DIY double coil chiller

[WestMichBrewer]

I went to a local plumbing/electrical supply store and got copper for about half of HD or Lowes prices. The small diameter copper wire I used to hold everything together came from some old fluorescent lighting fixtures. I stripped off the insulation and the bare wire was perfect for what I needed.

Here's some photos of the one I built. I got the general idea of the "ribcage" design from a discussion here on HBT, and modified it to suit my needs. It works really well, and was easier to build than I thought it would be.

The top tube makes a nice handle for getting it into and out of the kettle. The two T joints on the top tube are structural only, meaning I filed out the inside of the T's so the input/output pipes go straight through them. When it's all soldered and wired together it is a nice rigid structure.

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That's beautiful work right there...I like the extra structural components you added.

 

[SouthPhillyBr3w3r]

That's beautiful work right there...I like the extra structural components you added.

Yeah that's some clean work. I hope my finished product looks half as good. Does anyone have a good way to get tinning flux residue off? I wiped it down well with rubbing alcohol, but I really don't want any of that garbage in my next batch of beer.

 

[LittleRiver]

Use some citrus cleaner and hot water. Rinse thoroughly.

Thanks for the compliments guys!

 

[SouthPhillyBr3w3r]

Finally finished the beast (that's what I am calling this monster). The one problem I am running into is how to get all of the water out of it after using it. It is heavy as H3LL when it is full of water. It's not as pretty as I had hoped, but it doesn't leak and gets quite cold with tap water flowing through it. I will be brewing probably this week, so I will get to try it out, so I want to find a way to properly clean the exterior before using it, so I don't end up with a beer full of flux. I can't use OxyClean/TSP to soak it because my brew kettle is aluminum. Any thoughts?

 

[day_trippr]

Considering you were gonna bail not long ago that's a fantastic outcome. Nicely done

Assuming you used water soluble lead-free flux, some dishwashing detergent and a fresh Scotchbrite pad ought to work wonders...

Cheers!

 

[Transamguy77]

Finally finished the beast (that's what I am calling this monster). The one problem I am running into is how to get all of the water out of it after using it. It is heavy as H3LL when it is full of water. It's not as pretty as I had hoped, but it doesn't leak and gets quite cold with tap water flowing through it. I will be brewing probably this week, so I will get to try it out, so I want to find a way to properly clean the exterior before using it, so I don't end up with a beer full of flux. I can't use OxyClean/TSP to soak it because my brew kettle is aluminum. Any thoughts?
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That looks really nice! You can usually drain it using a siphon, if you keep the hose that flows the waste water below the chiller and disconnect the feed hose it should siphon most of tje water out. Thats how I drain my 50' IC.

As far as cleaning maybe just boil it with some dish soap the a rinse with hot water or reboil with just plain water.

 

[LittleRiver]

Well done! It looks great.

 

[bikedave99]

Finally finished the beast (that's what I am calling this monster). The one problem I am running into is how to get all of the water out of it after using it. It is heavy as H3LL when it is full of water. It's not as pretty as I had hoped, but it doesn't leak and gets quite cold with tap water flowing through it. I will be brewing probably this week, so I will get to try it out, so I want to find a way to properly clean the exterior before using it, so I don't end up with a beer full of flux. I can't use OxyClean/TSP to soak it because my brew kettle is aluminum. Any thoughts?

Looks good man, way to overcome! As far as draining is concerned since you have inlets both top and bottom gravity won't work with you too well. If you have an air compressor, I would tip it over its side and feed it as much air as you can. As a tip, and may you already know this... be sure and have your inlet and outlet hoses connected before you drop it into your boiling wort. It will erupt and spew hot water and steam either onto you or into your wort...

 

[Thumpgrinder]

Dude, that is sweet! Me likey...

 

[SouthPhillyBr3w3r]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate your encouragement early in the process. I cannot believe I was going to give up!!! Soldering really is as easy as you said it was. Threads like this are the reason I love this forum. You all saved my project when I was going to give it up and ditch it all as scrap metal! CHEERS!

 

[wmubronco]

#Persistence

Just read this little post... felt like I was on the journey myself. Great work on the accomplished task, cheers!

 

[Nokt]

I went to a local plumbing/electrical supply store and got copper for about half of HD or Lowes prices. The small diameter copper wire I used to hold everything together came from some old fluorescent lighting fixtures. I stripped off the insulation and the bare wire was perfect for what I needed.

Here's some photos of the one I built. I got the general idea of the "ribcage" design from a discussion here on HBT, and modified it to suit my needs. It works really well, and was easier to build than I thought it would be.

The top tube makes a nice handle for getting it into and out of the kettle. The two T joints on the top tube are structural only, meaning I filed out the inside of the T's so the input/output pipes go straight through them. When it's all soldered and wired together it is a nice rigid structure.

View attachment 558868 View attachment 558869 View attachment 558870

LittleRiver, What kind of tubing did you use for the coil?

 

[LittleRiver]

LittleRiver, What kind of tubing did you use for the coil?

The coils are 3/8" soft copper (for refrigeration, HVAC), the rest is 1/2" hard copper pipe.

There's a little more info about the chiller in this post: DIY Interwoven "Rib-Cage" Immersion Chiller

 

[Nokt]

Thanks! Love the design

 

[LittleRiver]

Love the design

Thanks Nokt. Credit for the original idea goes to the discussions in that other thread, all I did was refine the idea.