Homemade HERMS System,....sorta

[phendog]

I took my old copper wort chiller, placed it in my Igloo HLT, added a recirc valve to my mash tun and plumped up some lines.

Mash Tun Out --> Tube --> Pump--> Wort Chiller In (Immersed in HLT at 160degs) -->Wort Chiller Out --> Tube --> Mash Tun In.

1.5L starter going and brewing tomorrow - California Style IPA

Intent is to fill HLT with 160deg water (Target mash is 152) and cycle the pump to maintain mash temp and aid in wort clarity.

Anyone done this before? I think it makes cleaning in place easy.

Thinking I can get away with this for a while, but worried about the narrow coil diamiter of the wort chiller and build up.

 

[phendog]

Quick update. Today's brew went off without a hitch. Clearest wort to date and post boil clarity after plate chiller was amazing.

 

[Scotsman6783]

I have been brainstorming something similar to this, only for chilling.
Kettle - tube - pump - tube - immersion chiller in ice bath - tube - kettle.
Stuck at what pump I could use to accomplish this.

 

[tracyk]

I have often thought of something similar. Are you just maintaining temperatures with the cooler? I was thinking about using one of my keggles for this and if I need to raise the temp I could do so with direct fire. If all works out will move to an electrical setup and add a herms coil.

 

[beernutz]

I do what you're doing except my herms coil, also a former immersion chiller, is in the lid of a 15 gallon aluminum pot HTL. Water in the HLT is heated with natural gas and the gas burner is controlled with a PID to maintain a set temp measured where the wort returns to the mash tun. I think it would be difficult to do step mashes or even mashout with the coil in another cooler.