Show us your DIY wort chillers

Crap! The cheapest I can find in Denver is about $57! I thought everything was supposed to be more expensive in Hawaii? I have looked on Ebay and found nothing.

All I can say is make sure you blow them out if you live in cold climates. I killed a 10 gallon batch of IPA from a IC blow up during chilling! AHHHHH!!!



Got to fork over the dough since I am brewing again this weekend. Any thoughts on Straight IC of Rib Cage? Pros v Cons

 

If that's the only hole, just cut out a section, get yourself a splice from the hardware store, and solder it in... done deal.

 

That or just close the split more and just solder it. Other option close the split then solder a small piece of copper over the split area, either way a quick N cheap fix.

 

This is mine. Worked great when I had a narrower 7 gallon pot as about 90% of the coils were in the liquid come time to cool. Now that I stepped up to a 15 gal kettle that has a much larger diameter this chiller only gets about half submerged and instead of about 8 minutes to get down to 65 it's more like 20

 

This thread was recently resurrected and should answer all the questions about this design.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/hell-earth-wort-chiller-73315/

 

I'd like some pictures of people who use a Jamil whirlpool type tube on their IC. Effective?

 

My DIY hybrid CFC using 20 ft of rigid copper inside a 4" PVC water jacket. The pics don't show the final completed chiller, but you can get the general idea from them. I mount it vertically. Cooling water enters from the side at the bottom and exits near the top also on the side. The copper tubes are for the wort in and out:

 

So are you going to pump the Wort through it or set it on the ground and have your wort High enough above it to gravity feed? Looks nice though, been thinkking about wraping my existing IC chiller with a hose and turn it into a CFC. 30 minutes for 6 gallons of wort is too slow.

 

I pump it back to the BK while chilling. This is similar to Jamil's whirlpool method. It's fast, but much depends on the tap water temperature. I pump ice water through the jacket near the end of the process during the warmer months. I'm happy with the performance.

 

I got it from www.coppertubingsales.com

Its a great price on this copper, and it worked like a charm.

 

Here's my CFC. Nothing special to note...except that I use pool water to cool the wort. Goes from boiling to about 80 degrees in 15 min.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4686295045/?rotated=1&cb=1276131313265

 

I like your cooler Catt.
I was thinking about using refrigeration 180 degree fittings for the ends after working with them.
I want to cooldown 16 plus gallon single brews.

 

I used street elbows to make the turns. They eliminate the need for a connecting piece between them as regular 90's would require. The result is a more compact loop. I needed that with the limited space inside the PVC. The intent was to build a chiller with a very high flow rate for both the cooling water and the wort. If I were to do it over, I would run two more tubes down the center. There was sufficient room to do so, but this one was only intended to be a rough prototype for testing purposes. Turned out that it works so well I saw no immediate need to make another. It would cost about $50 to build. Those PVC end caps are pricey and so are the street elbows. I think I could have shaved the cost some if I had shopped around more for the components. Much of the stuff I had already had on hand, so it was relatively painless to my wallet.

 

Here is what I built for the automated system http://picasaweb.google.com/kevin.ladue/NewBrewingGadgets#5164076763824483858 20' of 1/2" SS tube inside 1" SS tube. Coolant flows around inner 1/2" tube, and leaving wort temperature is measured in the O2 injection chamber on it's way to the fermenter. The 16" Od boil kettle burner and shroud are to left in the picture.

 

BrewSpook, if you don't mind me asking, what did shipping run?

I haven't been able to find any coils for as cheap as many of you. HD and Lowes, etc. are $55 for the 1/2" and about $50 for the 3/8".

Where are you guys finding these cheap coils?!

 

FI - I think shipping ran me $10, for the coil and a hand full of compression fittings for another DIY. It was here fast, within 3 days or so from what I remember.

 

I have been using a pre-chiller for my IC and whirlpool device as the ground water in Texas is about 85 degrees. Anyone have a better set up than a pre-chiller with an IC? I have 50' of 3/8" tubing I can always make into a CFC, but want to avoid if possible.

 

BadgerBrewer--
When I first built my 50' 1/2" whirlpool IC, I used the old 3/8" IC as a pre-chiller. I didn't like the flow rate and changed to a Harbor Freight/Northern Tools sump pump in an ice bath. I freeze milk containers and go through 2 or 3 in the water of my Igloo after dropping the wort to 100 deg or so. I brew lagers even in the summer and can get to 50 deg or so in about 20 minutes with this setup.

 

Here's my DIY chiller:



Build thread is here.

TB

 

Badger:
I use the tap water until I reach ~100˚ and then I put a bag or 2 of ice in the now empty MLT with water and recirc that with a pond pump through the IC.
cheers from Oak Cliff

 

Very cool designs everyone...

Can't wait to get started making my own immersion chiller.....

Redbeard5289

 

This is my wort chiller.

 

Here is mine. Full 50 ft roll of 5/8 refrigeration copper.:rockin:


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb292/okgasdude/9e55dcdc.png

 

What did the 5/8" copper coil set you back?

 

My wort chiller is a 10 gallon bucket from walmart and 12 1 liter water bottles I freeze

Chills 5 gallons of boiling wort to 60F in about 5 minutes

 

My hacked, rehacked 1/2" IC is fed off the well at 63 degrees summer, 59 degrees winter cranked wide open the water's free just the electricity that's cheap.

I ran across this; http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CCMUC2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

I just built another CFC to replace the one I swapped with SweetSounds for a Sanke keg.

Here it is:


I wrapped it around my "tool" bucket. I keep all my gadgets in the bucket, and now I can keep my CFC with the rest of my gadgets. In the picture is the water filter, the T handles are water level indicators, and the inline thermometer. You can also see the hop bag support in the top of the bucket.

 

Here is mine. Taking my time with it. It is a tube/shell style heat exchanger made from 304 stainless. The wort will flow through the tubes and the chilling water will flow through the shell. The shell is not installed in photos below, and I still have a few tubes to install.

Original design was 57x12" long tubes of 3/16" OD in a 3" shell. The tubes are 11.875. I have 7 baffles to cause turbulence. On each end there will be a sanitary fitting and cap (with wort passage) fit with gasket and triclamp so I can remove the core for cleaning.

The design was simulated to cool 212F wort to 92 with 45F water (from my prechiller) first pass, and since I recirculate through the brew kettle to whirlpool, I should be able to get the wort down fast with this device.. <crosses fingers>

 

Luckily for me I work at a small hardware store, so I got it at cost!!! I believe it was about $48.00.

 

off the chain!

 

I aint got time to bleed.

 

I call BS on a 5 minute chill time. Complete and utter BS. Either you're lying, your watch is broken, or your thermometer is. That's impossible by the laws of physics.

 

+1 Obviously BS. I would not believe 30 minutes, much less 5. It just ain't gonna happen.

 

Thanks for that! You made me laugh. (Know you a long time from Brews & Views.)

Still laughing.

 

I love the humorous comments about the ice bottles in the bucket, it looks realistic when the math is done.

 

Care to show us your math?

Thanks,
TB

 

Hell, I can't even chill down a 2 liter starter wort in 5 minutes. Without continuously stirring the 5 gallons of wort it will take a long time to chill down to 60F no matter how much ice you put in the tub. Even with continuous stirring it will take a lot longer than 5 minutes. I'd put money on it if I had any!

 

If you have enough frozen bottles it could probably be done even faster.

 

Liquid nitrogen would be faster yet I am sure.