Baking an immersion chiller

[HappiBrew]

Just wondering how many people do this...
I recently learned in my amateur and inexperienced use of an immersion chiller that if you add a large coil of room temperature metal to a pot of boiling liquid, it quickly cools and stops boiling, meaning there is a few minute period while the wort heats back up to boil to finish the last 15 minutes of boil (messing with your alpha/time calculations). Yet this is the preferred method of sanitation. (It also seems to disrupt the rolling of hops in the boil. But this may be a non-factor) What dawned on me a few batches ago however was that I could fit my chiller diagonally in the oven and preheat it to 225f (the lowest setting I have) for 5 minutes or so and there is no effect on the boil when the hot chiller is added to finish sanitizing. As a plus, I can add it in the last 5 minutes or so, since it's already started the sanitation process.
Any thoughts on this?

 

[dlaramie08]

The easier method would be to run it under the hot water to raise it from room temp to where you keep your hot water, then slowly add to your boil as to not kill the roll. This is what I do. I add it over the course of 1 minute, which doesn't sound like long until you're holding 75 feet of coiled copper over boiling wort. When I used gas this was easier because I would just open the throttle and add it it faster and could maintain a strong boil. Now that I'm electric with only 120v 1500w elements I have to add it slowly.

 

[northernltz]

I have found that using the same technique as dlaramie08 spoke of does work well for me. I use my kitchen sink as the source for my cold water in my chiller. I just run a minute or so of the hottest water I can get through the chiller prior to adding it to the wort. I do get a small slow down in the roll, but not a complete stop. Plus I can use the water for cleaning in the sink so I do not waste to much. But damn, watch out for that first minute of water coming through after you start to cool. I have come close to burning myself, my son, and my daughter. I guess I needed a longer hose from the chiller to the drain. Anyway, that works well for me and I get a great cooling from the coil.

Kurt

 

[Spartan1979]

Just drop it in an crank up the heat. I've never had an issue doing that.

 

[barnaclebob]

Pardon my ignorance but what does it matter if the boil is killed for a min or two? When I put my immersion chiller in it only took a few seconds to get back up to boil.

 

[Beernik]

I've never really thought about it. I sanitize mine and drop it in after flameout.

But you'll get the same benefit dropping in 10 minutes left in the boil as dropping it in at flameout. Your IC isn't going to drop the wort from 212F to a temperature bacteria can live at instantly. 160F for 15 seconds is enough to flash pasturize milk to a 99.999% kill.

 

[opiate82]

Yeah, I generally don't worry if I lose my boil for a minute or so when I put the chiller in. I doubt it drops the temp of the wort low enough to stop AA isomerization.

 

[orangemen5]

I use to stop my timer then restart it when the boil started again. Now I just spray the whole thing with star sans and drop it in at flameout. Plus a lot of my late hop addition would stick to the chiller.

 

[Old_Raspy]

Just so I understand this right. You will put it in the oven, then take it out while it's still hot and put it in the boil? The reason I ask is that you will need to re-attach the hoses which might be difficult if the chiller is hot, and assuming that it doesn't melt your hoses. I'm not sure how others do it (sanitize in boil for 20 min, then attach hoses at flame-out?), but I usually throw the chiller in the boil for the last 20 min with the hoses attached, then drape the hoses over a chair to keep them from touching the sides of the kettle.

 

[opiate82]

So I brewed last night, took 23 seconds to re-gain my boil after dropping my chiller into it (using a Bayou burner). Chiller was stored in the garage and it has been below freezing for a week now, so it was pretty cold. Seems like a non-issue imo.

 

[orangemen5]

So I brewed last night, took 23 seconds to re-gain my boil after dropping my chiller into it (using a Bayou burner). Chiller was stored in the garage and it has been below freezing for a week now, so it was pretty cold. Seems like a non-issue imo.

it depends on wind, temp, and pot width. I have a wide pot and it does get windy

 

[orangemen5]

I've had it kill my boil for a minute or longer. Different system have different factors.

 

[Foosier]

I just hung my chiller over the steam from the boil for a minute before putting my chiller in last time and it got up to temp and had no effect on my boil vigor when I put it in. While I agree the OP's method would work, it does not pass my requirement that to add a step it needs to conform to the KISS principle.

 

[opiate82]

I'm not denying that it will be different for people with different systems, but it seems the main concern with losing the boil is hop utilization. Whether it is my 23 seconds or your minute or longer there is no way the temperature of the wort is dropping low enough to have anything other than an inconsequential/immeasurable effect on alpha acid isomerization.

Maybe if you are on a stovetop and it takes like 15 minutes to get a boil again or something, but even then, how much of a temp loss are we really having when we drop that chiller in...

 

[hnycrk]

Couldn't you just leave the chiller in the entire boil?

 

[daksin]

I just crank the burner up to max. It never takes longer than about 5sec to get back to a strong boil and then I have to turn the burner back down. Seems like a lot of extra work to me.

 

[troy2000]

Add me to the list of people who add a sanitized chiller at flameout....

 

[RonPopeil]

i'm a bucket fermenter. i fill a 7g pail to within an inch with star san/water. everything that touches wort post boil goes in there. eventually the star san gets dumped into the kettle or kegs for cleaning. my chiller sits in there for the whole brew day. added bonus, chiller comes out looking like a shiny penny.

i do this because i have a DIY chiller with no hose fittings or high temp hose. just some coiled copper with some hose clamps.

 

[HappiBrew]

So I brewed last night, took 23 seconds to re-gain my boil after dropping my chiller into it (using a Bayou burner). Chiller was stored in the garage and it has been below freezing for a week now, so it was pretty cold. Seems like a non-issue imo.

LOL, Well never mind then. Forget I said anything. I'll be sure to delete this thread right away.... :big eye roll: But seriously, for those of us who aren't Captain Awesome, It can take a few minutes.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I have never even considered this. I haven't really noticed a difference in hop utilization between using/not using my immersion chiller. As for the questions about the hoses, they can take the heat for the duration in the boil. They get a little soft but hold up fine.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

I add my sanitized chiller at flameout as well.