Immersion Chiller - HUH?

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gruntingfrog

gruntingfrog

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I was reading this guide on building an immersion chiller when I saw this passage.

Your tubing should be 3/8 inch diameter. If you use a thinner tube, you will achieve potentially greater efficiency because the thinner tube gives you more surface area per volume. However, chillers made from 1/4 inch diameter tubing tend to take much longer to cool wort and are prone to clogging. Using 3/8 inch diameter tubing gives you good efficiency and acceptable cooling times, and it avoids clogging.
Click to expand...

HUH? :confused: How does plain water potentially clog copper tubing? I'm wondering if they cut and pasted from a counterflow chiller guide where it makes sense that a smaller tube may clog.

Am I missing something?
 
Probably a translation problem.

For a given water pressure, there will be less water flow through 1/4 inch tubing, because of resistance, not clogging. I would guess that the description was translated by somebody who knew nothing about immersion chillers.

But if you use 3/8" tubing, you'll be fine.

-a.
 
I made a 50 foot 1/4inch chiller,and it's killer!

I can cool 5 gal from boiling to under 90 degrees in about 20 min.

Cheaper than 3/8, so I was able to use 50 feet instead of just 25.
 
50ft 1/4 inch...thats a big one...

I have a 30ft 3/8ths and it cools with 60deg. tap water to around 75deg. in 25min or so. Add a pre-chiller (bucket of ice) and that time drops to 15min.
 
I just made my oln 3/8x25ft chiller last night. Ugly as sin, but it should work. I got the tubing free form a buddy, and the other fittings cost me $2.00....not bad. I am trying it out Thursday night.
 

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