My DIY Chill Wizard Knock Off

Williams 728
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Complete success!

One run, out of kettle through the chiller. Output was 72 degrees oxygen added for 5 minutes. Total time 11 minutes to empty, chill, and rack. Clean up was another 5.

I had a couple leaks, but they will be fixed before the next batch. This little guy is fuc**in amazing!
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I still recirc mine back into the kettle from the wizard output just to drive the bulk down fast and to trap the break.. Unless I hop back. Then I throttle down for a single pass.
Click to expand...

Just picked up a used therminator on the cheap. I've been wondering about this myself and trying to figure out the best way to use it. Been using the IC recirc / whirlpool method till now.

Recirc'ing 10 gallons through the plate chiller and back into a near boiling temp BK seems like it's going to take a really long time to bring down to pitching temps. The only real world reason to do this IMO is to filter out the cold break. If you're using whole hops &/or a scrubby in the kettle, the hot break should be left in the BK.

Is it really that big a deal to transfer 100% of the cold break to the fermenter? Palmer says no, correct? Why are we so worried about it then?

The other option I'm considering is a hop back of sorts to run between the Therminator and the fermentor to filter out the majority of the cold break. Still one pass to pitching temps. The question is how much of the cold break would pass through the false bottom?
 
Desert_Sky said:
it is in the assembly with the thermometer. HEre is the back side. Sabco has a really nice tri-clamp verison. Mine is threaded....no biggie, Im going for CIP anyway

01031.JPG
Click to expand...

Hi guys. Quick question about this oxygenation diffuser setup... How do you prevent the chilled wort from leaking out the diffuser barb? Do you need to cap off the end if you are not going to add O2? or does it only allow O2 "In" and no wort to exit?

Thanks a lot!
 
jamcclureuk said:
Hi guys. Quick question about this oxygenation diffuser setup... How do you prevent the chilled wort from leaking out the diffuser barb? Do you need to cap off the end if you are not going to add O2? or does it only allow O2 "In" and no wort to exit?

Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

it takes a bit of pressure to actually get O2 to diffuse through the stone. A check valve inline with the O2 tubing would of worked but I found that 1-2 psi kept the cooled wort from passing back through the stone. I only run O2 for about 2 minutes while transferring, so backing it off to 1-2 psi wasnt enough to add more O2 but enough to keep liquid out.
 
Thanks for the fast reply. The reason I ask is that I'm building this exact setup (Thank you so much for the pictures!) and I don't have an O2 canister yet. But I thought that I'd get the setup and add the O2 later. I suppose that I could just take the diffuser out and cap the end. It would be nice if there was a valve there though like on the Sabco version.
 
thegreatgumbino said:
Just picked up a used therminator on the cheap. I've been wondering about this myself and trying to figure out the best way to use it. Been using the IC recirc / whirlpool method till now.

Recirc'ing 10 gallons through the plate chiller and back into a near boiling temp BK seems like it's going to take a really long time to bring down to pitching temps. The only real world reason to do this IMO is to filter out the cold break. If you're using whole hops &/or a scrubby in the kettle, the hot break should be left in the BK.

Is it really that big a deal to transfer 100% of the cold break to the fermenter? Palmer says no, correct? Why are we so worried about it then?

The other option I'm considering is a hop back of sorts to run between the Therminator and the fermentor to filter out the majority of the cold break. Still one pass to pitching temps. The question is how much of the cold break would pass through the false bottom?
Click to expand...

I filter as much as I can for the sake of clarity without the use of finings. That is just my OCD and not necessarily beer critical. But, I am also not shy about using nutrients and energizers to make up for what is lost by clearing the
break.

How much break passes through? I assume all of it otherwise the chiller would stop flowing.. ;) which is really what I am concrened with most and my primary reason for filtering in teh first place. since I can dis-assemble my chiller for cleaning I'd rather keep all I can out of it in the first place. But since cold break is formed inside the chiller I just try to keep it out of the fermenter for clarity reasons.
 
Sorry to hijack the thread, but it's somewhat related.... what is your O2 setup like? Got any pics of it attached to your chiller?
 
jamcclureuk said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but it's somewhat related.... what is your O2 setup like? Got any pics of it attached to your chiller?
Click to expand...

O2 bottle from Ace hardware and regulator from NB. Very simple and I used clear tubing to verify no wort was backflowing toward the O2 bottle
 
Welding bottle and regulator. Opaque tube to chiller.

I have a flowmeter too, just haven't bothered to hook it up since my regulator isn't designed for small adjustments.
 
What are your thoughts on the tubing? I see that you are using silicone tubing. I have read that it doesn't hold more than 10 PSI or else it will burst. It looks like the Sabco Chill Wizard uses the reinforced vinyl tubing.... Where did you get your Silicone tubing?
 
Never had an issue with the silicone tubing and actually prefer it since it hold up better at temp, IMO. Of course, I don't have any lines connected where there would be back pressure.
 
I just checked and the max output of the March pump is 5.23psi so I don't think that there is really any worries with the silicone tubing exploding. Thanks guys!
 
jamcclureuk said:
What are your thoughts on the tubing? I see that you are using silicone tubing. I have read that it doesn't hold more than 10 PSI or else it will burst. It looks like the Sabco Chill Wizard uses the reinforced vinyl tubing.... Where did you get your Silicone tubing?
Click to expand...

No issues with swelling at all from the pressure. I picked it up at Morebeer, which is another issue all together. Its rarely in stock and they don't like to tell you it isn't until after you've purchased it
 
I finally finished my chilling system this afternoon. I can't wait to test it out. It is basically the same components that are in the OP's DIY ChillWizard.

DSC_0126.jpg


Switch the hoses using the camlock S.S. quick-disconnects and it reverses the flow for cleaning.

IMAG0243.jpg


Here is the thermometer assembly with the built in oxygenation stone.

DSC_0125.jpg


I also found this great remote control that will turn the pump on and off.

IMAG0244.jpg
 
Any pictures of the diffusion stone assembly? Anyone that has installed this stone, is this the way to go compared to other methods?
 
Desert_Sky - are you still using the scrubbie pad in the kettle pickup tube? Can you post a few photos?

jamcclureuk - I've been thinking about using a wire shelf like that for my own setup. Can you post more photos of the entire rig, top to bottom?
 
I am getting ready to build a similar project, although the plate chiller will be different model from the Therminator due to cost. Thanks so much for all the ideas and pictures. When finished, I will try to post pictures of my project.
 

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