Converting a IC to HERMS Coil

[SAMPLER]

I'm in the process of putting together my new HERMS set up and decided to recycle my IC. Anyone special I should know or do to pull this off smoothly. The reason I ask is the IC had been well used and has a few minor twists and bends which could make rebending the coil a bit challenging. If it matters I will be using 3/8" copper.

Cheers

 

[joelrapp]

Did the same thing, except my IC was 1/2" so it made sweating on 1/2" female NPT easy. I added about 6" of height to the inlet and outlet w/ a 90 fitting to bring them out the handle of the keggle. Pretty easy and straight forward.

 

[kpr121]

I am interested to hear people ideas too, my plan for my 25 ft 3/8” copper IC to HERMs coil was a bit ghetto:

I wanted to be able to move the heat exchanger from the HLT to the BK and use it as both a HERMs and a IC, so there are no hard connections in the kettle. Everything will be connected via cam locks.

Short PEX line attached to each end of the copper coil with a stainless worm clamp (the PEX just barely slides onto the copper when warm). Then a sharkbite fitting to ½” male NPT. Then ½” female NPT to camlocks.

My biggest concern is the PEX connection with worm clamp. It worked without leak for 30+ brews as an immersion chiller but I suspect that the constant high temps during mash recirculation may cause that connection to fail at some point.

 

[SAMPLER]

Thanks... pictures would be great!

 

[kpr121]

Ill try to get some tonight, maybe during an intermission of the Pens game!

 

[bruin_ale]

kpr's idea is interesting.. I used copper compression fittings and weldless keggle fittings to hard fix my old IC into my HLT as a HERMS. Went together really easily...

 

[kpr121]

Cant say I came up with the idea. I got it from this guy and have seen it a few times on here before. Hes got some good pictures. He mounted it through a lid with a thermometer on the output. Very cool, and more than I plan to do.
: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/e-herms-build-4500w-elements-pics-310259/

 

[kpr121]

Heres a pic of what I plan to do.... Although I am really liking the idea of mounting this in a lid that would fit both the HLT and BK... might have to think about that, it wouldnt be too hard.

 

[Hauntedyards]

For a buck you can get the soft to rigid sweat fittings from any HVAC place. No sense MacGyvering things together...

This is from my 1/2" IC...

 

[kpr121]

Yeah I guess I could do that, and I would probably suggest it to others. I had mostly all this stuff on hand so it wasnt like it cost me much.

Plus I've never sweated fittings before. Maybe its time to learn a new trick!

 

[aludwig]

I mounted my old IC in a lid with compression fittings. I had to reform it a bit and didn't do a great job, which is why the coil looks crappy. I also mounted a stir motor i picked up from ebay for $15. This way I don't need two pumps to keep both the HERMS and kettle water flowing. I still need to mount the electrical box to the lid next to the motor and install the QD fittings to the elbows.

 

[kpr121]

Dude thats awesome!