DIY or 20% off wort chiller?

[arnobg]

A certain website is offering 20% off single item purchased for labor day sale.

I am pretty handy with DIY projects and need a wort chiller. Would it be easier/more economical to just purchase a chiller rather than make it, how much money would I really save. It will come to around $60 for 25' ready to go.

Also, I dont do more than 5-6 gallon batches, is a 25' sufficient for this? I am looking at the stainless model. I will eventually do all grain in the future I'm sure, would a 50' be better?

 

[Nagorg]

For that batch size, 25' is fine. IMHO, you should buy the pre-made chiller unless you have the right tools for bending SS tubing and a good source for the material. That is unless you just prefer making your own stuff.

 

[LetTheWookieeWin]

I have one I made at home and one I purchased. They function just the same, but one looks like a professional made it as opposed to it looking like it was made by someone who may have been enjoying too much homebrew that day. I don't think you save much money making it yourself. 50' would be better for future growth, but 25' works fine.

 

[KartRacer54]

I made mine. First thing is copper transfers heat better, not an opinion just physics. Second thing is 50' is way to go because if you are like most folks your need will change over time with kettle size and it can easily be reconfigured. 50' 3/8 soft copper is about $45. Use regular 1/2 hose and hose clamps and your cooling wort!

 

[Lukes1040]

I made my own out of copper, very easy to make and a 50' diy chiller will still be cheaper than a 25' purchased one. 50' may sound like a lot but when I built mine it was for 5 gallon batches. It can chill boiling wort to pitching temp in less than 15 min.

As for bending it, just wrap it around a corny keg or 5 gal bucket. This will help prevent kinks which is the only thing you need to worry about when building a diy chiller.

Good luck!

 

[Nagorg]

My 50' IC is too tall for a 5-7 gallon batch; in my kettle anyway.... You ideally want the full height of the coil to be submerged during the chill. A keggle may provide enough depth for that batch size than the flat bottom kettles I've been using.

For me, I use a 25' IC for 5-7 G batches and a 50' for 10-15G batches.