Check the connections on your pre-made wort chiller

[jsweet]

A week or so ago I got a 30' immersion chiller from AHB. I'd originally planned to DIY, but for the 30' model it wasn't really all that much more expensive than it would have been just to buy the copper at Lowes or Home Depot, so I figured I'd save myself the hassle.

It works great, but the second time using it I noticed some water dripping along the part of the coil that was above the wort... and realized that the connection where one of the plastic tubes connects to the copper was loose! No biggie, it was presumably pretty clean tap water (which I was about to add in copious quantities as top-off water anyway) and had only touched the sanitized chiller. I shut it off, pulled out my leatherman, and tightened up the "thingy". No further problems.

This was probably obvious to every single person on the planet except me, but just in case: When you buy a pre-made wort chiller, before you use it double check anything that could possibly be loose. Duh. Silly me.

 

[nefarious_1_]

I'm assuming the connection is made using a hose clamp? That's what mine uses too, as well as many other chillers. Hose clamps aren't really made to handle pressure: you really need a compression fitting for the correct connection, but they cost a little more. What I did was bought two more hose clamps to connect alongside the originals in the opposite direction. It seems to have helped a bit.
I've noticed that when connected to a garden hose, it is impossible to control and always leaks, even if the valve is only open a fraction of an inch. I think this is attributed to the fact that you're going from a wide opening (the garden hose) to a much smaller one (the copper tubing) and creating a huge amount of pressure. For this reason, I had to get a faucet adapter and connect the chiller to my sink: this seems to have helped with the pressure. It also conserves a little more water.

 

[350_Malibu]

Flaring the copper (at the in/out) slightly larger than the hose ID helps prevent leaks too.

 

[nymtber]

I built my own this weekend, tested it, and it does not leak. One hose clamp per connection, works fine!

If you are using outside faucet, connect straight to the faucet and only open the faucet enough to get water flowing out the other end of the chiller. There is NO need for excessive pressure, let the chiller do its work! A big hose before the chiller will allow pressure to build up. If you need to add more hose, go to lowes or home depot and buy more clear vinyl hose and replace what is on there with a longer section

 

[RugerRedhawk]

I built my own this weekend, tested it, and it does not leak. One hose clamp per connection, works fine!

If you are using outside faucet, connect straight to the faucet and only open the faucet enough to get water flowing out the other end of the chiller. There is NO need for excessive pressure, let the chiller do its work! A big hose before the chiller will allow pressure to build up. If you need to add more hose, go to lowes or home depot and buy more clear vinyl hose and replace what is on there with a longer section

Yes, opening up the spigot all the way is asking for trouble. I just open it enough so there's steady flow coming out the output end, and no more.

 

[amartinez]

This was probably obvious to every single person on the planet except me, but just in case: When you buy a pre-made wort chiller, before you use it double check anything that could possibly be loose. Duh. Silly me.

It wasn't obvious to me when I did the exact same thing the first time I used mine. Now I always make sure I've got a screwdriver handy when I brew, just in case.

 

[jsweet]

I built my own this weekend, tested it, and it does not leak. One hose clamp per connection, works fine!

If you are using outside faucet, connect straight to the faucet and only open the faucet enough to get water flowing out the other end of the chiller. There is NO need for excessive pressure, let the chiller do its work! A big hose before the chiller will allow pressure to build up. If you need to add more hose, go to lowes or home depot and buy more clear vinyl hose and replace what is on there with a longer section

The one clamp per hose is what the AHB one uses too, and it was fine once I tightened it a couple twists.

I didn't know about the overpressure thing though, I just assumed more pressure = more water throughput = more rapid chilling. I am just using my kitchen faucet, so there can't be that much pressure anyway, but I'll be more careful in the future.

 

[DeafSmith]

I connect my 50 foot, 3/8 inch chiller to my kitchen tap using an adapter on the tap and a washing machine hose. Because I use a washing machine hose I use male connections on both the input and output of my chiller. I started out with compression fittings, but then realized that they have a really small opening and restrict the flow. At Lowe's I found some male hose thread to barb adapters - I don't remember the barb size, but it was just big enough to slip over the outside of the copper tubing. I replaced the compression fittings with these - sanded the outside of the copper and the inside of the barb to eliminate oxidation, applied flux and soldered the barbs to the tubing (note that the tubing is inside the barb). This gives me an opening as large as the tubing ID. If you use a garden hose on the input side, you would need a female hose to barb adapter, but I don't know if those are available.
To get maximum cooling, you want the maximum flow through the chiller. This means maximum pressure at the chiller input, and this requires the shortest, largest diameter hose from your source to your chiller. You also need minimum restriction on the output, so a short, large diameter hose on the output, too. Also, you want the largest possible diameter holes in the hose couplings.

 

[KevinM]

Just watch the other end too. Make sure it's away from things, and if it's propped up somewhere like at a sink, put something on the top of the tube to weigh it down and keep it in place. No scalding hot water on the legs again please.