Complicated Immersion Chiller

[Bobby_M]

I'm just showing off one of the biggest pains in my ass fabrication projects I've completed. It's not pretty, but it also doesn't leak so that's winning. 3 separate 30ft coils of 5/16" OD stainless running in parallel. It's kind of similar to Jaded chillers but the stainless ones have been out of stock for a few years and I needed one. No, I'm not interested in making you one.

 

[GoeHaarden]

It's kind of similar to Jaded chillers but the stainless ones have been out of stock for a few years and I needed one.

Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but Jaded has them in stock currently....

Good work though

 

[Bobby_M]

Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but Jaded has them in stock currently....

Good work though

Figures. I finished this about 3 months ago though so I was still stuck at the time.

Edit: and they are $330. Trust me, I get it. It's mostly labor.

 

[GoeHaarden]

Figures. I finished this about 3 months ago though so I was still stuck at the time.

Edit: and they are $330. Trust me, I get it. It's mostly labor.

Having the QDs on there is pretty slick, and being able to take the arms off seems convenient.

 

[Yesfan]

I'm just showing off one of the biggest pains in my ass fabrication projects I've completed. It's not pretty, but it also doesn't leak so that's winning. 3 separate 30ft coils of 5/16" OD stainless running in parallel. It's kind of similar to Jaded chillers but the stainless ones have been out of stock for a few years and I needed one.

No, I'm not interested in making you one.

 

[sibelman]

This reminds me of @Bassman2003 's nested pair of stainless immersion chillers, post#19 in this thread

 

[Agent]

I too decided to fab up a replacement for something Jaded didn't have in stock at the time:

Just look at that patina and.... character!

 

[apache_brew]

Bad ass. I assume the most difficult part is creating the 3 individual spirals of tubing with some sort of bending jig/setup? How’d you spiral the coils?

 

[Broken Crow]

I'm just showing off one of the biggest pains in my ass fabrication projects I've completed. It's not pretty, but it also doesn't leak so that's winning. 3 separate 30ft coils of 5/16" OD stainless running in parallel. It's kind of similar to Jaded chillers but the stainless ones have been out of stock for a few years and I needed one. No, I'm not interested in making you one.

View attachment 839487

I love the splitters! Would you consider in future, making a conceptually couple similar 1/2"NPT>(2x) 3/8" SS compression fittings?

 

[Broken Crow]

Oh! I forgot to ask: Is there still any room in the pot for wort?

 

[Bobby_M]

Bad ass. I assume the most difficult part is creating the 3 individual spirals of tubing with some sort of bending jig/setup? How’d you spiral the coils?

I made the coils about a year ago and the plan stalled so my memory is vague. I do have some 10" and 6" pieces of PVC pipe that I lock into my vice for these types of projects, but I've also used CO2 tanks or corny kegs.

 

[Bobby_M]

I love the splitters! Would you consider in future, making a conceptually couple similar 1/2"NPT>(2x) 3/8" SS compression fittings?

I was considering manufacturing whole chillers until my very local and easy-to-work-with tubing mill went out of business suddenly. I think one piece I can make is just a manifold slug with one 1/2" and three 3/8 or 5/16" holes. Soldering is pretty easy for this.

 

[passedpawn]

@Bobby_M please discuss heat conduction between copper and SS, and your choice here.

 

[Airborneguy]

I was considering manufacturing whole chillers until my very local and easy-to-work-with tubing mill went out of business suddenly. I think one piece I can make is just a manifold slug with one 1/2" and three 3/8 or 5/16" holes. Soldering is pretty easy for this.

I already have two stainless chillers that fit together, can you connect them?

 

[Bobby_M]

@Bobby_M please discuss heat conduction between copper and SS, and your choice here.

Copper rules in the heat conduction game but my decision on stainless is partially aesthetic, somewhat about avoiding corrosion, and a hint of buying into the LoDo concern about copper-assisted oxidation.

 

[OleBrewing]

i bet it cools fast. I like the simplicity of immersion chillers and wish i had one for my keggle when doing hopped up beer. The therminator I use is very efficient but it did have its growing pains.

 

[Deadalus]

I've always wondered what exactly is done on the Jaded Hydras at the point where the loops come together. It looks like a reducer coupling with the three smaller coils entering the bigger side. I've never gotten a look up close at one to see what was done to keep it from leaking.

Did you weld the three coils to a TC plug/blank? I suppose maybe a copper blank disk could be drilled out then solder in the small tubing for the Jaded Hydra, then solder the plate to the reducer coupling.

 

[sibelman]

A TC blank with multiple compression or NPT fittings soldered or welded would seem ideal for this purpose. Still would need mad tubing coiling skills though.

 

[MaxStout]

Who cares what it looks like if it works?

 

[DuncB]

Who cares what it looks like if it works?

View attachment 839772

Could have arranged the green bottles in a pattern. I don't suppose red bull were that interested in the GoPro footage.

 

[Bobby_M]

I've always wondered what exactly is done on the Jaded Hydras at the point where the loops come together. It looks like a reducer coupling with the three smaller coils entering the bigger side. I've never gotten a look up close at one to see what was done to keep it from leaking.

Did you weld the three coils to a TC plug/blank? I suppose maybe a copper blank disk could be drilled out then solder in the small tubing for the Jaded Hydra, then solder the plate to the reducer coupling.

The way they do it is a copper slug with three 3/8" drilled holes on one side and one 5/8" hole on the other. Everything solders together easy.

I welded the three smaller tubes to one 3/4 TC plate and the 1/2" tube to the other. It did end up messing up one flange to the point where the gasket wouldn't work. I ended up welding the flanges together. Other than shipping portability, there's no reason to remove the uprights.