Using an Immersion Wort Chiller with a Recirculating Pump

[Brewmegoodbeer]

I just tried for the first time, recirculating my water while cooling my wort. This saved a ton of water and got my wort down to 80 in about 25 minutes. I feel like if I used less water with the same amount of ice It would have chilled lower and faster. Check out my video I made:[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RdOmjlr_Ho[/ame]

 

[boxofjibboo]

Yes sir, it definitely pays off to use a sub pump and push ice water through the immersion chiller. Like you, I typically start to recirculate the water back into the ice water after about 5 gallons but I don't even add ice till this has happened. Similar to how you stir, I've added my pump I so I whirlpool the wort while the chiller is going too. I have too seen a world of difference. Cheers!

 

[PADave]

Same technique I use, works great.

 

[bstacy1974]

Same here. I don't have a water connection in my garage. But this time of year I have lots of white stuff that falls from the sky and accumulates in units of feet. I have 3, 5 gal buckets that I use for chilling. One has a sump pump and about 2 gals of water. Then I dump a bucket of snow on top of that. The other two buckets are filled with snow to add to the pump bucket as the snow melts. Also about to add a pump to whirlpool. Hope to see some improvements and shortened chill times.

 

[10ACbrew]

I added a whirlpool arm to my brew kettle and temp drops very quickly while recirculating wort with March pump and running cold water through immersion chiller. Be sure to center the immersion chiller in kettle so whirlpool can work it's way smoothly around the kettle. I started off placing it close to the kettle wall and it interrupted the whirlpool.