I got a new immersion chiller and I'm wondering what to expect

[urg8rb8]

General question about the immersion chiller. I haven't used it yet but I will as soon as I get a free Saturday. I'm looking at the chiller and how it is coiled up and how the copper is collapsed on itself. Wouldn't it be better if the coil is stretched out to increase surface area? I would think that the parts of the coil that is touching the other parts of the coil isn't touching the hot wort. Would it make a difference if the coil was stretched out so that the entire surface area of the coil is touching the wort?

 

[LittleRiver]

... I would think that the parts of the coil that is touching the other parts of the coil isn't touching the hot wort. Would it make a difference if the coil was stretched out so that the entire surface area of the coil is touching the wort?

That's the idea behind the ribcage chiller, to maximize contact with the wort while minimizing coil to coil contact. Another benefit is that the cooling coils are more widely distributed in the entire volume of wort.

 

[mongoose33]

General question about the immersion chiller. I haven't used it yet but I will as soon as I get a free Saturday. I'm looking at the chiller and how it is coiled up and how the copper is collapsed on itself. Wouldn't it be better if the coil is stretched out to increase surface area? I would think that the parts of the coil that is touching the other parts of the coil isn't touching the hot wort. Would it make a difference if the coil was stretched out so that the entire surface area of the coil is touching the wort?

If the wort can move between the coils it will chill much better. I have/had a couple of coil chillers like that, and I was able to stretch it just a bit to allow space between the coils. I would swish it through the wort to maximize exposure of the wort to the coils.

The keys to fast cooling w/ an immersion chiller are 1) as fast of water movement through the coils as you can get, e.g., I always had the garden hose on full blast, 2) movement of the wort past the coils or the coils past the wort, 3) coldest water possible. You can stir or swish the fermenter in the wort. I found swishing was a little better than stirring.

The temp of the wort will drop fast initially as it goes from boiling down to around 100; then it will slow, because the temp difference between the coils (with water flowing through) and the wort is less. The less differential, the slower it cools, which is why some people will initially cool the wort to around 100 using a normal water source, and then switch to icewater pumped from a cooler to finish the job. This isn't uncommon in places where groundwater temps are in the 80s or higher.

 

[kh54s10]

Just a fyi there's a box you need to check in you equipment profile as well as a box to enter your specific systems flamout to 170f chill time in order for it estimate correctly otherwise it's assuming you chill instantly. Everything I brewed prior to figuring this out came out overly bitter. Cheers

Is that box for the time it takes to chill to 170 or how long you hold the temperature at 170? I assumed it was the latter.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Is that box for the time it takes to chill to 170 or how long you hold the temperature at 170? I assumed it was the latter.

My guess is you probably have to fudge the number based on your chilling process. I suspect it is based on holding the wort for a period at whirlpool temps, but I have to assume that flameout hops add some IBUs during the 5 to 10 minutes it takes to cool below 170F.

I just played around with that option for a recipe with 1 oz of Cascade added at flameout.

• Not Checked = 0 IBU (48.3 Total IBU)
• Checked / 0 Whirlpool Time = 0 IBU (48.3 Total IBU)
• Checked / 5 min Whirlpool Time = 5.1 IBU (55.4 Total IBU)
• Checked / 20 min Whirlpool Time = 10.3 IBU (63.1 Total IBU)

I don't see a Whirlpool Temp option (at least in Mobile). I notice that changing this option adds a little more IBUs to the 60 min and 20 min additions in that recipe.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Is that box for the time it takes to chill to 170 or how long you hold the temperature at 170? I assumed it was the latter.

The box is the amount of time it takes to drop to 170f from flamout. When you add whirlpool hops to your recipe you can select the temp and time of that addition as long as you choose whirlpool instead of boil. Hopefully they makes sense. Cheers

 

[Blazinlow86]

Here's a example on bs3 desktop of the whirlpool hops. CheersView attachment 627996