DIY Wort Chiller - would this work?

[BigBill]

Hi looking to build a DIY wort chiller. I am a little bit nervous about bending pipe as a quick way to save money could turn into a waste of money if you mess up..... I was curious whether anyone had ever used brass compression fittings in lieu of bending pipe. I figure I could get 50ft of 3/8 coil and add 90 degree brass compression fittings on either end and then run the appropriate length of straight pipe up from the fittings. Would that work?

 

[TyTanium]

Sure, or just get 90 copper elbows and solder them on...lots of people do that. Just make sure it's lead-free solder.

 

[BigBill]

Yeah, I was looking at that but I though the cost of torch and solder was more than the cost of compression joints. Also, it seems like odds of me messing up are lower...

 

[TyTanium]

Haha, true. I considered compression, but wasn't sure what effect the massive temp swings would have on it...ice water / boiling, etc.
You could test it out first in just boiling water, maybe pump some dyed water through and see if it works.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you're going 3/8" OD, that stuff bends like butter by hand. If you want to make it a little nicer, bend it over a can of corn or some other round object. If you're extra paranoid, get a set of bending springs.

 

[audger]

compression joints are prone to leaking in my experience. i had to completely solder over mine to get them completely sealed.

you dont want unfiltered, unsterile garden hose water leaking into your beer.

 

[zachattack]

compression joints are prone to leaking in my experience. i had to completely solder over mine to get them completely sealed.

you dont want unfiltered, unsterile garden hose water leaking into your beer.

A properly installed compression fitting shouldn't leak, this is why you can use Swagelok to 1000+ psi (which I do every day at work). But for my wort chiller I just used cheap hose clamps, and no leaks yet.

It's easier to bend copper than you think. It's also easier to kink copper than you think, even with one of those springs that supposedly prevents it. In the end, your chiller may look a little ugly but it'll work.

 

[Super64]

With a little patience I got my 3/8 tubing to bend 90 degrees without a major kink and without soldering any elbows on below the wort level. Only elbows were at the tubing connection point.

 

[outside92129]

It's reasonably easy to do it right, just take your time and use something like a corny or CO2 tank to make the bends. Do what Super64 did and you'll have a great chiller for cheap.