKIII from ChillOut MKIII - MashMaster Specialised Brewing Equipment because price-wise it is a bit less expensive.
My question is which cfc is better in the longrun for my particular application? I have learned that saving money up front on the purchase is sometimes "false economy", so I will spring for the better option.
To save a bit of reading for those not familiar with Baltobrewer's setup, the system recirculates the wort through the inner coil of the chiller while mashing and heated water through the outer jacket to maintain mash temps. It also circulates the post-boil wort through the inner coil during cooling. The only difference I am planning is to fill the HLT with ice water recirculate that while chilling instead of using hose water directly.
Any opinions?
​
 
If you want to use the chiller as a HERMS and a post boil chiiler, then the Chillus Convolutus is the only way to go. Recircing your mash with all the grain hulls is a great way to wreck a perfectly good plate chiller. Look around, someone just did a thread on using a plate chiller for a HERMS. He flushed the thing out and got some NASTY stuff out of there....which you definitely wouldn't want your finished product to touch. Over time, that buildup slows the flow thru the plate. This deterioration in performance doesn't happen with an all copper CFC. You won't clog a CFC nearlyas easily as a plate, either. I'm biased though...I just bought a Chillus Convolutus. I think it's a beautiful piece of gear, easier to clean than a plate, and chills almost as effectively. That's just the tip of the iceberg though....do a search for cfc vs. plate, etc. and you will get lots more info.
 
ScubaSteve said:
If you want to use the chiller as a HERMS and a post boil chiiler, then the Chillus Convolutus is the only way to go. Recircing your mash with all the grain hulls is a great way to wreck a perfectly good plate chiller. Look around, someone just did a thread on using a plate chiller for a HERMS. He flushed the thing out and got some NASTY stuff out of there....which you definitely wouldn't want your finished product to touch. Over time, that buildup slows the flow thru the plate. This deterioration in performance doesn't happen with an all copper CFC. You won't clog a CFC nearlyas easily as a plate, either. I'm biased though...I just bought a Chillus Convolutus. I think it's a beautiful piece of gear, easier to clean than a plate, and chills almost as effectively. That's just the tip of the iceberg though....do a search for cfc vs. plate, etc. and you will get lots more info.
Click to expand...

You are my hero! I saw the thread you are referring to, unfortunately about 3 seconds AFTER i posted my question. I guess I will have to wait on the Chillus then since B3 is out of stock until sometime in October. Oh well, I found a deal on brand new 1/2" brass solenoid valves for my valving applications so that is my purchase for this week.
Thanks Steve.
 
No problem, glad to help! The funny thing about B3 is that their supply system is poorly updated. The site says they're out of the chillers, but the store in Riverside, CA has 5 sitting on the shelf. (Sorry, I know that doesn't help you in SC). I asked the guy what was up and he said they frequently have pallets of goods sitting in the warehouse that aren't even updated into the system. You could call, I guess.....but then you'd have to deal with the warehouse guys....who probably could give a damn about whether you get a chiller, and would much rather have your CC #!.....but that's just opinion. It said the ETA was 9/5, so hopefully they update it soon. B3 is usually great, the supply issue is the only downside.....
 
Well, I found a deal on a lot of 5 hot water/steam valves in the 1/2" variety, so that will eat up my play money for right now. I have to get the valves, 2 controllers, and another March pump before I will need to chiller so I am not in a big hurry at the moment anyway.
 
Just out of curiosity, are you sure having a HERMS is really going to be worth the price of another pump? Batch sparging at a single temp makes excellent beer! I'd buy the chiller first and use it as intended and just enjoy it.....then add the second pump later. You pretty much need a chiller to make beer, but you don't need a HERMS and second pump. If I were going to prioritize, I'd buy the chiller before the 2nd pump.
 
Nothing is holding me up. This is my current setup.
img_0368_1.jpg


img_0367_1.jpg


img_0366_1.jpg


I am just looking to improve, grow, and AUTOMATE. :rockin:
 
I scored a CC for $70 on CL a while back and have been pleasantly surprised by it's ease of cleaning and vastly improved efficiency over the garden hose variety of CFC. Not sure what the retail cost difference is with a plate chiller, but easy of cleaning makes all the difference at the end of a long brew day.
 
ScubaSteve said:
Look around, someone just did a thread on using a plate chiller for a HERMS. He flushed the thing out and got some NASTY stuff out of there....which you definitely wouldn't want your finished product to touch. Over time, that buildup slows the flow thru the plate.
Click to expand...

Actually, that gunk was just from cooling wort. They are nasty little devils to clean, but work like crazy. I would love to cut one open some time to see what is inside.

I am still not locked into any one cooling system. I use IC sometimes, PC sometimes. Chillus looks pretty darn cool and cleanup/sanitation is a huge factor vs. plate. I better stay out of this thread.

BTW, that's a great looking setup. You can brew some damn fine beer with all that cool gear. Two pumps rock btw; do it.
 
Excellent information and pretty much what I was looking for. Thanks for all of the replies.
And since korndog says "do it", I have to go for it now. WHOOHOO!
 
Looks like a glycol chiller, which is hella $$$. That's a great piece of gear.
 

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