Pauldoc1031
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Is getting a plate chiller worth it or should I stick to my immersion chiller?
Is getting a plate chiller worth it or should I stick to my immersion chiller?
Is getting a plate chiller worth it or should I stick to my immersion chiller?
I do mostly 15 gallon batches and I've done a 20 gallon. A plate chiller is almost mandatory for big batches. But if I was still doing 5 gallons, it is probably not necessary.
I will say, a plate chiller adds complexity (which is fine with me because I love gear!)
A pump is really nice if you have a plate chiller.
A pump requires a ball valve (that needs to be cleaned/maintained).
A hop spider or some way to control your hop debris is also really important with a plate chiller.
I was never confident that my plate chiller was clean.
I prefer the IC due to how lazy it is. No worries about clogging or cleaning. And ICs work effectively enough on 5-10gal volume scale, esp if you're recirculating ice water with a submersible pump (which if you aren't and you're looking for a boost in performance, something to try possibly). Just my take.
edit: since we're throwing chill times around, I generally get my 5-6gal down within 5-10 minutes with stirring with the ice water recirc. Maybe add on a minute or two if it's 95*F out, but otherwise, ground water temp doesn't matter as you're using ice water. I usually have about 4 1/2 coils of my 50' 1/2" exposed above the wort...don't brew 10gal batches, but if I did, I'd imagine it'd be close to the same duration with that in mind. Any more than that and you're pushing it for an IC. It does cost ice / the energy to make ice.
Had you ever lost a single batch to an infection you could trace to your plate chiller?
I've had a similar experience, with tiny green bits flushing out of my plate chiller not matter how long I clean it or flush with the garden hose, yet I've never had a single infection.
If it's not causing any problems, then what's the real risk?
No I hadn't lost a batch because of it, but I no longer wanted to take that risk. Just couldn't get past the thought of chilled wort running through who knows what at such a crucial time.
If my IC takes an extra 10 minutes to chill, but the plate chiller takes an extra 20 minutes to clean then the IC is still faster in my opinion.
I don't think that's a fair comparison, since I can do other things while cleaning my plate chiller.
I don't think that's a fair comparison...
That and for an IC to be optimal, you have to be stirring the wort, whereas with a plate chiller you could possibly go do other stuff...if you weren't worried about clogging, etc.
That said, I see this thread is doing the normal devolving from "supplying the poster information to make a choice" into "quibbling about what method I chose / works best for me as being the objective best choice".
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