Dedicated Chiller Plumbing?

[jamorgan3777]

Working on the basement brewery and am considering how to plumb in the plate chiller. Do you have a separate line and valve for it or do you try to run it off a faucet? Wondering how others have done this. I would still like to unhook the chiller for cleaning/sanitation purposes so I dont want to permanent plumbing (quick disconnects or something).

 

[augiedoggy]

Working on the basement brewery and am considering how to plumb in the plate chiller. Do you have a separate line and valve for it or do you try to run it off a faucet? Wondering how others have done this. I would still like to unhook the chiller for cleaning/sanitation purposes so I dont want to permanent plumbing (quick disconnects or something).

I brew in a spare bedroom so the plate chiller is permanently mounted to my brew stand but I use garden hoses and brass quick disconnects to run my water to and from the bathroom nearby...
I mounted my chiller so the inlet is on the bottom and the outlet is on top. its drains completely this way and is easy to flush clean without ever having to move it... I just slide a bucket under it and backflush water after brewing and sometimes run pbw through it... I use a small 24v dc p38i food grade pump directly connected to the inlet with stainless camlocks to push wort through it. I have to dial the pump down most of the time because even when pumping 4-5ft up into the top of my conicals the pump is too fast so the pwm speed controller works great to dial in a speed to get the temp I want. I always let the water flow at 100%

 

[bigdawg86]

I did dedicated cold in hot out for my immersion wort chiller in my garage. You can see it in this video of my current layout I posted on another thread.

I am using flexzilla hose (my hardware store sells it by the foot) and the following quick connects.

Quick Connects

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjm1Q7Sdy0w[/ame]

 

[jamorgan3777]

cool setups! Thanks for the ideas!

 

[dyqik]

I run my brewery near the laundry sink and washer, so I've put a garden hose tee with shut-offs on the cold side of the laundry hookup - laundry hook ups are the same threads as garden hose. I run an RV hose from there to the brew area, and tee again with shut-offs to the chiller and a feed hose for filling the kettle (which I also use to heat sparge water). The outlet of the chiller runs into the laundry sink where I can collect the hot output water for cleaning.

You could put garden hose disconnects on the chiller for disconnecting it.

 

[itsnotrequired]

i put a tee with valve and garden hose fitting in the cold pex drop to my brew sink. tubing in photo is for the chiller, second valve is for my ro/di system.

 

[schematix]

It had evolved since this, but I did this as an extra just because I was doing it and it turned out to be one of the best ideas I had. I also hooked the RO system into it. I put male cam locks on everything.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1502925895.987518.jpg

 

[cyclonebeer]

I would suggest that you start with silicone tubing for everything and brew a few times with it. Once you figure out what makes sense for your brewery, then go with hard plumbing. Might save you some $ and frustration in the long run.

 

[jamorgan3777]

It had evolved since this, but I did this as an extra just because I was doing it and it turned out to be one of the best ideas I had. I also hooked the RO system into it. I put male cam locks on everything.

View attachment 411033

This is what I was thinking. Except I was going to run it more under the brew bench with a valve.

 

[schematix]

This is what I was thinking. Except I was going to run it more under the brew bench with a valve.

When i put that in i wasn't sure what i wanted so i left it with a 1/2" female NPT thread.

Since then i put in a 90, a tee, and 2 ball valves. 1 ball valve goes to the RO system and the other ball valve has a male cam lock for chilling water and general purpose water.

I need to take a pic of it as-is.

 

[wyowolf]

I just hook mine up to the sink with an adaptor. One thing that really sucks I have found is that in the summer water is 70 degrees... in winter its fine, but in summer it sucks.

One solution for me at least, I have a mini split AC by the brewery, so I just move the blickman under it, box it in with foam boards, in less than 12 hrs its down to low 50s.

 

[augiedoggy]

I just hook mine up to the sink with an adaptor. One thing that really sucks I have found is that in the summer water is 70 degrees... in winter its fine, but in summer it sucks.

One solution for me at least, I have a mini split AC by the brewery, so I just move the blickman under it, box it in with foam boards, in less than 12 hrs its down to low 50s.

What are you using and where do you live? I still chill to pitching temps in one pass myself during the summer with temps in the 80-90s outside... I do have to slow the flow of wort in my chiller down to less than a gallon per minute but it does the job... of course I dont pitch in the low 50s either though...

 

[schematix]

What are you using and where do you live? I still chill to pitching temps in one pass myself during the summer with temps in the 80-90s outside... I do have to slow the flow of wort in my chiller down to less than a gallon per minute but it does the job... of course I dont pitch in the low 50s either though...

yikes... what temp are you pitching at?

 

[augiedoggy]

yikes... what temp are you pitching at?

Whatever temp the yeast and style requires... I generally don't do a lot of lagers in the hotter months as I don't brew much in the summer. But even when I do I usually pitch at the upper end while my glycol chiller brings the temps lower if I do end up a few degrees higher.

 

[wyowolf]

What are you using and where do you live? I still chill to pitching temps in one pass myself during the summer with temps in the 80-90s outside... I do have to slow the flow of wort in my chiller down to less than a gallon per minute but it does the job... of course I dont pitch in the low 50s either though...

Atlanta area

Sorry i should have been more clear I guess. my plate chiller gets only to about 75 in the summer here, tap runs at 70. So i fill the fermenter , a blichman conical, and put it under the AC unit, sealed of course, then put some foam boards around it to form a box, then just let the AC above it cool it down, it will get down to about 56 or so over night, then I let it warm up to low 60s then pitch...

in the winter its great , it will cool it right down, i actually have to speed it up in winter or will be too cold for ales.

 

[snoman6115]

I ran a separate garden hose bib above the sink and a hot water line below to Jerry rig a common sink hand sprayer. Those wall mount faucets with sprayer are just way to expensive

View attachment 1503310588118.jpg

 

[augiedoggy]

I ran a separate garden hose bib above the sink and a hot water line below to Jerry rig a common sink hand sprayer. Those wall mount faucets with sprayer are just way to expensive

I thought about getting one of these for my new nano setup.. no sprayer though..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wall-Mount-...hash=item1c82762ae7:m:mRLdfm7NedHWAvxXBCa7EOg

 

[schematix]

Those wall mount faucets with sprayer are just way to expensive

They are amazing though.... i can clean my MLT, BK and RIMS spotless without any PBW or even a sponge. It blasts everything spotless.

I spent more on the faucet than the sink, but while the "stainless" sink is pitted with rust, the faucet still looks and works like brand new.

 

[jamorgan3777]

I just took receipt of a spray (pre rinse) faucet and the Gridmann stainless 24"x24" sink. No pics here because I plan to start a brewery build thread.

I am going to go pot filler faucet as well, except I am going to build one out of copper pipe and a swivel valve used for hose reels

I thought about incorporating a quick connect on the end of the pot filler and use that to run the plate chiller. I also have the "accessory faucet" from the sprayer that could also drive the plate chiller.

Also looking at how to direct drain. I think I have that figured out as well. Plan to use a drain connection with the side shoot that accepts from a garbage disposal. I think I can plumb the plate chiller water exit into that.

 

[snoman6115]

They are amazing though.... i can clean my MLT, BK and RIMS spotless without any PBW or even a sponge. It blasts everything spotless.

I spent more on the faucet than the sink, but while the "stainless" sink is pitted with rust, the faucet still looks and works like brand new.

If you plumb like I did so its coming out of the sprayer at full water pressure, it cleans just as well. If you run it through a faucet like normal, the faucet reduces the pressure to barely anything.