Immersion chiller question

[Earthson]

Hi All,

I just got my propane burner setup, and did a small 2.5 batch in a small stockpot. The propane heat coming out from under the kettle, and up the sides, caught my hop bag string on fire. Not the end of the world, but it brought me to my real concern. I'm looking to buy a copper immersion chiller. Everyone says to just boil it for the last 15 minutes. How about the plastic in/out hoses? What do you do with them so that they don't melt? Probably a dumb question, but I'm stumped.

I'm thinking that maybe it is a kettle size issue. Once I step up to a larger (and taller) kettle ( 5 or 10 gallon), perhaps the heat won't be as intense near the top of the kettle. ??

Thanks

 

[AJinJacksonville]

Not a dumb question at all.

My homemade copper immersion chiller has fluted ends that connect to the hoses (to direct any potential leaks out and over the kettle side versus having water spill into the beer. I would suggest either buying or building an IC that will clear the top of whatever kettle you're going to use.

Obviously, during those last 10-15 minutes when I'm sanitizing the IC, I make sure I lead the hoses well away from the propane burner and the top of the kettle.

 

[davidabcd]

Yes, that could be a problem.
I soak mine in the starsan pot prior to immersion, meaning I don't put it in the boil. I does have to be without debris so I rinse it well after each use.

 

[Deadalus]

If you get an immersion chiller with garden hose fittings you can screw the hoses on at the last minute or at flameout. Look for a chiller with a little extra horizontal tubing as well. That will help to put the water lines further away from the flames.

I recall burning the strings too when I used propane. Consider a hop spider.

 

[Earthson]

@AJinJacksonville - yes, I've seen some that have the long vertical copper lines. That would be much better than the short stubby chillers.

@davidabcd - I like the idea of just StarSan-ing the chiller before dropping it in. That would be ideal. But I'll always have that nagging doubt in my mind that it isn't 100% clean.

@Deadalus - Yep, a hop spider is coming very soon. I hate my hop bag. A spider will be well worth the investment. And that goes for the BIAB nylon bag as well - hate it! I'm researching an upgrade to a BIABasket setup. But that brings its own complications, and never-ending research (and money) LOL!

 

[davidabcd]

But I'll always have that nagging doubt in my mind that it isn't 100% clean.

There is a possibility of missing some debris on the IC. How high is that? With a proper inspection, not very. Boiling for 15 min. would erase any doubt of contamination in my mind, particles or not.
Cheers.

 

[bracconiere]

turn the flame down? for a 2.5 gallon batch on a turkey fryer burner......there's really no need to "put the full spurs" to it.....the temp will be the same in the wort wether it's just gently boiling or boiling off the charts, just won't evaporate as fast......at sea level the only way water can get hotter then 212f is if it's steam, so if it's boiling at all it's 212f......just not as much steam is being produced....

 

[davidabcd]

turn the flame down? for a 2.5 gallon batch on a turkey fryer burner......there's really no need to "put the full spurs" to it.....the temp will be the same in the wort wether it's just gently boiling or boiling off the charts, just won't evaporate as fast......at sea level the only way water can get hotter then 212f is if it's steam, so if it's boiling at all it's 212f......just not as much steam is being produced....

"Flame down" is something I thought of as well. Also, slide the pot to one side where's there no chance of flames licking up the side and melting the plasic.

 

[bracconiere]

"Flame down" is something I thought of as well. Also, slide the pot to one side where's there no chance of flames licking up the side and melting the plasic.

there for a second i thought you were saying PKU....lol ( )


could also wrap the plastic in aluminum foil.....also....as a heat diffuser....

 

[davidabcd]

Yeah, nice idea as well with the foil. I'm not hip to the solutions or the travails of immersing the IC while there's heat since I just soak in Starsan.
I don't know what "PKU" is. I'm guessing "please keep up" but who knows?

 

[Earthson]

Good tips. Thanks everyone

 

[bracconiere]

I don't know what "PKU" is. I'm guessing "please keep up" but who knows?

there's certain folk......they seldom come out of their caves though.....


edit: and honestly, i figure the 5-10 minutes it at 200f-170f is a good enough pasteurization for me.......so i don't boil it, or soak it.....

 

[FlabbyRoach]

I don’t make connections on my IC until after flame out
kettle hot but no flame to melt tubing

 

[davidabcd]

there's certain folk......they seldom come out of their caves though.....


edit: and honestly, i figure the 5-10 minutes it at 200f-170f is a good enough pasteurization for me.......so i don't boil it, or soak it.....

PKU, bracconiere? I Googled and came up with a medical condition. Certainly, that isn't what you meant. Pleas advise, over.

 

[bracconiere]

PKU, bracconiere? I googled came up with a medical condition. Certain that isn't what you meant. Pleas advise, over.

damn, and i just watched a commentary on a magnum p.i. episode where at the end a parrot blew up in a helicopter.....be the perfect meme......lol

 

[rjhoff]

Yes, that could be a problem.
I soak mine in the starsan pot prior to immersion, meaning I don't put it in the boil. I does have to be without debris so I rinse it well after each use.

Yeah me too: Soak in starsan, cool the wort, hose it off, soak in PBW, hose it off.

 

[jimyoung]

I have the same problem. I have a home-made immersion chiller, and I use plastic shark-bite fittings to mate the copper to vinyl. Also, my kettle is too small for the burner so we're in the same boat.

I do two things. One, I put the kettle off-center on the burner to have a colder and hotter side. It's the Blichmann Hellfire pre-cursor, so it's super stable. Second, when I put it in, I put the vinyl hoses up and over the side and rest them on something. I check how hot it is

Also, maybe turn it down a bit... I'm economical with my propane so I keep it as low as I can while it's still a rigorous boil

I've never had a problem, but always worry!

 

[David Baker]

Hi All,

I just got my propane burner setup, and did a small 2.5 batch in a small stockpot. The propane heat coming out from under the kettle, and up the sides, caught my hop bag string on fire. Not the end of the world, but it brought me to my real concern. I'm looking to buy a copper immersion chiller. Everyone says to just boil it for the last 15 minutes. How about the plastic in/out hoses? What do you do with them so that they don't melt? Probably a dumb question, but I'm stumped.

I'm thinking that maybe it is a kettle size issue. Once I step up to a larger (and taller) kettle ( 5 or 10 gallon), perhaps the heat won't be as intense near the top of the kettle. ??

Thanks

The tails of your chiller (one in and one out) should be long enough to be away from any flames. I had garden hose fittings on the ends of mine for years. And if you do have flames coming up the sides then you need a bigger kettle.

 

[Earthson]

@jimyoung - Turning it down was good advice. This was the first time out with the new stove and I was cooking like a mo-fo! Did another batch today and kept the flames under control. Worked much better. And worst case scenario, I can just drape the ends of the hoses over a nearby deck chair. That'll keep them far away from the heat source

 

[Transamguy77]

I built one with garden hose attachments so I wouldn’t have to worry about melted hoses but I just put it in at flameout and have for years with no worries.