How to build a CFC- the wrong way

[GreatBeerTour]

First- have a plan. Not the tried and true plans that are scattered about the forums. But something unique- different. An untested theory that will make or break your system. "I wonder if three 1/4 pipes can be helically wound together and shoved through a garden hose?" **my version does not use the 1/4 triple tube configuration- sorry for the confusion**

Secondary - do NOT ask questions. No one really wants to talk to you, do they? And if you reveal your special secret plan, they may (likely would) steal it.

Tertiary- avoid assistance at all cost. My gender bias may be showing, but I suspect most members of the forum are male. As men we do not ask for help- nor directions.

There may be better ways to screw up, but that is a good start
I won't bore you with all the detail- there are dozens of write ups and videos out there giving the basic copper-tube-through-hose directions. What I will give are some of the areas I may have taken a slightly different path. Hopefully some portion of this will be of value.

 

[GreatBeerTour]

My hope is to give a more complete write up in a blog (slowly coming together) but here are the highlights- we have all seen the 5/8 hose with 3/8 inner copper- I wanted better flow and went with 3/8 I.D. inner tube- This is a VERY tight fit -in fact when wrapped with 14 gauge wire the diameter is 0.0032" larger than 5/8"
I had no hope of pushing this through the hose so I soldered on a loop of copper as an anchor point to pull it through. Dish soap was of no effect so I had to use a wire pulling lube.
Two hours- much sweat- existentialist questioning of my value- and the feel of skin ripping from my soft palm- and then... It was through

 

[Homercidal]

It's always handy to have a giant bottle of lube on hand...

 

[fuzzy2133]

Looking forward to the whole write up and curious how well it works when completed. Great minds do not let others stop them from testing and trying a new ideas.

 

[mcgimpkins]

But something unique- different. An untested theory that will make or break your system. "I wonder if three 1/4 pipes can be helically wound together and shoved through a garden hose?"

FYI Brick River Brewing makes a counterflow chiller with two 3/8" copper tubing in a 1" Pex pipe: BRUTUS "Double Barrel 225"

I have no idea if it is helically wound in there, but it would seem like it should be. It is a neat idea.

 

[UndeadFred]

I believe I might be making a CFC with materials and a style that hasn't been posted exactly as such.. Now that post above hints at the materials but not the configuration. The way I did mine, I can even expand it at will...

So, doing something "different" is a mandate.. I already have a 20' garden hose CFC, but I decided, how the #$@# am I going to clean it and went a different route.

In a few days I'll get it done and then post pics and plans. It's actually working out brilliantly but isn't cheap. I'll hear a lot of "why didn't you just buy a plate chiller" comments, and I'll think-- 1. Because I can't take it apart and clean it, and 2. I didn't build it myself.

So hell, yeah, build yourself something better than you can buy.. that's the fun part of thie hobby (at least for me!)

 

[UndeadFred]

So.. do you think you will have enough water flow in that configuration? The wort flow will be better, but are you not restricting the cold side of the coax?

If that happens, you can switch to 1" PEX as suggested, though so don't really worry about it.

 

[coolitfast]

No it's not wrapped. It is just to tight. As I I draw the copper into the PEX it creates its own swirl. The key is the tubing ends not blocking the entrance or exit of the cooling liquor ports.http://http://www.brickriverbrew.com/#!product-page/cn4j/3697ad7f-8382-c3fa-9074-678050ac4c2c
Stay ExChilerated

 

[GreatBeerTour]

There is something about plumbing that brings out the Jr High boy in all of us- so yes giant bottle of lube... Which I have plenty left if anyone needs it.

I do appreciate the encouragement- and while I have not seen my design nor that of Mr. Coolitfast- I believe Solomon was correct-

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."​

Therefore we can conclusively say that Solomon cooled his wort with a trio of 3/8 copper tubes shoved in a garden hose- Oh well

I'm not overly concerned about restricting the cool side- being under pressure from the tap I think it will be okay- also I am going to recirculate and try to get a whirlpool going so its not directly from pot to fermenter.

Now on with the program...
I filled the pipe with salt- vibrated liberally to make sure it was settled- and rolled around an 8" concrete form. It looked lovely and uniform until i tried to get both input and output pointing the same direction.

I want wort on one side, and water on the other- so i routed the copper through the middle of the coil- You may also notice the clever use of a "street" fitting eliminating one extra piece of pipe and solder joint

 

[GreatBeerTour]

I finally got around to soldering up the pieces. I wanted to wait until I receive some clamps in the mail before I completed the project. These are some of the ugliest solder joints I've ever done. I got better after several of them completed.

 

[GreatBeerTour]

Seems my photo management skills are lacking- or that I'm using my phone

 

[mattd2]

I'm a bit confused or am missing something, where is the trio of copper tube talked about in the first post??

 

[GreatBeerTour]

Matt- and any others that I brought undue confusion- sorry. I changed the first post to clarify. Seems my attempts to wax humorous created inaccuracies- I will punish my brain by soaking it in an extra high ABV RIS.

 

[mattd2]

Matt- and any others that I brought undue confusion- sorry. I changed the first post to clarify. Seems my attempts to wax humorous created inaccuracies- I will punish my brain by soaking it in an extra high ABV RIS.

Hahaha - gotcha Sorry for being dense!

 

[billybryson54]

It's always handy to have a giant bottle of lube on hand...

Astroglide. You can park a Cadillac in a doghouse with that stuff. [emoji12]

 

[Madman_Joe]

[bump]

I think the variation in this idea is creative; I'm curious to hear about any bench tests (i.e. just cooling boiling water) or real world tests (i.e. on a brew day).

Thanks,

MMJ

 

[GreatBeerTour]

Thanks Joe- the encouragement keeps me motivated-

Undeadfred makes a point about cool side flow- and that does seem restricted, when I do an actual test we can see what effect it has.

Billy- I'm not sure why one would desire to place a Cadillac within the confines of a doghouse, unless you are making a more lurid suggestion- I did consider a marital aid lubricant but that would be cost prohibitive

*an observation- several people on this forum use the chill-some-boiling-water test to prove the efficacy of their chillers. Seems to me hot wort will retain its heat much more than plain water. Any thermodynamics experts out there might be able to chime in- or an A-B comparison

 

[BeardedBrews]

I did consider a marital aid lubricant but that would be cost prohibitive

The secret is buying in bulk:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MR3IVO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[GreatBeerTour]

**Update**
I finally got around to trying this thing- I was waiting to assemble the rest of my E-brew system- so what did I find?

1- the 'cold' side seems to flow just fine
2- The small beige pump pushes the water (wort) through the inner coil quite easily
3- I think it works very well- but have nothing to compare it to?

The test- My system is small so I tested with 3 gallons- The wort flows throughout the test- brought the water to a boil- shut off the element- started counter flow- started timer- in about 6 minutes it was under 100*- my tap water is close to 80*- after another couple minutes it was under 90* and i shut things down- total tap water used was maybe 15 gallons, maybe.

I know water and wort do not hold heat the same so this "test" is not real world. I may need a tap water pre-chiller to get to pitching temps. I feel good about it at this point

Would love some feedback

 

[GreatBeerTour]

And the chill in action- actually finished- I would have posted this above but after updating my phone it doesn't talk to my computer