Hey all - just found this from a simple Google search. I've been brewing for a short while and only have 2 batches under my belt. I'm a big fan of DIY and have built a wort chiller and fermintation chiller for the 2nd batch. Lord knows what the future will bring. I'll try and get pics up soon.
Hello from Tucson AZ
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Greetings (from just up I-10) and welcome to the obsession. And get the pics up - we need our daily doses of beer porn.
So I managed a pic show for my 3rd batch today. This was a Wildcat Red. This post helps to illustrate some of my Rub Goldberg attempts at making the process a bit easier. On with the write up!!
First was a wort chiller. Living in AZ means you need to work at cooling things. I opted for a typical copper tube chiller yet wanted to expedite the process by using something other than typical tap water (summer tap water can be a bit warm). I grabbed a 1/2 HP pump from harbor freight and added some PVC fittigns along with a valve to control the outflow. The pump had a 1" inlet/outlet and the biggest copper tubing I could afford was 1/2". I added the valve on the outflow to control the strain on the motor. One side of the valve goes to the 1/2" copper, the other goes to a 1" return line back into the sink. If the motor is really whining, simply adjust the valve to control the flow of water through the copper system. Since the pump is a non priming type I had to mount it below the sink to help keep prime. I had a stand laying around but anything could be used (cooler, box, you name it).
Next is to chill the cooling system. During boil I had some beer, then filled the sink with water. Half way through the boil I had more beer and added ice to the sink. I then stopped drinking as I had to sterilize the copper (last 10 minutes of boil).
I lugged the convoluted system inside the kitchen and hooked up the lines. The motor fired up without issue and started running the chilled water through the copper. I set the exit line in the other side of the sink as the first few minutes of water are near boiling. Once it cools down enough I routed the return back into the ice bath to help keep the system filled with cooling water. After about 10 minutes I was stuck at 110 so I opted to cut open the bags of ice.
That really helped drive the cooling system down and I hit 75 in about 12 minutes total. I figure I could cut this time in half if I started with open ice and went from 3 bags to 4 or 5.
I also had to develop a fermentation chiller as the typical temp in Tucson keeps the house well above 75. My solution was to get a free bar fridge (Craigs list) and retro-fit it with an AC thermostat.
I routed the fridge power cord inside the fridge. I then routed an extension cord inside the fridge (leaving the plug outside). I clipped the female end off (which now sits inside the fridge) and routed it inside a weatherproof outlet enclosure. I added a GFCI outlet and mounted the new box inside the fridge towards teh back. Next step was to provide a thermostat. I purchased an AC thermostat off Amazon (WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat for 35 bucks).
This thing makes controlling the fridge temp a snap. Prongs on the back plug into a standard outlet. It has a single outlet on the front to plug in a cooling device. I plugged the thermostat into my new outlet then plugged the fridge into the thermostat. Total cost was around 50 bucks (including the GFCI and associated cords/electrical bits). I can now control the fermentation temp anywhere from 75 down to 40!!
First was a wort chiller. Living in AZ means you need to work at cooling things. I opted for a typical copper tube chiller yet wanted to expedite the process by using something other than typical tap water (summer tap water can be a bit warm). I grabbed a 1/2 HP pump from harbor freight and added some PVC fittigns along with a valve to control the outflow. The pump had a 1" inlet/outlet and the biggest copper tubing I could afford was 1/2". I added the valve on the outflow to control the strain on the motor. One side of the valve goes to the 1/2" copper, the other goes to a 1" return line back into the sink. If the motor is really whining, simply adjust the valve to control the flow of water through the copper system. Since the pump is a non priming type I had to mount it below the sink to help keep prime. I had a stand laying around but anything could be used (cooler, box, you name it).
Next is to chill the cooling system. During boil I had some beer, then filled the sink with water. Half way through the boil I had more beer and added ice to the sink. I then stopped drinking as I had to sterilize the copper (last 10 minutes of boil).
I lugged the convoluted system inside the kitchen and hooked up the lines. The motor fired up without issue and started running the chilled water through the copper. I set the exit line in the other side of the sink as the first few minutes of water are near boiling. Once it cools down enough I routed the return back into the ice bath to help keep the system filled with cooling water. After about 10 minutes I was stuck at 110 so I opted to cut open the bags of ice.
That really helped drive the cooling system down and I hit 75 in about 12 minutes total. I figure I could cut this time in half if I started with open ice and went from 3 bags to 4 or 5.
I also had to develop a fermentation chiller as the typical temp in Tucson keeps the house well above 75. My solution was to get a free bar fridge (Craigs list) and retro-fit it with an AC thermostat.
I routed the fridge power cord inside the fridge. I then routed an extension cord inside the fridge (leaving the plug outside). I clipped the female end off (which now sits inside the fridge) and routed it inside a weatherproof outlet enclosure. I added a GFCI outlet and mounted the new box inside the fridge towards teh back. Next step was to provide a thermostat. I purchased an AC thermostat off Amazon (WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat for 35 bucks).
This thing makes controlling the fridge temp a snap. Prongs on the back plug into a standard outlet. It has a single outlet on the front to plug in a cooling device. I plugged the thermostat into my new outlet then plugged the fridge into the thermostat. Total cost was around 50 bucks (including the GFCI and associated cords/electrical bits). I can now control the fermentation temp anywhere from 75 down to 40!!
