Chiller upgrade

I have a 3/8" 25' immersion chiller from grape grain and bean and have switched to 10g batches. Even with the temps at 40f out it still took almost 40 min to go from boil to ~70f. Would it be worth it to just build a 50' one? I am worried about the summer months when the ground water will be higher. I do not have a pump and do not plan on getting one for a bit.

So I guess my cheap a** just wants to know if just going to 50' will be worth it.

Thanks

 

I just switched to a 30 plate. Same times as yours eith an ic. Now its pitching temp in 5 min

 

Are you recirculating with a pump?

 

Just recirculate with pump for sanitizing and cleaning. Pa groundwater temps are around 45

 

I do 10 gal batches and found a fountain pump that i submerge in a bucket of ice water and run thru my I.C. I use frozen water bottles to. Just get the wort down to about 100f with ground water first. So thats probably as well as u will do in the summer. I just bought a 30 plate that i will be using this summer when the sculpture is ready.

 

I have seen the "fountain pump" talked about before but I guess I am not picturing it. How is it connected to the IC?

 

turn your immersion into a counterflow chiller. You already have the expensive part (25' copper). Just need a rubber hose and some fittings for the input/output. Very easy to do. I built 2 in about 2 hours while teaching myself how to solder copper.

 

Fountain pump is submerged in a bucket of ice water. On the pump u would attach a hose to protrude out of the top of the bucket with a male hose fitting on it. Connect that end to the female hose fitting of your I.C. . That way u pump ice water through your chiller. Just get your wort down to 100f with tap water first.

 

Da I see now.

 

I've used a submersible pump in ice water too, but found that the pump would heat the water it was in. It was a tad counter-productive. I'm trying to figure out a better method. I am wasting too much water during the wort-chill. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Susie

 

Would it work to add a second chiller, which sits in a tub of ice water, inline with the chiller in your wort? My theory is that tap water comes into the first coil at whatever the ambient temperature is, and is cooled by the tub of ice water. It then goes by hose into the second coil, which is submerged into the wort, like normal. Would that work?

 

I say yes, the pre-chiller will cool it faster..... also pumping ice water through will cool faster.

Question for those who have used ice water pump through immersion chiller. What flow rate of pump to use? What's to much, what's not enough;1 GPH or 100 GPH?

 

That's what I do. I have the prechiller from Morebeer (the tall one) that I put in a bucket of water from the start of the chill. Water comes from laundry tub faucet, through the prechiller, into the wort chiller. I wait until the wort cools as low as the groundwater will take it, then add ice to the pre chiller bucket. Uses less ice this way. Don't know the water usage difference between this method vs. a submersible pump but I magine it is similar.

 

Not sure what flow rate is using a submerged pond pump. It is a slow for sure, but that is what u want. To fast and u are wasting water. I stir wort and mist outside of keg to help with cooling. I save water running out of I.C. in five gallon plastic water bottles. They sit outside until im ready to brew again and use to chill.