How Fast Do Wort Chillers Cool?

[Duffman53]

As always, thanks for your time and input. I looked on here but couldn't find a direct answer to how quickly wort chillers cool a five gallon batch of beer.

Can anyone with a wort chiller provide some input on how long it will take to cool a five gallon batch down to around eighty degrees? I know that length and diameter make a difference (That's what she said...) but any ballpark figure would do since I'm just trying to decide how convenient they really are.

Thanks,
D

 

[ThePearsonFam]

My groundwater (in Virginia Beach) is about 40 degrees right now. I use a 25 foot, 3/8" copper chiller. I (very gently) stir the wort to keep it moving past the chiller coils. I can cool to 70 degrees in about 15 minutes. If I take the time to pump ice water from my HLT, then I can cool it down in about 10 minutes.

I'm seriously considering building a whirlpool chiller to knock it down faster without having to stir.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Well as you pointed out length and diameter do matter (tee hee.) But your ground-water temperature makes a difference.

My 25' 3/8 ID copper immersion chiller gets it from boiling to 60*F in about 10-15 minutes. But then again the ground-water here stays around 40-45* all year long.

 

[iron_city_ap]

They are extremely conventient. I can cool a batch down to 70 in about 15 minutes. It is WAY faster than using an ice bath.

 

[rosier9]

In the middle of winter I can go from full boil to 68 degrees in 6-7 minutes. Yesterday it was boil to 70 in about 12 minutes using about 1/2 flow rate thru the chiller. This is a 50ft immersion chiller. I can't see how a chiller is not worth it...

 

[Golddiggie]

My 20' 3/8" IC takes my 5-5.5 gallons of boiling wort to under 70F in about 12-15 minutes... Will be interested in seeing how fast the next IC I build does the job.. That will be a 50' unit, just not sure of the OD just yet...:rockin:

 

[ajf]

I use a CFC. Made and ESB today, and cooled from boiling to 67F in just under 15 minutes, and that included racking to the fermenter.

-a.

 

[agodfrey11]

It takes me about 30 min to get to about 70-80 degrees. Ground water in Florida is pretty warm though. I am starting to siphon ice water through it when I get around 100 degrees. That knocks off a few minutes and allows me to get it down to 65 degrees.

In my opinion the wort chiller is absolutely worth it.

 

[beerloaf]

In my opinion the wort chiller is absolutely worth it.

I learned that lesson on my 1st brew when it took me over an hour to cool down to pitching temp. Now it takes me 15 min from boiling.

beerloaf

 

[jtkratzer]

I bought a used chiller from a user here...gets it down below 80 in under 30 minutes...not amazing, but better than an ice bath and I think I paid $25 for it.

 

[Backporchbrewery]

I use a homemade 5/8" od 25' chiller and get to 78 deg in around 8min if I move the chiller up and down while its going. And in my area ground water isn't exactly cold.

 

[sillyburt]

I've also got a 5/8" Od chiller about 25' actually in the wort. I actually dump my discharge water in the tub to surround the kettle -due to the large size in dia the disharge water doesn't drop that much in temp after the first few minutes. I fill then drain the laundry tub 3X when doing it. I'm also in michigan and I have a portion of my cold water pipes insulated.

it took me about 10 minutes last night from boiling to 64 or 62 degrees. BUT I think I get another 2 degrees from it just sitting in the cold disharge water.

 

[Yukon_Skiers]

i made my own chiller with 25' bought from home depot. not sure the diameter. it takes me about 15 minutes to cool my wort before adding it to my 5 gallon fermenter and topping off with water.

I made my chiller for under $20 bucks.

 

[BillyRaygun]

Just out of curiosity, what is the benefit of cooling wort so quickly?

 

[AussieBrewerInColorado]

I use a plate chiller and it is cooled instantly as it hits the fermenter from the boil kettle.

BillyRaygun - mostly less chance of contamination. You want to get it to a temperature you can pitch it at so the yeast can do its thing asap before anything nasty gets in there.

 

[Breck09]

The quicker you cool the wort the less of a chance you have of getting anything in the wort that could infect it. Plus I think the faster you get it to cool the more clear you beer will become in the end due to the cold break.

I just used my homemade chiller this past weekend for the first time and was amazed at how fast it actually cooled my wort. Now granted the water coming out of the outside faucet was pretty damn cold due to the 30 degree temperatures outside. During the summer I will probably plan on getting a pond pump and circulating ice water through the chiller. Just when you think you are done buying equipment something else pops up that would make your brew day so much easier.

 

[BillyRaygun]

Aussie, Breck09

Thanks for the info. Makes sense.

Cheers!

 

[Kieran]

My 50' stainless steel chiller gets it under 70 in about 25 minutes, with 25' in a 5 gallon batch. It gets under 100 in about 12-15 minutes.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

Chilling quickly also reduces DMS formation that can result in an off taste (corn-like). The DMS is more prevelant in lighter, less-kilned malts (like Pilsner malt).

 

[BillyRaygun]

What is DMS?

 

[ed_brews_now]

25' feet I last saw, is 57$. Price of copper is leaping.

i made my own chiller with 25' bought from home depot. not sure the diameter. it takes me about 15 minutes to cool my wort before adding it to my 5 gallon fermenter and topping off with water.

I made my chiller for under $20 bucks.

 

[eanmcnulty]

I have an immersion chiller (25') that took me a few tries to figure out. I don't know the exact time it eventually took to cool down a wort. The key to an immersion chiller is to keep the wort moving around/near to cooling coils. To do that you have to stir with a sanitized spoon. I didn't like doing that.
Some make an IM that has a whirlpool spout that spins the wort in the pot so you don't have to stir. I think you may need a pump for that. I have never tried it. Moving the wort is key, so it sound like a good option.
I also built a counter-flow wort chiller, which is what I use now. It cools my wort from 212f to 72f in about 15 minutes. I really like it.
I guess we want to cool as quickly as possible to fend off DMS.
There are others who are more informed than I, but an IM cools the entire wort quickly all at once, where a CFC cools a little bit at a time as it flows through the pipe leaving much of the wort susceptible to DMS.
That is my take on it, and there plenty more knowledge and reearch out there. There are also threads to help you build chillers. They are easy to build, so get to it!

 

[Firebat138]

yeah... we built our own... 25', not sure on the dia. but it only took 20 min or so... Got the copper, hoses, clamps for under 30 bucks

 

[SD-SLIM]

Stainless 3/8 wort chillers do the job in 10-15 minutes depending on the time of the year...if you are looking to get one, this guy has great deals on stainless and copper:
http://nybrewsupply.com/products/wort-chiller-stainless-steel-immersion.php