plate chiller performance??

[mvolz]

Ive been using ic,and Im thinking of switching to a plate chiller.The ic takes so long with 5 gal.,and I just hate it.My question is are plate chillers all theyre cracked up to be?I found reasonable prices at kegcowboy.com.10 plate for 34.99
and 20 plate for 54.99.Any info? do these really work?

 

[Sawdustguy]

Plate chillers are the most efficient chillers made. The big boys use them for that reason. You will need to make some adjustments to your brewing regiment though. You should whirlpool and use some sort of hop filter to prevent clogging with hop debris.

 

[bbognerks]

Is a hop bag/paint strainer and/or choreboy enough to filter out the hops and keep them from clogging the plate chillers?

 

[mvolz]

I always use hop bags when adding hops.I dont throw them directly into the wort. Is this enough to keep from clogging the plate chiller?Another concern is if my water that I use for chilling(well water)is in the 50s,is one pass thru the plate chiller right into the fermenter enough to cool boiling wort to 68 deg?

 

[Toecutter]

i'm doing 10 gallon batches. I ordered a 40 plate chiller. I plan on using my pump to recirculate back to the kettle until the temp drops to say 150 dg, then straight to the fermenter, since my water temp out of the tap is about 70 dg.

 

[mvolz]

Not sure about recircing back and forth until its cool enough.I only do 5 gals. tho.

 

[ImperialLover]

I don't think you'll need to recirculate into your kettle. My 20 plate will run boiling water down to 70-80 degrees (Depending on summer or winter) the first pass. And it keeps up with the work load for the entire batch.

 

[mvolz]

Cool.That sounds like my kinda chiller.I think my water is cool enough to do it on the first past too.

 

[HarkinBanks]

I have a shirron i am selling if you want it, I don't care for them because of filtering.

 

[mvolz]

how much you asking for it?

 

[SankePankey]

I don't think you'll need to recirculate into your kettle. My 20 plate will run boiling water down to 70-80 degrees (Depending on summer or winter) the first pass. And it keeps up with the work load for the entire batch.

I just started doing a recirculating 30 plate chill with my 15 gallon batches. I chose recirculating cause I want as much break left in the kettle as possible as well as wanting to chill the whole volume down at the same time as fast as possible to negate the desire for a hop-back. For sure, there have been complications with how to set this up so I don't reduce my flow to a trickling halt. The combination of pellet hops and cold break is a killer. I would probably avoid it if I was doing less than 15 gallons.

I am doing a paint strainer bag suspended from a steamer basket inside the kettle... sort of the BIAB method, but just for hops.

 

[Toecutter]

I just started doing a recirculating 30 plate chill with my 15 gallon batches. I chose recirculating cause I want as much break left in the kettle as possible as well as wanting to chill the whole volume down at the same time as fast as possible to negate the desire for a hop-back. For sure, there have been complications with how to set this up so I don't reduce my flow to a trickling halt. The combination of pellet hops and cold break is a killer. I would probably avoid it if I was doing less than 15 gallons.

I am doing a paint strainer bag suspended from a steamer basket inside the kettle... sort of the BIAB method, but just for hops.

Your having that much hop residue in the kettle using the paint strainer bag ?? mine leaves very little.

 

[HarkinBanks]

how much you asking for it?

I'd sell it for any reasonable offer.

 

[SankePankey]

Your having that much hop residue in the kettle using the paint strainer bag ?? mine leaves very little.

I should have stipulated. I am doing that because I tried recirculation without it and it was a mess. Last time I brewed, I had just changed my bazooka screen into being tangential instead of directly above my bottom drain, and I wanted to see if that made any difference. Yes, it did, but not all the way. If there's a screen with negative pressure behind it, it will get clogged by hop matter and break wherever it is. I've tried 3 configs of the bazooka at this point and it's only marginally better, sending the flow from abou 5.5 gpm to about 1 gpm (instead of .0001 gpm/trickle).

I did yooper's hoppy amber and that meant ~7 oz of flameout hops which I did outside the bag, where as the first wort hops were inside (~8oz). Next brew I will do the whole thing inside the bag. Seeing how well the bag kept the pellet matter inside of it, I know it will work very well. I feel that my screening of particles pre plate is quite good, but nonetheless when I backflushed there was a bunch of particles that came out the plate. It itself was nowhere near clogging, but a bunch of particles inside.

 

[Toecutter]

I should have stipulated. I am doing that because I tried recirculation without it and it was a mess. Last time I brewed, I had just changed my bazooka screen into being tangential instead of directly above my bottom drain, and I wanted to see if that made any difference. Yes, it did, but not all the way. If there's a screen with negative pressure behind it, it will get clogged by hop matter and break wherever it is. I've tried 3 configs of the bazooka at this point and it's only marginally better, sending the flow from abou 5.5 gpm to about 1 gpm (instead of .0001 gpm/trickle).

I did yooper's hoppy amber and that meant ~7 oz of flameout hops which I did outside the bag, where as the first wort hops were inside (~8oz). Next brew I will do the whole thing inside the bag. Seeing how well the bag kept the pellet matter inside of it, I know it will work very well. I feel that my screening of particles pre plate is quite good, but nonetheless when I backflushed there was a bunch of particles that came out the plate. It itself was nowhere near clogging, but a bunch of particles inside.

I just finished my keggle build, and I used a copper ring of 1/2 " tubeing tied into a 'T' at the drain. The tubeing has slits cut in the bottom side. I have had good success with this type manifold in my rectangular mash tun.

I havent tested it yet, though for break material clogging. It sits close to the walls of the keggle, which will let debris settle in the center of the keggle, since it's dished (sloped) in the bottom

 

[mvolz]

I'd sell it for any reasonable offer.

How many plates is it? What about shipping it? Ive never bought from anywhere but homebrew supply shops.

 

[GetLooseontheGoose]

i'm doing 10 gallon batches. I ordered a 40 plate chiller. I plan on using my pump to recirculate back to the kettle until the temp drops to say 150 dg, then straight to the fermenter, since my water temp out of the tap is about 70 dg.

You will not have to recirculate. With plate chillers and counter flow chillers one pass it good. If your cold water is 70 then it can cool your wort down to 70. All you have to do is watch your wort output temp and adjust the flow accordingly.

As for filtering hops out...a false bottom and a aggressive whirlpool should safice. But a bag will work too.

 

[WortMonger]

I use a Therminator and love it. I would have no problem getting wort down to 68*F in one pass, but I would use a lot more water pressure and the wort would not be coming out very fast. Because of this, now I use very little cooling water and recirculate back to the kettle until the whole thing is where I want it. I have a Venturi set inline so I get aeration during this recirculation. This system also allows me to swap up my cooling water lines to another pump that sets in a ice chest for further cooling in the case of brewing a lager. I use a lauter grant for my mash tun, so when it is time to collect the boil I use the same grant (this is because it is actually combined to my pump).

I simply attach my filtered funnel to the grant's top and let my kettle drain hose run into that prior to the grant/pump/Therminator/Venturi aerator device/back to kettle. This catches a lot of break material once the kettle starts cooling, but continually collects particulates and protein formations right from the start. When the filter gets filled, usually 2-3 times in my case on a 15 gallon batch, I simply shut off the kettle valve and clean the filter. Takes all of 30 seconds with a bucket of cleaning water and a dip in Star-San, then I am back to chilling and aerating. I love that I get to grab the most cooling power out of my water (actually the most heating power is how I look at it, for later cleaning). I keep my chiller clean this way, and I get cleaner wort for it as well. I have tried many combinations, but this one has been the most successful to date.

Still, the plate chillers are awesome! If I didn't have ulterior motives for the chiller water and aeration while chilling, I would be 100% confident in one pass chilling with this bad boy. But... always, always, always, filter if you have a plate chiller!!!

 

[Catt22]

I have a shirron i am selling if you want it, I don't care for them because of filtering.

I refused to buy a plate chiller for this very same reason. I'm getting excellent results with my DIY CFC and circulating back to the BK in a continuous loop.

 

[Sawdustguy]

I use a Therminator and love it. I would have no problem getting wort down to 68*F in one pass, but I would use a lot more water pressure and the wort would not be coming out very fast. Because of this, now I use very little cooling water and recirculate back to the kettle until the whole thing is where I want it. I have a Venturi set inline so I get aeration during this recirculation. This system also allows me to swap up my cooling water lines to another pump that sets in a ice chest for further cooling in the case of brewing a lager. I use a lauter grant for my mash tun, so when it is time to collect the boil I use the same grant (this is because it is actually combined to my pump).

I simply attach my filtered funnel to the grant's top and let my kettle drain hose run into that prior to the grant/pump/Therminator/Venturi aerator device/back to kettle. This catches a lot of break material once the kettle starts cooling, but continually collects particulates and protein formations right from the start. When the filter gets filled, usually 2-3 times in my case on a 15 gallon batch, I simply shut off the kettle valve and clean the filter. Takes all of 30 seconds with a bucket of cleaning water and a dip in Star-San, then I am back to chilling and aerating. I love that I get to grab the most cooling power out of my water (actually the most heating power is how I look at it, for later cleaning). I keep my chiller clean this way, and I get cleaner wort for it as well. I have tried many combinations, but this one has been the most successful to date.

Still, the plate chillers are awesome! If I didn't have ulterior motives for the chiller water and aeration while chilling, I would be 100% confident in one pass chilling with this bad boy. But... always, always, always, filter if you have a plate chiller!!!

+1... I swear by my Therminator. I use a bag filter and never had even the slightest problem with either whole or pellet hops and I have done many brews with it. In the spring when my ground water is 50* one pass easily does it and it chills quick using a lot less water. It far out performs my old CFC.