Coiling Copper tube

[Bsquared]

who's got a good trick for coiling copper tube? I have my 25' 5/8od convoluted copper tube on its way from more beer. I want to coil it into a heat exchanger that will fit into my Sanky HLT.

As of now the plan will be to straighten it out a best I can, then put compression fittings and ball valves on both ends, connect a hose to one end and fill it with water and close the furthest valve first then the valve near the hose, so it will be under pressure. Disconnect the hose, and secure it to a wood base and slowly wrap it around a pin lock Corny keg.

This sound like a good Idea? that Convoluted copper is EXPENSIVE...I'd rather not F'it up.

 

[praetoriv]

Sounds like you have the right idea, coiling like a lot of people do, but you are just a bit nervous because of the cost. Rule of thumb is if you bend something round (like tubing or rod) you do it around a radius. The radius of the keg should work well enough. Smaller coils would require a tubing bender that supports the tube on both the outside and inside.

 

[stlbeer]

I don't understand why you'd need to straighten it to fill it with water. Since it's already coiled, recoil it around your corny. It should still work just fine that way.

Will it still fit in your keggle at that diameter? Do you have a ball lock corny or one you could borrow? The less bending on the copper the better.

 

[jgerard]

I found 20' of pre coiled copper tubing to fit my bayou turkey frier @ my local farm n fleet for 14$ I wonde how easy it'd be to make it into a chiller.

 

[praetoriv]

Very easy to make into a chiller. Sure there's a how to around here somewhere

 

[Bobby_M]

Do NOT straighten it out first. You're getting it shipped in a coil and you want to slightly tighten that coil up. Bending it twice will just work harden it and make it tougher to bend.

Fast forward to 3:10

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8EolKTDZUQ]Immersion Chiller (IC) Build - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Bsquared]

Okay, Thanks Bobby. I was thinking that having it straight would give me better leverage. But you make a very good point about bending it twice making it more difficult. Thanks for the video, that really helps, Ill get my neighbor to help me out.

I should have it by friday so I'll be making it this weekend.

 

[KuntzBrewing]

I made this today with 5/8 od precoiled copper, took maybe 15 minutes, I just eyeballed it, u don't have to wrap it around anything just bend it slightlyinto smaller circles, the hardest part is bending the return back up mines on the outside of the coils wish it was inside but my tube started to crease so I undid it slightly and said f it

 

[ChuckO]

Use a spring type of tube bender instead of filling the tube with water. It will support the tube and keep it from collapsing as it bends while being much easier than putting a valve on each end. I made an IC by using a 1 gal. paint can as a form and walked a tube bender around it tightening the original coil. The spring back of the coil made it come out slightly larger than the can.

 

[starman]

The more you mess with it, the stiffer it gets. So try to limit bends.

If you can sweat pipe (its not hard to learn) its easy... and you don't have to mess with getting the intake / outlet bends correct. I used a sacrificial old drywall mud bucket for my IC. Start the end of the tube at the bottom of the bucket and sink a corset drywall screw thru to keep it in place. I tightened the coil around by 'spinning' the bucket, kept in place with my feet. After you're done, just cut off the first couple inches with the hole and sweat on a 1/2" 90° elbow with sticks of straight copper for the risers and elbows / fittings for hose hook ups.

You might sacrifice some length for the starter, but gain much more by skipping the in/out as flex.

I wouldn't feel as comfortable doing this with compression fittings, given the shock they take as a chiller.

I can't find the link but there's a really good example of it by a guy doing a whirlpool IC.

 

[Bsquared]

Thanks for the advice guys, keep it coming.

It's not like Ive never done this my self, Ive built several IC's, a CFC and couple heat exchangers. Mostly with out problems, but with this 25' length a $175...I really want to get it right the first time. Also because this is Convoluted tubbing I'm really not sure how it will bend.

I think the Spring idea is a great one, I'll get out to harbor freight and get one. For the 90º connections to the keg I do have a pipe bender that will let me do that. I will be using compression fittings because this id NOT and IC it is a heat exchanger and will be plumbed to sanitary fittings through the keg/HLT.

I'll post some pictures of my success...or epic fail

 

[Bsquared]

Forget about it, look what the UPS man brought today. All ready to go!

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

That looks totally disgusting! So disgusting, I need to send you my shipping address

 

[KuntzBrewing]

That does look pretty sick, just when I was all proud of the one I made you had to one up it lol I bet that cost a pretty penny

 

[Bsquared]

I bet that cost a pretty penny

It did...I have been vacillating on wether to get this or the SS one from kal,or just go with plain copper tube senes I mangled my first attempt to coil 1/2 SS tube myself.

I have a counterflow chiller that is made from the convoluted copper, and it is supper efficient at knocking down temps, so i decided to spring for it. Hopefully this will be the last build for a while.