atl_sud
Active Member
I'm looking for advice on the most efficient way to use the chiller. With my old immersion chiller I had the cooling water running full blast. Do you moderate the water flow or just the wort flow?
First run using counter flow chiller
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It depends on how cold your water is, if you're using gravity or a pump, and finally what temp you're trying to achieve.
If your water is too cold for what your aiming for you can slow it down to get your wort warmer. This is seldom the case.
If the wort is coming out too hot you would slow the flow by using a ball valve or just using gravity, depending on your setup.
In NY I have wiggle room in the winter and can run my pump fast to chill in 10 minutes or so. During the summer I use gravity and take 20 minutes to chill.
If your water is too cold for what your aiming for you can slow it down to get your wort warmer. This is seldom the case.
If the wort is coming out too hot you would slow the flow by using a ball valve or just using gravity, depending on your setup.
In NY I have wiggle room in the winter and can run my pump fast to chill in 10 minutes or so. During the summer I use gravity and take 20 minutes to chill.
dyqik
Well-Known Member
Your best bet is to install an inline thermometer on the wort outlet of the chiller, and monitor the temperature there. It's also worth checking the temperature (roughly by hand is OK) of the outlet water. If you are trying to save water and can spend a bit of time, turn the water flow down so that the outlet water is hot (and collect it for cleaning duties) and recirculate the wort until the wort outlet temperature is at pitch temperature. The bigger the temperature difference between your inlet and outlet water, the less water you need in total (total heat energy transferred is specific heat of water x volume x temperature difference between inlet and outlet, so making the temperature difference large makes the volume smaller). Always make sure that your wort doesn't chill below pitch temperature, as that's just a waste of time.
Using a 24V little tan pump when draining through a 25ft 3/8" CFC right now in Massachusetts (maybe 40F water temp), I have to keep my water flow lowish to prevent the wort chilling below 70F pitching temperatures once I've finished my 180F whirlpool hopstand.
Using a 24V little tan pump when draining through a 25ft 3/8" CFC right now in Massachusetts (maybe 40F water temp), I have to keep my water flow lowish to prevent the wort chilling below 70F pitching temperatures once I've finished my 180F whirlpool hopstand.
atl_sud
Active Member
Thanks for the responses. In Atlanta area the water is in the 50's.
I was running the water and the march pump full blast and the wort was over 100. The exit water was lukewarm at best. I recirculated into the kettle until the wort was 70.
Next time I will moderate wort flow so I can pump directly to the fermenter. I will also restrict the water so I can capture some hot water for clean up.
I was running the water and the march pump full blast and the wort was over 100. The exit water was lukewarm at best. I recirculated into the kettle until the wort was 70.
Next time I will moderate wort flow so I can pump directly to the fermenter. I will also restrict the water so I can capture some hot water for clean up.
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