Has anyone used this wort chiller? Thoughts?

[Bostrows128]

So I am looking for an inexpensive wort chiller so I can get into all grain brewing, I think I found one that would adequately do the job on Amazon. Does anyone have this chiller? If so how do you like it? If no one does can someone that has a chiller maybe leave their thoughts? Thanks in advance!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WQ8CRN2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[wepeeler]

I bought this one in the Spring, and it's been great. I did have to re teflon tape the fittings, but that was very easy to do.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C856JQI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Rodent]

do you require SS, or is copper a viable alternative?

copper has a better heat transfer rate, so you'll get more chill power from the cooling water you run thru it

a second benefit to copper is that it's easy to braze brass hose fittings onto the inlet/outlet ends, eliminating the potential for a leak (that dribbles into your brew pot)

FWIW I have both a copper and SS wort immersion chiller - copper for cooling the wort, and SS for my HERMS system

 

[kh54s10]

Copper is better at heat transfer, it's cheaper. I made a 2 part one. 20 ft each. I used vinyl tubing, hose clamps and a garden hose fitting. I use both in the wort until the temperature approaches the water temperature which is about 80 degrees here. I then put the smaller section into a bucket of ice water.

 

[Bostrows128]

I bought this one in the Spring, and it's been great. I did have to re teflon tape the fittings, but that was very easy to do.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C856JQI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

That was the one that I was originally going to get but my total for getting into all grain is already $250 and thats just a 10 gal mash tun, a 10 gal pot, and this wort chiller.

do you require SS, or is copper a viable alternative?

copper has a better heat transfer rate, so you'll get more chill power from the cooling water you run thru it

a second benefit to copper is that it's easy to braze brass hose fittings onto the inlet/outlet ends, eliminating the potential for a leak (that dribbles into your brew pot)

FWIW I have both a copper and SS wort immersion chiller - copper for cooling the wort, and SS for my HERMS system

It really doesn't matter to me which I get as long as it is relatively cheap.

Copper is better at heat transfer, it's cheaper. I made a 2 part one. 20 ft each. I used vinyl tubing, hose clamps and a garden hose fitting. I use both in the wort until the temperature approaches the water temperature which is about 80 degrees here. I then put the smaller section into a bucket of ice water.

Roughly how much did it cost for you to make one?

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

https://www.homebrewing.org/25-38-Economy-Copper-Wort-Chiller_p_2734.html
Copper and cheaper plus you get the rewards points

 

[kh54s10]

Roughly how much did it cost for you to make one?

It was years ago. Copper has gone way up since then. But I think I had about $30 in it.

 

[wepeeler]

That was the one that I was originally going to get but my total for getting into all grain is already $250 and thats just a 10 gal mash tun, a 10 gal pot, and this wort chiller.

Have you thought about BIAB? I use my 15 gallon SS Brewtech kettle for mashing and boiling. Plus it's a heck of a lot easier to clean up. Could save the money on the mash tun and spend the extra $15 on a better chiller.

 

[Jag75]

I paid about 30 for the copper tubing and about 15 for a submersible pump from lowes. I had some vinyl hose that just slips on . I'd say maybe 50 total . It works great when pumping ice cold water through .

 

[Grateful Dan]

I bought one similar off amazon for $30. Not the exact seller but the same size and it's ss. I brew extract, 2.5 - 3 gal in a 5gal pot. It worked better than I expected. I watch the temp drop. I wanted to get my wort to 170 for a Hop stand but it cooled so fast that before I could shut the water off it was at 160. After stand I also use a tub of ice water and chiller to cool the rest of the way. For me ss is easier to clean and store than a copper chiller. I have seen how easy copper can start to corrode.

 

[kh54s10]

I bought one similar off amazon for $30. Not the exact seller but the same size and it's ss. I brew extract, 2.5 - 3 gal in a 5gal pot. It worked better than I expected. I watch the temp drop. I wanted to get my wort to 170 for a Hop stand but it cooled so fast that before I could shut the water off it was at 160. After stand I also use a tub of ice water and chiller to cool the rest of the way. For me ss is easier to clean and store than a copper chiller. I have seen how easy copper can start to corrode.

Copper will get an oxidized layer, but corrode? I just blow most of the water out of the tubing, rinse it off and set it on a shelf. I don't think it is at all harder to clean than stainless steel, unless you try to take off the oxidized layer, which is totally unnecessary.

In 7 years I have done a "deep clean" only once.....

Copper will transfer heat faster than stainless steel.

 

[mulletmaster]

I bought a 25' i think stainless from Amazon and have been happy with it. I got the cheapest one with vinyl tubing and hose clamps which work but do required tightening when hot to eliminate leaks. At the time it was cheaper than copper and does not get funky so that is why i picked it. For a 5 gallon batch if stirring and moving the IC it works well and 10-15 minutes later i am either at ir close to pitching temp. I live in Michigan and my winter ground water temp is 42F so i have not made a prechiller for summer.

Also camelcamelcamel.com is useful to track Amazon prices.

 

[burntchef]

SS vs. copper. Copper hands down for heat transfer. That ss unit appears to be small diameter. Surface area and material are all points to consider when looking at a chiller, store bought or diy. The larger the diameter, the more surface area, the quicker the cooling. I bought 3/4 inch copper tubing and wound it around a lowes plastic bucket to shape it to my 15 gallon pot size. 2 hose conectors later I was in business for under 50.00
Eric

 

[BobBailey]

Copper is a much better conductor so does a better job of heat transfer.

 

[Todd_Sails]

My ice maker runs off my RO water system for our drinking water too. Last night I put m,y brew kettle on the snow on my prch for about 20 min., then, as I always do I dump the ice from our ice maker into the wort- That, and adding cold tap water to get it to 5G cools it quickly. Bad method? I've been doing it this way a LONG time- 20 yrs ish.

I would think the SS would still work well? Haven't used it- see above.

 

[NeoBrew]

What size batches are you going to do? 25' is passable for 5 gallon batches, if you are going larger or want to chill faster you should consider a 1/2" x 50' version.

I can't believe that this thread hasn't attracted the LODO group. The new Low Oxygen brewing champions will suggest that copper in contact with your wort will increase oxidation. (I don't know enough about it to say either way. There are lots of discussions on HBT and the web if you want to research it.)

Here's my copper immersion coil build. It has been working fantastically for me since I built it a couple years back.

https://brewnanigans.wordpress.com/diy-2/diy/

 

[Lefou]

Fifty feet of half-inch copper coil, 5/8" inner diameter nylon tubing, a garden hose faucet fitting, and several metal clamps to keep the hoses secure - that's basically all you need.
Got mine at Lowes, and it's a version you don't need to build with silver solder or a torch.

 

[mongoose33]

What size batches are you going to do? 25' is passable for 5 gallon batches, if you are going larger or want to chill faster you should consider a 1/2" x 50' version.

I can't believe that this thread hasn't attracted the LODO group. The new Low Oxygen brewing champions will suggest that copper in contact with your wort will increase oxidation. (I don't know enough about it to say either way. There are lots of discussions on HBT and the web if you want to research it.)

Here's my copper immersion coil build. It has been working fantastically for me since I built it a couple years back.

https://brewnanigans.wordpress.com/diy-2/diy/

Getting copper (and aluminum) out of the process is a tenet of LODO brewing. I do LODO, but I also don't insist you genuflect when speaking to me about it.

I brewed a lot of excellent beer before I started LODO. It has its advantages, one of which is longer shelf life in part because copper is out of the equation.

One way to combat the effects of copper is to use something called Brewtan-B. It offsets the Fenton reactions that occur with copper. I used 1.5 grams mixed into a slurry and added it to the boil 1 minute before adding the immersion chiller. It's supposed to negate the effects. I have a Jaded Hydra and that's what I did before I shifted entirely to SS. Some of the effect is longer-term staling issues, so if you drink the beer fast it may not be noticeable.

Brewtan-B is cheap. Here's one example: http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/839534.htm

*******

FWIW, I now have a stainless counterflow chiller, of course to get copper out of the system. I just converted to electric brewing and part of that conversion was to allow the use of the Steam Slayer approach originally tested here by @BrunDog and sold by BrewHardware. I can brew in my garage without dumping a gallon of steam into the air, which is NOT GOOD for the insulation in the walls and ceiling.

I also have an element in my brew kettle, which makes the use of the Hydra problematic. I also wouldn't be able to use the Steam Slayer if i had an immersion chiller sticking out of the top.

So it's enclosed and chilling is done by the CF chiller. It's not very fast (20 minutes to bring to pitch temp) compared to the Hydra (4-5 minutes).

I miss using my Hydra.