Good deal on wort chiller???

[bigtau]

I need a wort chiller and have been debating back and forth with myself over whether or not to build vs. buy. It would obviously been fun and rewarding to build myself but came across this deal at Williams Brewing (25' on sale for $39)

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WORT_CHILLER_P205C107.cfm

It seems like a very good deal but wanted to other opinions. Is this a good wort chiller and is this a good deal?

Thanks

 

[Palefire]

It does seem like a decent deal, but I'd always recommend making your own. For about ~$50 you could make a 50' one, or a 25' one with better connections (i.e. compression fittings on the copper itself so it's less likely to leak) + a pre-chiller. Plus it's good times to make random stuff.

 

[Xakk]

I don't like how low down the hoses are. That puts them very close to the wort even on a 5 gallon batch. And nigh unusable for a 10 gallon batch. Those hoses get really soft when they're hot, and straight up and down like that means that any leaks that may slip through because of it will drip right down into your kettle.

 

[Palefire]

I don't like how low down the hoses are. That puts them very close to the wort even on a 5 gallon batch. And nigh unusable for a 10 gallon batch. Those hoses get really soft when they're hot, and straight up and down like that means that any leaks that may slip through because of it will drip right down into your kettle.

Very good point. Yet another incentive to build your own: you can build it to accommodate the exact dimensions of the brewpot you have, so that you're never worrying about height or diameter or anything like that.

 

[limulus]

I bought this 25' IC. It is soldered not clamped and was $39.99. It shipped immediately and came very quickly. It was also very well packaged in styrofoam peanuts which I can use for shipping something later. They also have a nice deal on a 50' model.
http://www.learntobrew.com/store/category/gm1w/-_Chillers_Pumps.html

 

[alexdagrate]

I bought this 25' IC. It is soldered not clamped and was $39.99. It shipped immediately and came very quickly. It was also very well packaged in styrofoam peanuts which I can use for shipping something later. They also have a nice deal on a 50' model.
http://www.learntobrew.com/store/category/gm1w/-_Chillers_Pumps.html

That does look like a sweet deal. How long does it take to cool 5 gallons at full boil?

 

[limulus]

That does look like a sweet deal. How long does it take to cool 5 gallons at full boil?

That's the one question I will be able to answer tomorrow. I haven't brewed in about 15yrs and tomorrow is my home coming. I will be brewing a 5gal batch in a 10gal pot.

 

[alexdagrate]

That's the one question I will be able to answer tomorrow. I haven't brewed in about 15yrs and tomorrow is my home coming. I will be brewing a 5gal batch in a 10gal pot.

How'd that wort chiller work out? I'm still thinking of picking one up rather than building one.

 

[limulus]

How'd that wort chiller work out? I'm still thinking of picking one up rather than building one.

It worked just fine. I chilled my wort in about 35min. Seems like I got it down to 75F. It is in primary now for almost two weeks at 69F. This seller also has a good deal on the 50' model and his service was excellent.

 

[bentonre]

Personally, I like to DIY and I'd think buying 50' of 3/8" CuTu for about $38 plus some fittings and a 50 ft garden hose and make two 25 foot CFC's. Sell one CFC to a fellow homebrewer (would cover a large amount of your cost) and keep the other CFC for yourself with little invested.
If you are nto the DIY type, I would still be concerned about that chiller as I like to see the copper lines extend above the pot as others have mentioned.

my $0.02

 

[alexdagrate]

Personally, I like to DIY and I'd think buying 50' of 3/8" CuTu for about $38 plus some fittings and a 50 ft garden hose and make two 25 foot CFC's. Sell one CFC to a fellow homebrewer (would cover a large amount of your cost) and keep the other CFC for yourself with little invested.
If you are nto the DIY type, I would still be concerned about that chiller as I like to see the copper lines extend above the pot as others have mentioned.

my $0.02

This thread got a little muddled, I was talking about this chiller that limulus said he bought:
http://www.learntobrew.com/store/it...hiller_25_Feet_with_Garden_Hose_Fittings.html

It's connections are soldered and the connections extended outside the brew kettle.

 

[limulus]

This thread got a little muddled, I was talking about this chiller that limulus said he bought:
http://www.learntobrew.com/store/it...hiller_25_Feet_with_Garden_Hose_Fittings.html

It's connections are soldered and the connections extended outside the brew kettle.

One other thing: Since the connection ends of the chiller are bent 90-degrees, they easily hang over the edge of my BK. BTW, my BK is 40Qt and the chiller would be suspended above the bottom. I occasionally moved the chiller around the pot to aid in cooling.