Immersion Chiller Question

[adhomebrew10]

I have been looking for a way to keep my IC rigid so that it doesn't bounce around so much. I settled on using 16 gauge copper wire to hold everything in place.

My question is this:
I couldn't find it bare at HD or lowes, but I did find it at Michaels (the kind used I assume for making jewelry. It is solid copper, so I assume it is ok to be used in the brew. Does anyone have experience with this? My only other option would be to buy wire and strip it myself.

 

[bucfanmike]

in the electrical section of the big box hardware stores they will carry bare copper ground wire. Look around the ground rods.

 

[adhomebrew10]

Thanks for the info. That is what I was looking for, but all I could find was the stranded grounding wire bare, and I would really prefer solid.

I decided on the wire from Michaels. It is 16 guage dead soft copper and was very workable. 7 bucks for 15 feet isn't a bad price either.

I did have to look a bit though. They sell aluminum wire that is painted copper as well. The only way to tell the difference is to look at the cut end. Pretty sure this was 100% copper, so I feel comfortable with it.

 

[grainbill]

hope you can get the gunk out between the wires for cleaning....

 

[454k30]

Which is why I removed the wire from my IC.

 

[neild5]

hope you can get the gunk out between the wires for cleaning....

I must have done something wrong, I have at least 40 batches on mine and never have had a problem with gunk or cleaning the chiller.

Neil

 

[grainbill]

I use a counter flow chiller, but just thought the wire would collect hop leafs, trub etc....

 

[P-J]

I would not use wire to tie the coils together. I bind the input and ouput lines together which makes the chiller very rigid.

This is the technique that I use:

How about a 50' model with a wort return built in:

You can see that the coil rigidity comes from tying the input and output together above the actual coiling.

Just saying...