Wort Chiller
- Thread starter tklarose
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15 min is basically BS for a 25' chiller, unless you're pumping ice water through it (and even then, doubtful).
What's the temp of your chilling water? I never measured mine, but I assume it was somewhere in the 50's for the brews I've done in this house. My 25' x 3/8" chiller typically took 25-30 min to go from boiling to 65F for those.
EDIT: and are you stirring while you chill?
What's the temp of your chilling water? I never measured mine, but I assume it was somewhere in the 50's for the brews I've done in this house. My 25' x 3/8" chiller typically took 25-30 min to go from boiling to 65F for those.
EDIT: and are you stirring while you chill?
Are you chilling 5 gals or 2? I use a 25' chiller in my partial boil (~2.5g) and i get down to about 90-95 in about 15-20 mins. I top off with room temp water and then pitch.
for 5 gals in that amount of time, prob need a pre chiller?
for 5 gals in that amount of time, prob need a pre chiller?
Good question, gutterman!
I was talking about 5g full boils. I stir gently, every 2-3 minutes to get a whirlpool going. I don't have any scientific evidence to support this, but it seems to speed the chilling quite a bit.
I was talking about 5g full boils. I stir gently, every 2-3 minutes to get a whirlpool going. I don't have any scientific evidence to support this, but it seems to speed the chilling quite a bit.
I always stir while using my 25' wort chiller and it definitely speeds up the process. Additionally, I still use an ice bath in conjunction with my chiller. That combo can get a 4.5 gallon boil down to 65F in 12-15 minutes.
Sawdustguy
Well-Known Member
I bought a 25' wort chiller which says will cool in 15 min. I have used it a few times and it is taking more like 45 min. to an hour. Is there anything I can do to improve the cooling of the wort?
Only beleive half of what you see and half of what you hear. All the rest is Bullshirt.
Ryno
Well-Known Member
I use a garden hose to get it down to 120-140. Then use a bucket with 2 bags of ice with a little water and a 800 gph bilge pump to circulate through the chiller. 220 to 65 in 15 mins or less for a 5.5 gal batch. I could probably get it down faster if stirred more and sloshed chiller up and down. I'm happy with my results. 
Stirring helps tremendously! As does very cold tap water. Without one or both of the above, a run of the mill IC is not enough to bring my wort to pitching temps in any reasonable amount of time. Perhaps this is why my 25' IC sits in my garage while I simply do a big ass water bath, followed by putting the kettle in a keg tubh w/ 10 or so pounds of ice...low sixties everytime. No, not that fast, but at least I don't have to babysit the kettle, set it and forget it, pitch when cool. YMMV.
Nwcw2001
Well-Known Member
here's what I do. It is a trick I have learned being a chef. Drop your Kettle into a bathtub full of Ice water (lots of ice) to the point that your kettle bobs a little. Drop in your chiller and run the water through it at a rate of water that the water feels warm, then stir within the center of the chiller. I have brought wort down from boiling to 70* in 10 minutes that way.
HTH
John
HTH
John
