DIY Sabco Chill Wizard with pics

[TommyTbar]

So I have been using my pump and plate chiller just on the floor for about 5 brews then eventually just went back to using the Immersion Chiller because it was too cumbersome having all my hoses and pump just hanging out. So I got some inspiration from a fellow member on his build
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/chill-wizard-inspired-pump-chiller-station-407706/

I built exactly the same thing, his actually has an integrated Inline O2 stone as well as an inline temp probe. I just use a Blichmann thrumometer
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/thrumometer.html?gclid=CIac0ba53cECFcyyMgodXm8AWg
I thought I would share my build.

Stand is all 3/4 inch PVC and some random scraps of wood I had laying around and the wood is attached by PVC clamps.

Total cost for the stand was $10.59 from Home Depot. Obviously not including the plate chiller.

Plate chiller + add a pump kit cost $210.00
I got a hold of a SS inline chugger pump for $100.00

Total cost of $320.59

Not bad considering a brand new Sabco Chill wizard is $950.00!




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[augiedoggy]

That looks like the duda diesel 23 plate chiller I bought but they are only $100? what does the add a pump kit consist of? just the camlock fittings?
I used a stainless Tee on the exit from the chiller with a thermometer in one opening and a male camlock in the other... this way I can constantly monitor the temps of the wort passing through...

 

[TommyTbar]

That looks like the duda diesel 23 plate chiller I bought but they are only $100? what does the add a pump kit consist of? just the camlock fittings?
I used a stainless Tee on the exit from the chiller with a thermometer in one opening and a male camlock in the other... this way I can constantly monitor the temps of the wort passing through...

The Plate Chiller is from Brewhardware.com its the 30 plate long version around $140, he also has various options to add a T with compression fittings for a thermowell etc.

his add a pump kit consists of various camlock 1/2 ID fittings, if iI remember correctly 14 ft of 1/2 ID slicone tubing and a 3 piece ball valve for the output of the pump, if you bought all the fittings separate it would be around the same price he just has them in a kit for ease of purchase. Cost was around $80

I already had the Blichmann thrumometer so i just stuck with that works great, if you check out the thread that I based my build off of thats what i will eventually do with and inline O2 stone, but on a college budget I am sticking with what I got for the moment haha

 

[30Bones]

Never owned a plate chiller, but how much are you throttling the pump to run it through the chiller to have chilled wort coming out?. I like this setup, but am leery of a plate chiller since I am used to an immersion.

Great work and this is appealing since I am eventually going to have the ability to do back to back 5-10 gallon batches and chilling like this might be a big time and water saver. Being portable and compact to store is also big on my list.

 

[BillKlineVT]

Nice work! I added wheels to mine after I saw someone else did the same... Makes it easy to move around during brew day




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[augiedoggy]

The Plate Chiller is from Brewhardware.com its the 30 plate long version around $140, he also has various options to add a T with compression fittings for a thermowell etc.

his add a pump kit consists of various camlock 1/2 ID fittings, if iI remember correctly 14 ft of 1/2 ID slicone tubing and a 3 piece ball valve for the output of the pump, if you bought all the fittings separate it would be around the same price he just has them in a kit for ease of purchase. Cost was around $80

I already had the Blichmann thrumometer so i just stuck with that works great, if you check out the thread that I based my build off of thats what i will eventually do with and inline O2 stone, but on a college budget I am sticking with what I got for the moment haha

That would explain it thanks...mines only the 23 plate long version.

 

[helibrewer]

Nice work! I added wheels to mine after I saw someone else did the same... Makes it easy to move around during brew day

View attachment 233798


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Are you pre-filtering before going into the chiller?

 

[TommyTbar]

Never owned a plate chiller, but how much are you throttling the pump to run it through the chiller to have chilled wort coming out?. I like this setup, but am leery of a plate chiller since I am used to an immersion.

Great work and this is appealing since I am eventually going to have the ability to do back to back 5-10 gallon batches and chilling like this might be a big time and water saver. Being portable and compact to store is also big on my list.

It really depends on a number of things how much I throttle the pump.

In Michigan our ground water gets pretty cold, so the colder your chilling water the faster you can run the pump, the warmer the slower you have to run.

I guess you could play around with how quickly the chilling water passes through as well, but I've never felt the need.

Bigger batch capability was why I got one, I didn't want to buy a bigger IC as the one I have is only 20 foot.

Plate chillers forsure save on water. One thing is to make sure you run a cleaning cycle with PBW after each brew to ensure it gets cleaned properly.

This stand makes it a lot easier to use my pump in general, it's plugged into a power strip mounted to my stand that has an on off switch works great. (don't forget to gfci any electrical associated with brewing)

I wouldn't go back to a immersion chiller at this point.


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[TommyTbar]

Here's the rig moving strike water to the MLT. The chiller set up (looks like a tangled mess but really isn't that bad haha) and wort passing through the blichmann thrumometer into the fermenter




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[TommyTbar]

Never owned a plate chiller, but how much are you throttling the pump to run it through the chiller to have chilled wort coming out?. I like this setup, but am leery of a plate chiller since I am used to an immersion.

Great work and this is appealing since I am eventually going to have the ability to do back to back 5-10 gallon batches and chilling like this might be a big time and water saver. Being portable and compact to store is also big on my list.

Throttling depends on how cold the ground water is, here in Michigan it's pretty cold especially in the winter.

The colder the ground water the faster you can flow, the warmer the slower.

You can also play around with how quick the chilling water is flowing through the chiller.

Plate chillers forsure save on water.

One thing is to make sure you run a cleaning cycle with PBW after each use to ensure its clean. You can't really take it apart and scrub it.

Bigger batch capability was why I purchased one, I didn't want to purchase a larger immersion chiller to handle bigger batches.

This stand also makes its easier to use my pump in general, I have it plugged into a power strip with an on off switch that's mounted to my brew stand, works great (remember to always gfci anything electrical associated with brewing)

I wouldn't go back to an immersion a this point.


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[TommyTbar]

30bones here's a reply, HBT is not letting me quote your post for some reason.

Throttling depends on how cold the ground water is, here in Michigan it's pretty cold especially in the winter.

The colder the ground water the faster you can flow, the warmer the slower.

You can also play around with how quick the chilling water is flowing through the chiller.

Plate chillers forsure save on water.

One thing is to make sure you run a cleaning cycle with PBW after each use to ensure its clean. You can't really take it apart and scrub it.

Bigger batch capability was why I purchased one, I didn't want to purchase a larger immersion chiller to handle bigger batches.

This stand also makes its easier to use my pump in general, I have it plugged into a power strip with an on off switch that's mounted to my brew stand, works great (remember to always gfci anything electrical associated with brewing)

I wouldn't go back to an immersion a this point.


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[30Bones]

Thanks, I am really liking this. I am selling my brutus10 clone and going back to a cooler MT and BK/HLT to save space and keep this hobby within a reasonable amount of money I already miss my pump and this may have to be something I seriously consider down the road.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Very nice....if you backflush well and recirc boiling wort before chilling, you may not need to do PBW every time. I had the very same chiller and it was always clean (I used a SS hop spider to filter hops).

TIP: Make the chiller easily detachable.....they hold quite a bit of liquid and you'll want to tip it in different angles to drain it thoroughly...residual water will grow nasties in between brews.