CFC or Emersion Chiller

[Dirty]

OK I need to be convinced on which one to build. Which one is more fastest at cooling wort and about how much water do you need to cooler a 10 gallon batch?

Looking for some first had experice. Would go with a plate chiller but dont like the idea of crud getting stuck in it.

Thanks

Rock Chalk

Chris

 

[bwiens]

I had an immersion for a while, but I went to a CFC. I like it much better, but I use it with pumps. I recirculate the hot wort back into the whirlpool to chill using tap water for the first bit and then hook up the pump to a cooler with cold water in it to get the temp down before pumping to the fermenter.

The immersion is simpler. Both can be used with just gravity with some work and planning.

As for water use, I think I am using less with the CFC. I have it plumbed to a hose that goes into my yard drain so I don't 'see' the waste...

 

[37OliveStBrews]

The converted my IC to a CFC it was easy. I use a rubbermaid tote and a sump pump to drive water through the chiller. Works like a charm with ice water. I use gravity to drain the wort out to fermenter and it comes out at 60 degrees. Love it. After that I fill my keggle with oxyclean and drain it through then follow up with star san and it's all clean. I keep the CFC full of star san until next brew day. Works like a charm. Cuts my brew day down by 20 mins easy.

 

[stevea1210]

I've used and have both. I prefer the CFC. I use my old IC as a herms now. The CFC will be much more efficient at 10 gallon batches. If you aren't using pumps, the CFC will be a bit frustrating if you don't have enough height for the gravity to work well.

That being said, you can find people that have both and prefer the IC. I actually bought my CFC off of someone that was switching to putting a keggle in an ice bath for chiling. To each his own.

 

[EricT]

CFC is better/faster.