I am in the process of making my first wort chiller. My question is: How hot is the out putted water? The vinyl tubing I looked at was rated for 175 degrees F. Is the water cooler than that? What type of hose do you recommend?
immersion chiller question
- Thread starter dae06
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CodeRage
Death by Magumba!
Is that the same cheap stuff they sell in 10ft lengths at lowes? If so, I've used it. It gets pretty soft but it doesn't fall apart. I wouldn't use it for wort transfers or anything but for hot IC water it was acceptable.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Yes that will work. It exchanges the heat over time, so don't expect the outflow of water to ever be as hot as your wort.
Make sure the hose clamps are tight.
Make sure the hose clamps are tight.
Marsdude
Well-Known Member
I am also building a chiller myself.
You should have no problems. Water boils at 212 degrees F. There is no way that water running through your chiller will pick up that much energy to get up to anywhere around 175 degrees. Go ahead an use that tubing.
I have read that others have found that they have to periodically tighten the hose clamps that attach the tubing to the copper because of the heat, but that is not a big thing.
Hermit
fuddle
Both my clamps developed small leaks as the process unfolded so keep an eye on them. That said, it is a good reason to make sure the copper comes a bit away from the kettle and angled down a bit.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
It's a big thing if you forget to check and they leak on you.
I was going to make mine, but the guy at Home Depot told me I would need a tube bender. At over a buck a foot for the copper plus the hose, fittings and bender, I just decided to buy one. I spent a little more, but I didn't end up with a tool I don't see myself using and the possibility of crimping the tubing.
I've seen some with the copper facing down with ~120 degree bend. I am afraid I will kink it with that much of a bend.
RogueVassar
Well-Known Member
I've seen some with the copper facing down with ~120 degree bend. I am afraid I will kink it with that much of a bend.
Just as people use a cornie or similar to wrap the piping around, I was imagining that I would just keep wrapping the end of the pipe around something smaller and smaller to keep it from kinking at the end. Any thoughts on this approach?
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
When I was investigating building my own, I read that you can fill the tubing with water and plugging the ends somehow to prevent kinking while bending.
(Any more talk about KINKING and I just might start confusing my different forums...................)
Hermit
fuddle
I've seen some with the copper facing down with ~120 degree bend. I am afraid I will kink it with that much of a bend.
Just enough that a small drip won't run UP the tube if you do develop a small leak.
If you're brewing outside you may not even need a hose on the outlet side. I just let mine run into a corney and/or cooler to reuse for cleaning. I have yet to use more than 10 gals H20 for chilling (but then again I just started last October). I take it slow to conserve water, but still get the job done in 10-15 minutes. 5 gals of brew w/50 ft of chiller
LarryC
Well-Known Member
I just finished my IC last week. I used 3/8" refrigeration tubing and wrapped it around a big cardboard tube I had. I bought a tube bender but only used it on the top two bends (where the tubing exits the brew pot) because I couldn't really figure out how to get the tool in the right position at the bottom of the coiled tubing. I ended up bending that area by hand - sort of a slow spiral up and then straightened it out to run up the inside of the coil.
I also went for compression fittings and hose end fittings so I can hook it up to my garden hose. No leaks and no worries about a tube slipping part way off & spraying water in my fresh wort!
I also went for compression fittings and hose end fittings so I can hook it up to my garden hose. No leaks and no worries about a tube slipping part way off & spraying water in my fresh wort!
Grimster
Well-Known Member
This, keep a flatheaded screwdriver or butterknife handy, and give the hose clamps a little gentle tightening when things are their hottest. I also usually throw 2 hoseclamps on "crucial" junctions (ones that could drip somewhere I don't want them to).
Other than that while the "operating temp" is 175 you're not putting it under a pressure or a vacuum so the hose might get soft and pliable it shouldn't melt (unless you get it to close to the burner).
mordantly
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heres mine 50' x .375 od copper. 5# and 20# aluminum co2 were used for the coils 25' per.
Thanks everybody.
I just built mine out of 3/8" copper tubing. I decided to try to build it with no elbows, just bends.
It worked out great.
Now my next question: What do I need to clean it with before my first use and/or before each use? I've searched and did not find much information on this. I know that putting it in the boiling wort will sanitze it, but it should be cleaned with something before putting in the wort, correct?
I just built mine out of 3/8" copper tubing. I decided to try to build it with no elbows, just bends.
It worked out great.
Now my next question: What do I need to clean it with before my first use and/or before each use? I've searched and did not find much information on this. I know that putting it in the boiling wort will sanitze it, but it should be cleaned with something before putting in the wort, correct?
Grimster
Well-Known Member
I'd just fill a bucket with some oxiclean and hot water, and let that bad boy soak for a while, couple hours, couple days, whatever, till you need it, then rinse good, maybe a couple squirts of sanitizer, and have at it.
I would soak the coil in hot water with some Oxyclean or unscented dishwasher detergent for a while to remove any processing lubricants used during the tube drawing process. Giving it a wipe with a sponge or cloth wouldn't hurt either, during the soak.
The copper will get all clean and coppery looking after it has been in the wort, this is normal. The wort either dissolves the copper oxide on the surface or converts the oxide back to copper metal.
The copper will get all clean and coppery looking after it has been in the wort, this is normal. The wort either dissolves the copper oxide on the surface or converts the oxide back to copper metal.
Hermit
fuddle
Sharper bends will restrict flow more so it really depends on your pressure. My pump is slowed down quite a bit with the length of tubing I'm using, but all my stuff was 'laying' around and not chosen for this.
Mine is built of 50' of 1/4 i.d. copper. I wrapped it around a chunk of 2" PVC tube and then inserted that coil inside a chunk of 4" PVC and wrapped it the other way. It looks like mordantly's, without the unions, because it's one continuous run of copper. Since I can't find any copper to sweat that small of a tube, I slid my nylon tubing over the end and clamped. They leak once in a while, and I just crank them tighter, and make sure they're not over the wort. I let it run for 5 minutes or so and then start to swirl it occasionally in the pot, to make the wort move over the coils.
I think the total cost was right around $55 + my time and forearm muscles
If I ever do another one, I'll use 3/8 i.d. and a slightly larger diameter bend, maybe 4" on the inside loop and 8" on the outside. That will let me sweat the hose fittings and never have to worry about leaks.
I think the total cost was right around $55 + my time and forearm muscles
If I ever do another one, I'll use 3/8 i.d. and a slightly larger diameter bend, maybe 4" on the inside loop and 8" on the outside. That will let me sweat the hose fittings and never have to worry about leaks.
