Gravity fed CFC

[r8rphan]

I'm thinking of tackling a custom made 'flat' CFC next...

This means that it'd have to go from the BK, through the chiller, and into the fermenter, and have to hit temp (or slightly above) on the first try.... no ability to recirculate till it's right and then dump...

If I were to add some sort of inline thermometer at the outlet of the chiller, just before it dumps into the fermenter, how hard is it to control the temp by varying the cooling water pressure and the outflow of the wort?

I'm trying to plan it out so that I can add a pump and recirc later, but use it gravity fed for a while in the mean time... but I'm not sure how repeatable and accurate such a set up can be using gravity, or if it's real hit and miss and more trouble than it's worth...

 

[Punx Clever]

Hell, I gravity feed through my CFC as it stands. To control the out temp of the wort, you are more than likely gonna want full blast cooling water, and some sort of restriction on the wort coming out. Ball valve, a slightly pinched line... doesn't need to be fancy.

 

[r8rphan]

Is that something that is easily adjusted on the fly, or is it better to do a bunch of test runs with just water?

My water temps vary wildly depending on the time of year, and also the pressure can vary pretty good depending whether or not the well house pressure pump is running or not...

I'm thinking that I'll have between 20' to 30' of cooled tubing in line.. depending on which way I decide to do it all.. Will this be sufficient?

 

[r8rphan]

Also, what's a good way to do the whole "in line thermometer" thing? Is there a way I can use a cheap digital meat thermometer, IOW some sort of fitting that will allow me to insert the probe of one of those things in line without a bunch of cost or hassle?...

Or is there a better, more accepted way? I'm looking for something I can hard (or semi-hard_ plumb into the system...

 

[kegtoe]

thrumometer, under $30 and thats what i use at the outlet of my CFC. I have gravity fed and pump fed. I actually get better results with the gravity fed ( i can slow the wort flow down even more)

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewi...sting-measuring/thermometers/thrumometer.html

Also, what's a good way to do the whole "in line thermometer" thing? Is there a way I can use a cheap digital meat thermometer, IOW some sort of fitting that will allow me to insert the probe of one of those things in line without a bunch of cost or hassle?...

Or is there a better, more accepted way? I'm looking for something I can hard (or semi-hard_ plumb into the system...

 

[r8rphan]

Hey, thanks for that...

I was reading through the reviews on the product, and one guy was commenting that it's basically one of those stick on thermometers (like the fermometers on my carboys) that is being used.. Which has me thinking, why couldn't I just use a fermometer directly on the copper tubing at the exit point of my chiller? I could just leave an exposed portion of the tubing, where I could see it, and attach a fermometer, and then clear packing tape (or possibly even clear heat shrink over it to keep it attached long term...

Copper conducts heat well, so I would think that this would work... Then there's no fittings or nothing extra to clean involved.. just a couple bucks for a fermometer and some tape...

Anyone try this?

 

[orangehero]

When I get around to making my CFC, I have a 1/2 tee that I'm going to attach 3/8" compression fitting on the middle connection to attach to the output of the CFC. The top of the tee will have a 1/4" compression fitting which will allow me to attach my regular probe thermometer using o-rings instead of the ferrule. The bottom of the T will have a ball valve so I can adjust the wort flow.

 

[shelly_belly]

So how do you guys clean and sanitize your CFC without a pump?

 

[r8rphan]

So how do you guys clean and sanitize your CFC without a pump?

Couldn't you just gravity flow boiling water through it? And you could also gravity flow some PBW into it, and then close the out flow valve and let the PBW do it's thing, followed by hot water to rinse and then star san...

My thinking, is that if you can gravity flow wort through it, you can also gravity flow cleaner and sanitizer through it too..

 

[JuanMoore]

Couldn't you just gravity flow boiling water through it? And you could also gravity flow some PBW into it, and then close the out flow valve and let the PBW do it's thing, followed by hot water to rinse and then star san...

My thinking, is that if you can gravity flow wort through it, you can also gravity flow cleaner and sanitizer through it too..

+1
You can also use an autosiphon and hose to force short bursts of cleaner or rinse water through at higher speed.

 

[Punx Clever]

Is that something that is easily adjusted on the fly, or is it better to do a bunch of test runs with just water?

My water temps vary wildly depending on the time of year, and also the pressure can vary pretty good depending whether or not the well house pressure pump is running or not...

I'm thinking that I'll have between 20' to 30' of cooled tubing in line.. depending on which way I decide to do it all.. Will this be sufficient?

Just did it again today... gravity fed the CFC with full bore water from the spigot. Came out ambient temps with no restriction.

To control it, the thru-mometer works, or just use a hydrometer test tube and measure the temp of a sample periodically.

 

[Punx Clever]

So how do you guys clean and sanitize your CFC without a pump?

Clean... hook up the hose to the inner tube and run it for a while. Part of the beginning clean up and ending cleanup.

Sanitize, run 5 gallons of sanitizer through it from my sanitizer storage tank to the fermenter, the run it through again from the fermenter to the tank. Easy peasy.