Immersion chiller for 5-gallons. 50' of 1/2" excessive?

[TheOneEyedDog]

I found a pretty good deal on copper tubing to where I could get everything I need for a 50ft 1/2" chiller for about $70. 3/8" would be about $55 so I'm torn between going the cheaper route or just going all out. Any suggestions?

 

[MaxStout]

50' of 1/2" is a lot of big tubing for 5 gal batches. Depends on your kettle dimensions, but you could end up having some of the coils sitting above the wort, not doing any good.

Using 50' of 3/8" might be better suited for 5 gal. Or just use 25-30' of the 1/2" tubing and save the rest for a prechiller or something.

 

[TheOneEyedDog]

Thank you very much! I think I'll probably go with the 3/8 since I don't see myself moving up to 10 gallons any time soon. Any thoughts on garden hose vs vinyl tubing?

 

[MaxStout]

Thank you very much! I think I'll probably go with the 3/8 since I don't see myself moving up to 10 gallons any time soon. Any thoughts on garden hose vs vinyl tubing?

I like using garden hose fittings, as I connect directly to a hose bib in my garage and it's quick and easy. However, this adds some cost for the fittings. But others like tubing and hose clamps. A matter of preference.

For the hot output water be sure you use a length of hose designed for hot, as regular hoses tend to get soft and collapse from the temp. That water coming out will be quite hot for the first few minutes.

 

[TheOneEyedDog]

Perfect I really appreciate the help! I'm actually moving to a new place on Thursday so I'll probably wait a couple days to see where exactly my hose bib is located before deciding on connections.

 

[Spartan1979]

I use 50' of 1/2 for my chiller. Some coils do stick out when I brew 5 gallons, but that doesn't hurt anything. I brew 10 gals on occasion so the extra coils are helpful there.

 

[QcSylvanio]

Sup !

I just made a 50' 1/" for my 5 Gal extract batch. It take 12 min to cool down to 25C.