DIY Coil Chiller - In the Wort or In the Cooler?

[angry_gopher]

Which way would work better? Just thinking that much like a radiator it would be a lot quicker to circulate the wort through the wort through a chiller immersed in an ice bath rather than the other way around. Sort of like a counter chiller but for poor people

 

[parjay]

It's a lot harder to clean the inside of an immersion chiller.

 

[NineMileStyle]

Dropping the coil into the wort has worked perfectly ONE BILLION TIMES (give or take) and gets sanitized in the process....

 

[angry_gopher]

It's a lot harder to clean the inside of an immersion chiller.

Please excuse my ignorance, but how is it harder to clean the inside of an immersion chiller than a counter chiller?

 

[NineMileStyle]

looks there's a thread about this:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/running-wort-through-immersion-chiller.270799/

 

[parjay]

Please excuse my ignorance, but how is it harder to clean the inside of an immersion chiller than a counter chiller?

No harder, but harder than cleaning the outside.

 

[angry_gopher]

looks there's a thread about this:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/running-wort-through-immersion-chiller.270799/

Yup, and it's 7 years old. Some of the information is definitely still relevant, especially the issues regarding cleaning copper with Starsan. My own experience with condensing coils makes me question the anecdotes about the inefficiencies of reverse chilling.

 

[NineMileStyle]

Well...try it...if it works to your liking, awesome.
If not....lesson learned.
Tell us about it so we know.

 

[Pappers_]

One way that its different than a counter flow chiller is that in the counter flow chiller, both the water and the wort are moving (in opposite directions), which must affect the heat transfer. That sounded dangerously sciencey . . . . LOL.

 

[shaky6]

I used an immersion chiller and then built a counterflow chiller. I'll never go back, this counterflow unit is the shiznit. 5 gallon batch at boiling to pitchable temp in the carboy in 10 minutes. I use one of those little 12v "solar" pumps to move it through at a low rate.

 

[angry_gopher]

I used an immersion chiller and then built a counterflow chiller. I'll never go back, this counterflow unit is the shiznit. 5 gallon batch at boiling to pitchable temp in the carboy in 10 minutes. I use one of those little 12v "solar" pumps to move it through at a low rate.

Thanks! I was wondering about the solar pumps, I just picked up 2 of them for this project.

 

[shaky6]

Whirlpool really well before opening the valve, and when you open the valve blow through the hose to clear out stuff that will clog. No problems from there.