Free Pre-Chiller

[Fingers]

You could also pick up a transmission cooler. They might be cheaper because some are sold generically rather than for a specific vehicle. You install them yourself and they are basically the same thing as a heater core. I picked one up at a yard sale brand new for $5 once. I still wouldn't use it as a submersion chiller though.

 

[brewman !]

Most of the high quality A/C condenser units are 100% copper. I got a brand new one, about 2 feet by 3 feet for a commercial truck from surplus for $25.

I am going to put it in front of one of those big box fans and circulate my wort through it before hitting it with water from my CFC. It should really cut down on the amount of water one needs to chill a batch of steaming wort.

I'll write it up when I build and use it.

 

[budbo]

When I got my CFC I had really good luck just freezing 2 1 gallon jugs and putting them in a 7 gallon (old plastic primary) bucket of water on top of my old immersion chiller (Snow worked great in winter in Nebraska). that makes a great pre-chiller. If the wort isn't cool enough after going into the Fermenter, putting it in a rubbermaid tray and adding the pre-chiller water is usually enough to have it chilled from boil to pitch temps in 20 min.

 

[KSMICT]

Most of the high quality A/C condenser units are 100% copper. I got a brand new one, about 2 feet by 3 feet for a commercial truck from surplus for $25.

I am going to put it in front of one of those big box fans and circulate my wort through it before hitting it with water from my CFC. It should really cut down on the amount of water one needs to chill a batch of steaming wort.

I'll write it up when I build and use it.

I would not recommend this approach; It may be 100% copper, but the solder used is not 'food grade' or lead free. Trace ammounts of lead don't sound like fun.

I could be wrong here, but I would certainly advise caution

 

[Philip1993]

80GPH that means wide open only about 1.33 gallons of water per minute

For comparison, the typical garden hose flow is 5-10gpm. Typical faucet flow (with aerator/screen installed) is 2-2.5gpm.

I believe these pond pumps are highly overrated in their GPH and if not, it's at zero head (meaning pumping on a perfect horizontal plane).

You're correct, and most boxes indicate that on the package. Generally pumps that are non-commercial are rated at zero head. Those that are for deep submersion (like a well pump) are sometimes rated at a nominal install depth (50ft). For our purposes, it means zero-head.

 

[Philip1993]

Most of the high quality A/C condenser units are 100% copper. ... I am going to put it in front of one of those big box fans and circulate my wort through it

Brewman, don't do this unless want to get really sick.

"The use of automobile radiators containing lead-soldered parts in the illicit distillation of alcohol is an important source of lead poisoning <snip> the lead contents of specimens of moonshine confiscated from two radiator-containing stills in the county in 1991 were 7400 ug/L and 9700 ug/L, compared with nondetectable amounts (less than 1.0 ug/L) in municipal water from the county. <snip> Seven patients required hospitalization for 48 hours or longer (range: 2-18 days). <snip> Manifestations included generalized tonic-clonic seizures (six), microcytic anemia (five), encephalopathy (two) ..." - Source CDC.gov

Read More about Elevated blood lead levels associated with the use of automobile radiators in the illicit distillation of alcohol