Immersion Chiller + Ice bath

[Thehopguy]

Would using both be a good idea to get temps down real quick??

I'm thinking ill buy an immersion chiller but was wondering if i should combo the chiller and ice bath for quicker cooling times. what do u guys think

 

[KillJoy]

If the goal is to get it to 70* as soon as possible, why would using both be a BAD idea?

KillJoy

 

[JBrady]

I do this every brew. Heres a good tip that I found through my experience, when you reach flame out start running water through your immersion chiller but don't put it in the ice bath yet. All your going to do is melt away your bath too fast. The chiller does fine when the wort is super hot, once you reach 120-130 which doesn't take long, then put your pot in the prepared ice bath to help finish the job. The lower the temp gets, the less efficient the immersion chiller is by itself depending on your water temperature at your house. Doing it this way helps keep your icebath strong when you need it most at the end of the process.

 

[the_trout]

Nice tip JBrady, I'll be trying that. Thanks.

 

[diS]

You could use gravity to siphon ice water trough IC when you reach 100 degrees (just place pot with ice water above IC).
I tried this on my last batch, and it took me ~20 min to cool it to 66F.
Flow was aprox. 40 gpm with 30 lbs of ice, 5 gal of water and 40 feet 1/2" IC. Pot was 3 feet higher than IC. Ice water from IC goes to 2nd pot.

I brought aquarium pump few days ago, and I dont need 2nd pot any more, pot with ice can be near IC.
Just plug and play

 

[Brewsday]

I got a small imersion chiller as part of a craigslist buy. It's undersized (I think it's an old 1/4" refrig icemaker pipe) so I use both ice bath and IC. I do this in a sawed off blue barrel "tub". I noticed that the bottom stayed warm a long time with the hot kettle sitting in there so, since I have "spare" freezer space, I started freezing water in a metal basin (the water pan from an old brinkman smoker). I invert the frozen pan and set the brew kettle on top (I try to get the pan really full so I don't have an air pocket). Anyhow, I figure the ice floats in the inverted pan under the kettle. Here's where the physics comes in...I have a couple of steel "weights" about 15# each. I could freeze them into this pan. Since steel is about 8 times more dense than water, would it follow that it would be some multiple better than ice at the bottom of my tub? In other words...wouldn't 30 pounds of steel chilled to 0 degrees F chill "ice" bath water better than 30# of ice? I am going to try this on my next batch. In theory, wouldn't 30# of freezing cold steel "absorb" almost 8 times as much heat as 30# of ice?

 

[teresalgl]

I got a small imersion chiller as part of a craigslist buy. It's undersized (I think it's an old 1/4" refrig icemaker pipe) so I use both ice bath and IC. I do this in a sawed off blue barrel "tub". I noticed that the bottom stayed warm a long time with the hot kettle sitting in there so, since I have "spare" freezer space, I started freezing water in a metal basin (the water pan from an old brinkman smoker). I invert the frozen pan and set the brew kettle on top (I try to get the pan really full so I don't have an air pocket). Anyhow, I figure the ice floats in the inverted pan under the kettle. Here's where the physics comes in...I have a couple of steel "weights" about 15# each. I could freeze them into this pan. Since steel is about 8 times more dense than water, would it follow that it would be some multiple better than ice at the bottom of my tub? In other words...wouldn't 30 pounds of steel chilled to 0 degrees F chill "ice" bath water better than 30# of ice? I am going to try this on my next batch. In theory, wouldn't 30# of freezing cold steel "absorb" almost 8 times as much heat as 30# of ice?

Actually, no. The heat capacity of ice is much greater than that of steel.

Heat capacity = the ability of a substance to absorb heat

 

[Undrtkr_00]

Yeah, I think causing ice to go through a phase change (from solid to liquid) is going to require a lot more energy than just heating up some steel.

 

[Brewsday]

I think I made a mistake...30# of ice and 30# of cold steel would be roughly equivalent...What I meant was 30# of freezing cold steel vs its volume equivalent of ice...which would be roughly 4#...which seems like the answer is "duh!"

 

[teresalgl]

I think I made a mistake...30# of ice and 30# of cold steel would be roughly equivalent...What I meant was 30# of freezing cold steel vs its volume equivalent of ice...which would be roughly 4#...which seems like the answer is "duh!"

Still no. Steel is a good conductor which is roughly the opposite of having a high heat capacity. But definitely experiment if you feel the need!

 

[Brewsday]

update: in the winter I put the two steel weights in the bottom of the tub and fill half way with water a few days before brewing. The water freezes. The hot kettle goes on top. Add hose water...really cools the batch quickly and the steel keeps the ice from trying to float. In the summer I just put them there to keep the kettle off the bottom and allow water to circulate under it better. FWIW...which ain't much.