I have used my plate chiller 3 times now.
First time i had my chiller Horizontal, my tap water was 70F so i was expecting to see a post chilled temp of about 72, 74 maybe?
Nope i had wort coming out at 84-86F with the garden hose on full tap. after a while i started to play with the water hose rate and found that about 1/2 way i was getting better cooling. got it down to 78F my wort ended up at 82F after sitting for 30 minutes and i foolishly just pitched instead of waiting.
(that beer ended up really good though!)
2nd attempt i decided to freeze a small bucket of water. when it was time to chill the wort my water temp was 68, maybe 66F? but again my wort was coming out in the 80s , i put the block of ice on top and now it was coming out in the 70s .
So i looked for documentation on dudadiesel.com and could not find any
so i emailed their support , with photos asking if i should use Vertical, Horizontal ... or *drum roll* with the chiller on its back.
their answer, put the chiller on its back.
this 3rd brew, we got some snow , ice and really really cold weather. tap water is now 52-54F . i Bravely / foolishly skipped making an ice block .
i set the plate chiller on its back and opened up my keggle , wort flows through but i can't see a reading on the throughmeter.. OH NO ! i reach for a pyrmometer really quickly in fear that the wort is off the chart. i scan the throumeter to confirm, yes its off the chart !!
off the chart cause its too cold! my wort was coming out at 54F . In at 200F out at 54F with 52F tap water.. omfg
I use a 15.5 gallon Keggle with a 1/2" threaded ball valve, but a 3/8" dip tube and 3/8" barbed end. that runs 3/8 down to my Dudadiesel B3-12A 30plate (using 3/8" barb ends 1/2 " threaded adaptors) to the thrumeter (also 3/8") and then down into my fermenter.
Honestly i'm still in shock.
oh also i had to throttle the cooling water WAY back (20% full throttle?) so that the wort would come out in the mid 60s. I ended up with a final temp of 61F . I was aiming for 68F ... so i'm really happy i was able to miss my mark in the awesome direction .