Electric boil kettle and immersion chiller

[cs2to4]

Can you submerge an immersion chiller in an electric boil kettle that has the element permanently installed in the side? If not, what alternatives are there (maybe putting immersion chiller in before first drawings, so that no pressure is directly applied to heating element)? Thanks

 

[Cliff897]

Can you submerge an immersion chiller in an electric boil kettle that has the element permanently installed in the side?

Why not? It's not like you are going to pile weight on the thing.
If you prefer not to have it touch you can stand the chiller up in little legs you solder in place on the chiller.

If not, what alternatives are there

I was planning an integral system. Two, through-the-kettle ports.
I may however forgo the holes and just build a SST tube coil with about 75 or 100 feet of tube in the BK and suspend it from a mount in the over all system.

I haven't made up my mind which I want to do. Either way It's definitely going to be powered VIA an ethelyne glycol chiller set up in the cellar.

 

[Duster72]

I attached the uprights of my IC to a wood 2x4 via strapping and the 2x4 sits across the top of my kettle to keep the weight off of my element. It's not pretty, but it works. I would love to hear a better solution.

 

[bakins]

Bringing this thread back from the dead to see if anyone has any ideas? I'm thinking of going back to chilling and thinking a whirlpooled immersion chiller would be just fine for me.

 

[dragon99]

Don't know that I have a perfect answer for ya yet, but I'm in the process of building a Counter-top 20 and I have every intention of using an immersion chiller.

Soldering on a couple/three legs sounds like the best bet. A few pieces of copper tubing straightened and cut about 1-2" long outta do the trick.

 

[jfkriege]

On my small system, I just let the IC sit on the element and there is no issue. On my larger system, I am bending the copper so the IC hangs into the pot on the copper inlet and outlet branches. A basic pipe bender making a 180 bend is quite enough to keep it all where you want it.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Don't know that I have a perfect answer for ya yet, but I'm in the process of building a Counter-top 20 and I have every intention of using an immersion chiller.

Soldering on a couple/three legs sounds like the best bet. A few pieces of copper tubing straightened and cut about 1-2" long outta do the trick.

I think this is the way to go....rigid tubing might be easiest/most effective. I don't know about everyone else, but I have a 50' Copper IC and it has some weight to it. I wouldn't want to damage the element or compromise the bulkhead fitting.....

 

[Towermonkey]

Has anybody tried making their IC coil sideways so that it can slide over the element? I'm thinking about doing this but havn't sat down next to my equipment since I came up with the idea.

 

[jfkriege]

This would not be ideal if you are also going to whirlpool with the IC in it. Additionally, if it is submerged, it does not matter as much where it is in the liquid. Go for it, though, it sounds like a reasonable experiment.

 

[klyph]

I rest a 50' 1/2" copper IC directly on an element mounted with a weldless locknut. You guys worry too much, you think the weight of the chiller will break the element?

 

[Towermonkey]

I have no problem resting the IC on the element, my only issue is with the rare 5 gallon batch where I only have about 2 gallons of water over my element and very little IC contact with the wort. In hindsight I could have mounted my element a little lower but seeing as where I am now I'm planning on rebuilding my old 3/8 IC as I described before my next 5 gallon batch. I'll report back once I've tried it.

 

[SankePankey]

I built a stainless 'table' for my elements that stuff sits on (used to be my IC, but I got a plate). It's a piece of perforated stainless sheet from McMaster w/ 1/2" holes and the feet are just eye bolts. Doesn't inhibit the boil at all. That way you don't have to make feet for the IC (tried that too).

 

[paledragon]

i have a 50' stainless IC, which when filled is surprisingly heavy. i just pulled a space between the coils to make room for the heating element. i've got a keggle with a locknut welded on. so the IC sits on the bottom of the keg, then there's about 3-5 coils, space for the element, and then the rest of the coils. originally i was just resting it on the element, but for 5 gallon batches i was losing a lot of contact area with the wort.

p.d.