Florida Brewers

[flbrewer1]

For the Florida Brewers (or anywhere that is hot as heck in the summer), which wort chilling equipment are you using in the summer?

I haven't checked the temp. but I know my tap water is quite warm in the summer.

 

[YeastMode]

This is the best solution I have found in this constant battle against the unrelenting Florida heat:

I use a 50' copper chiller hooked up to the hose and let it run until the temp gets down to where it's just about the temp of the hose water, maybe 85* or so. Then I hook up my immersion fountain pump I got from harbor freight for around 10 bucks and thow it into a bucket with ice water (I use an entire bag of ice) and let the water recirculate. After about 30 minutes in total, the wort is right around 70-75*.

I also stir periodically while doing this, which really helps.

 

[nyer]

I have been using an immersion chiller to get down to around 90-100 then I finish cooling it in my fermentation chamber. I have my chest freezer nice and cold and tape the probe to my bucket. It has been working very good. My tap water in the summer is about 85 so its very tough to chill here using standard methods. I'm toying with the idea of using an immersion pump and chiller and using my pool water in the winter, its usually in the low 70's.

 

[bonebrewing]

Also in FL, and I use the same method as yeast mode. I have a 25' copper immersion chiller and go hose water first then ice bath with pond pump. If I agitate the chiller throughout I can get 5 gallons from boiling to 65 in about 20-25 mins.

 

[joe_four_strings]

I do small 3 gal batches, so I've been using the ice bath method and ferm chamber. I will be making an immersion chiller soon tho.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I am not in Florida but have those temperatures year round (68-70F for low, 87-95F for high) and generally brew in the early evening to avoid the heat of the day and bugs.

I use a 25ft wort chiller (tap water temp around 84F) and it takes me about 15-20 minutes to get to 90F with a frozen 1.5L of bottled water in the wort (part of my top up). I then put the kettle in a cooler filled with ice water (at 34F) and within 10-15 minutes it is cooled down to the mid 60s, I also stir the wort inside the kettle while in the cooler. I do full boils of 6 gallons.

A buddy of mine in Panama (the country) is using an improvised chiller consisting of a 5 gallon plastic water bottle with the top cut off, 50' of copper tubing inside, filled with water and frozen prior to chilling the wort. He was able to get to 80F in 20 minutes with his 80F tap water and 70F with another 20 minutes.

 

[smokinop]

This is the best solution I have found in this constant battle against the unrelenting Florida heat:

I use a 50' copper chiller hooked up to the hose and let it run until the temp gets down to where it's just about the temp of the hose water, maybe 85* or so. Then I hook up my immersion fountain pump I got from harbor freight for around 10 bucks and thow it into a bucket with ice water (I use an entire bag of ice) and let the water recirculate. After about 30 minutes in total, the wort is right around 70-75*.

I also stir periodically while doing this, which really helps.

this