Fittings for DIY wort chiller build

[IcicleToes]

Hello Friends,

Due to my poor plumbing knowledge, I am having a bit of difficulty figuring out what fittings/connectors I will need for my DIY immersion chiller project. I intend to solder the fittings rather than using a hose clamp setup, and I am curious how others have approached this. My rationale is that a soldered connection is less likely to suffer from leakage, so I figured I'd go the extra mile. I have 25 ft of copper tubing with 3/8 inch outer diameter. Could I directly solder the barb end of this female garden hose fitting to the copper tubing? Would I want to slide the barb over the copping tubing?

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/female-brass-garden-hose-thread-x-1-2-barb-single.html

Also, should I have a female GHT for the output of the chiller? I guess it doesn't matter much, since you could connect either end of a hose the output. Any thoughts? I appreciate it!

 

[grainbill]

I used something similar to this http://www.lowes.com/Plumbing/Pipe-...=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1#!&rpp=32&page=3

not quite the same, I may have needed to step up once. There is a fitting that has the male hose threads..I switched over to QD fitting some time ago and can't remember the exact setup. You LHBS might actually carry the fitting.. you can see them here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-homemade-wort-chiller-177830/

 

[FuriousE]

I soldered a fitting that slipped over the pipe and had 3/4" threads on the other end. I then screwed on 3/4" to garden hose adapters (one male and one female). Then, I just screwed a garden hose to each end.

 

[kegtoe]

did you do this? it seems there isn't many fittings out there for 3/8 OD

 

[MaxStout]

did you do this? it seems there isn't many fittings out there for 3/8 OD

You can get 3/8 to 1/2" adapters at the home center store to connect your tubing to sweat-on plumbing fittings.

 

[kegtoe]

that wont fit 3/8" OD tubing

 

[MaxStout]

that wont fit 3/8" OD tubing

You're right. I think a 1/4" fitting will be needed to connect to 3/8" tubing. When I built mine from 3/8 I now remember there being that disparity between the nominal values for rigid copper pipe versus those for flexible tubing.

 

[kegtoe]

yep, you have a link or pictures to your build?

You're right. I think a 1/4" fitting will be needed to connect to 3/8" tubing. When I built mine from 3/8 I now remember there being that disparity between the nominal values for rigid copper pipe versus those for flexible tubing.

 

[MaxStout]

yep, you have a link or pictures to your build?

I used 50' of 3/8" OD tubing.

 

[Bobby_M]

Correct, you'd sweat 1/4" fittings on. What I do is just use garden hose fittings with a 1/2" hose barb. It just so happens the ID of the 1/2" hose barb ends are 3/8"

 

[kegtoe]

Bobby, so you'd just put the barb over the copper tube, having the garden connection facing out?

Good idea, but I could really use a couple 1/4" 90 elbows.

Correct, you'd sweat 1/4" fittings on. What I do is just use garden hose fittings with a 1/2" hose barb. It just so happens the ID of the 1/2" hose barb ends are 3/8"

 

[billybryson54]

Don't know if you have an Ace hardware around where you live, but around here (California) I have found that they carry all the odd copper fittings that Depot and Lowes doesn't carry. The Ace near house has 1/4" copper fittings so it may be worth a shot

 

[bdogg171]

I used sharkbite fittings to hose connectors from HD and I'm pretty impressed with them...no leaks.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-...n-Male-Pipe-Thread-Adapter-U118LFA/202270504/