Grainfather G40 -- Counterflow or Immersion Chiller?

[pvpeacock]

I just got a Grainfather G40 for Christmas and was able to use for the first time this weekend (had to wait for the electrician to install the 220v plug in the garage). Prior to now, I brewed using a Blichmann 10 gallon kettle and used a Jaded Hydra immersion chiller. The Hydra worked great and would get my wort down to about 80 degrees F while filling a 55 gallon trash can about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way up with the cooling hose water. I would cool the wort the rest of the way to pitching temperature in my SS Brewtech conical fermenters using a Glycol chiller.

This last weekend, I used the Grainfather counterflow chiller for the first time. While I was impressed that the wort was coming out of the chiller and into my fermenters at 68 degrees F, it took way more cooling water than I am used to. My 55 gallon trash can overflowed significantly.

I think I might go back to using my Hydra immersion chiller to save water since my Glycol chiller can finish the job of cooling the wort to pitching temperature once the wort is in the fermenters. Am I missing something? Has anyone else had to make a similar decision?

 

[Sammy86]

Sounds like a lot of water if it over flowed the trash bin!

I don't have the same CFC but mine usually only takes 5-7 minutes to get my wort down to mid 60's. Granted my ground water is cold all year round but still seems excessive.

If you like the Hydra and use the glycol why not continue...as the old adage goes if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[KiwiSander]

I also have the G40 and the included CFC and I agree, it takes a lot of water to cool the wort down to pitching temp. I have to runs quite an aneamic wort stream through the CFC to make sure the temp comes out right. I wish I could have a Jaded chiller, but the postage to get it all th way out to NZ is significant!

 

[pvpeacock]

After a number of brews on the G40, I have discovered that using my Jaded immersion chiller uses the least amount of cooling water for 10 gallon batches and the Grainfather counterflow chiller uses the least amount of water for cooling 5 gallon batches. On the smaller batches, the CFC actually works amazing and drops the wort temp. from 200 F in the kettle to 74 F into the fermenter. I'm glad I did not give up on using the CFC.

 

[gewehr43sniper]

i use the CFC just fine but can only have a trickle of wort come out because my groundwater temp is higher than normal due to living on an extinct volcano.

 

[pvpeacock]

Is that a Mosin Nagant in your photo?

 

[Craiginthecorn]

Potato, potato. Both get the job done. The CFC comes with the G40, so most G40 owners will use that.

 

[hilljack13]

After one year of using the CFC with my G40, I'm looking at an immersion chiller. I can't stand the cheap plastic and hard tubing that is impossible to wind. Mine already has a crack in it. It works much better than my first go at stovetop extract. But when it is time to change, well time to change.

 

[Snuffy]

Counterflow takes about 1/2 the time as my old immersion chiller. I've never measured the outflow, but it has to be a similar volume out the end of both. Given the choice, CFC is the clear winner just on time savings.

 

[Witherby]

After one year of using the CFC with my G40, I'm looking at an immersion chiller. I can't stand the cheap plastic and hard tubing that is impossible to wind. Mine already has a crack in it. It works much better than my first go at stovetop extract. But when it is time to change, well time to change.

I just got the Jaded Scylla chiller made for all in one brewing for my Foundry and it is a beast. Saves time and water. And the thing I like about an immersion chiller is that you can visually inspect where the beer touches the chiller—on the outside of the chiller. I guess I don’t trust that I can get a CFC sanitized.

 

[hilljack13]

I just got the Jaded Scylla chiller made for all in one brewing for my Foundry and it is a beast. Saves time and water. And the thing I like about an immersion chiller is that you can visually inspect where the beer touches the chiller—on the outside of the chiller. I guess I don’t trust that I can get a CFC sanitized.

That is the one I am looking at.

 

[Willy]

That is the one I am looking at.

Look what arrived today... A Scylla from Jaded. (A slimmer hydra for AIO systems like grainfather or Brewzilla)

Really well made. Double concentric copper coils. Sweet! Gonna brew a batch next week

 

[Snuffy]

I think the volume of water it takes to chill wort to pitch temp is directly related to the temp of your cooling water and not so much a fixed amount based on method. I use my garden hose for cooling water with my CFC because I have no indoor faucet I can connect the fitting to. I hang the hoses out the window, connect the garden hose to the in side and route the wort flow back into the GF. When it's cold out, you can watch the temp drop rapidly - maybe 3 to 5 seconds between degrees. Summer, not so fast with warmer water so I'm using more then for sure. Even with colder water, the immersion chiller is slower to reduce temp. I like the idea of immersion chilling better because it doesn't add so much to the cleaning regimen like a CFC does, but circulating hot PBW thru the CFC and following with Starsan is no big deal. When I begin recirculating hot wort to sterilize the CFC at the next use, I catch the first few ounces of outflow to remove any leftover Starsan from the tube and then stop pump and route it back into the unit before continuing. Once the cooling water is turned on, I let it drop the wort temp to about 145 F before stopping pump and routing flow to the fermenter. Depending on the season, I get pitch temp wort somewhere between 65 and 85 F out the end. The G40 has twice the volume of the G30 so maybe the mileage is different since it has more wort to cool.

 

[hilljack13]

Look what arrived today... A Scylla from Jaded. (A slimmer hydra for AIO systems like grainfather or Brewzilla)

Really well made. Double concentric copper coils. Sweet! Gonna brew a batch next week

Just ordered mine!!!