Counter Flow Wort Chiller Statistics?

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DesignatedDecoy

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I've been researching CFW chillers. There's many variables and I'm on a budget so I'm wondering what I actually NEED for a keggle set up, in case I decide to upgrade later.

I'll be using 90*F (33C) water.

Should I use 3/8" ID copper tubing or 1/2" copper tubing?
Can I get away with a 25' wort chiller , or do I need 50'?

(Because I'll be using warmer water I'll also be getting high temp outer tubing.)
 
Longer is better. That said, I have 20' 3/8" and it works for me. I used the refrigerator/refrigerant coil copper tubing from Home Depot for my CFC.

90* water isn't going to get you where you need to be, but you already know that. My guess is that it will get your wort to about 100*, so you'll need to figure out a way to get it down the final bit.

I use a harbor freight submersible pump in a 5 gallon bucket of ice water to provide the cooling water bath. I can cool my 10+ gallons in about half an hour.
 
I think 20' with 3/8" copper tubing inside is about ideal. It's diminishing returns after that.

You'll also want a pump that is food grade and can handle 212º for pumping wort through the CFC. I went with a chugger pump since it was slightly cheaper at the time. I am very happy with it.
You wont need a fancy pump for circulating the coolant though.
 
Mine is 25' and I used a very scientific method to arrive at that length.....

My buddy and I bought a 50' hose and a 50' coil of 3/8" copper and made two CFC's.

To deal with warmer water, I run my wort through my CFC and then through another 10' section of 3/8" that is submerged in an ice bath. So the CFC gets the wort from 190 F to about 80 F and the ice batch drops it from 80 F to 65F.
 
Great idea with the ice bath. I didn't think of that or run into that idea yet. A bag or two of ice. Cheap and easy. That's what I'll do. Thank you.

Since the 3/8 tubing comes in 20' lengths, 20' it is!
 
I'm going to loft up the kettle so I can gravity feed the CFC but whew, that chugger pump's expensive. I suppose I'll eventually need it though, unless I want to build a brew stand that reaches the ceiling, which is probably more expensive now that I think of it.

I've yet to get into all grain so i haven't researched that much on pumps.
 
Find the thread titled "cheap, compact wort pump". Several workable pumps under 50 bucks, I just ordered one figuring I can recirculate with it through a 15ft CFC. I am also not interested in spending what march or chugger want for pumps.
 
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