Buying a wort chiller

[richfei]

Did my first 5 gallon extract at the weekend
Previously was doing Mr Beer extracts for months
It was routine up until I came to cool the wort to 70 for pitching
I don't have a wort chiller and had ice and it still took 3-4 hours
Even left it outside in the bitter cold and stirred continuously
It was frustrating and made the experience less than enjoyable and something I don't want to repeat again

So I'm looking to get a wort chiller even if I continue with extracts in the near term
I thought about making my own, but the prices of copper coil at home depot and other places make a purchase worthwhile
i.e I checked out nybrewsupply and they have a 3/8 x 25 foot for $50 and a 3/8 x 50 for $72
Coil height is 6.5 inches and 8.5 inches respectively

I'm just doing 3 gallon partial boils in a 5 gallon pot inside on the stove
From what I gather, many stoves may not have the BTUs to do larger than 5 gallon boils
If I persist with brewing inside do I really need a larger pot if I were to get the 25 foot chiller, bearing in mind, displacement when I put in the chiller ?

Is a 50 foot wort chiller really only used for all grain and not extracts i.e it would be overkill and perhaps even dangerous if it doesn't sit completely in my 12 inch high pot ?

Would a 50 foot make more sense therefore if it was used in the fermenter instead of the brew pot i.e my primary fermenter is a 6.5 gallon bucket (height is 13.5 inches)

Just thinking what is best approach now and perhaps later

If I persist with the plastic bullet as the fermenter, is it really a matter of personal preference to dip the wort chiller in there versus the brew pot ?

 

[skullface1818]

Id roll with a 25 foot cooler, that's all you really need. 50 feet would be more useful for a fulll 10 gallon batch. I brew 5 Gallon batches and my 25 foot cooler works GREAT for my purposes ^_^

 

[h22lude]

Any wort chiller will be better than an ice bath no matter if you do it stove top or on a burner.

If you are going to do stove top for a while and the 50 doesn't fit in your pot than get the 25. If you decide to use a burner you can still use the 25. If that doesn't cool quick enough you can add a small prechiller submerged in ice water to chill the tap water before it goes through the wort chiller.

If the 25 foot and 50 foot wort chiller has the same coils...meaning the distance between each coil is the same for both, the 50 foot won't chill it any faster. The only way the 50 foot chills faster is if more coils are submerged. If the same amount of copper is submerged with both, get the 25 and go with a homemade small prechiller to chill it even quicker.

 

[martiniw2olives]

I bought a 25 foot chiller for my 2nd all grain batch last week. It was perfect and brought my wort down to the mid-70's in no time. IMO, it's all you need for 5 gallon batches.

 

[SaltyDog03]

My set up is very similar to yours. I do a 3 ga boil. I bought the $70, 25 ft chiller from Norther Brewer and honestly, it cooled my wort tonight in a matter of 15 minutes. This was my first time using it. My last batch I did the ice in the sink method which literally took a couple hours.

 

[241]

Got my 25 ft with hoses and hook ups for about $25 on eBay. Love it for 5 gal batches