3/8 or 1/2 copper for wort chiller

[gotbags-10]

So I plan on building a chiller. I have a choice between doing a longer 50 foot 3/8 or a shorter 25 foot1/2". Both about the same price.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[acidrain]

1/2" has a surface area of 1.56 sq. in. per lineal inch.
3/8" has a surface area of 1.17 sq. in. per lineal inch.

37-1/2 feet of 1/2" has the same surface area as 50 feet of 3/8".

Your choice... both work well.
One thought though, if you ever want to use it as a HERMS, I would go with the 1/2"... pushing wort through 3/8" tubing is too hard on the pump.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I would go with the 1/2" because by the time the cooling water goes through the 50' of 3/8" it will have absorbed all the heat it can take and is just waiting to exit the system. Now if you did (2) 25' coils of 3/8" then you would probably have the most efficient of those 2 options.

I would still go 1/2" on this. Especially if you want to go HERMS with it down the road like acidrain pointed out.

 

[gotbags-10]

I don't really plan on doing HERMS but would like to be able to do 10 gal batches eventually. How would two 3/8 chillers work? One as a pre-chiller and one in the wort or both in the wort?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[svenness]

I "built" my first immersion chiller yesterday using 25ft of 1/2in OD tubing. I was happy with the trial run, it cooled 5 gallons of boiling water to 80 degrees in 10 minutes using 53 degree hose water. The only issue was I struggled making clean bends with a spring bender and it came out way uglier than I planned. Maybe someone else can speak to working with 3/8in vs. 1/2in diameter tubing. Or maybe I just have weak hands?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Check out jaded brewing. Those are good examples of multiple cold water circuits in the same chiller. Fwiw, if you want or need to make a prechiller make it out of at least 1/2" otherwise you will end of restricting the flow too much downstream at the chiller. My prechiller coil is 1/2" id so it can flow the full force of city water. I only pre-chill when ground temps are too high.

 

[evan5159]

Half!!!!!!


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[MikePote]

Go half. I made mine out of 25' of 3/8" copper and kind of wish I had gone bigger. Mine cools well but not as well as I would like. It works fine for me for five gallon batches but I wouldnt use it on a 10 gallon batch. My tap water is warm (i think like 62) and it cools 5 gallon full boils below 100 in about 12-15 minutes but struggles thereafter. The other day I had to leave after boiling and left the chiller running in the wort for almost two hours while I was gone and came back to perfect 65 degree pitching temp. That was nice.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

I "built" my first immersion chiller yesterday using 25ft of 1/2in OD tubing. I was happy with the trial run, it cooled 5 gallons of boiling water to 80 degrees in 10 minutes using 53 degree hose water. The only issue was I struggled making clean bends with a spring bender and it came out way uglier than I planned. Maybe someone else can speak to working with 3/8in vs. 1/2in diameter tubing. Or maybe I just have weak hands?

I wrapped mine around a large fire extinguisher(old co2 I think)... slowly. Gave it a nice cylindrical look. 1/2".