Immersion Chiller -- Stainless or Copper

[Lost_Arkitekt]

So, I have a gift certificate and what I need is an immersion chiller to drop the wort temp down quickly under 140 before I run it through the plate chiller. Sounds weird, but I know that while using a plate chiller the majority of your wort is just below boiling for a lot of the time. My plate chiller isn't big enough to chill that quickly, so, I want to get something to knock it down quickly first.

Question is this...all things being equal, would you buy a stainless or copper immersion chiller?

 

[mhb69]

I wouldn't buy an immersion chiller; I'd buy a counter-flow chiller. Fast! And it doesn't clog. You can get 'em in copper or stainless. Both work well, but stainless is a bit better if you want to go down the CIP route.

 

[day_trippr]

All things being equal, I'd buy the copper IC, as it will be quicker, and cleaning is nbd...

Cheers!

[edit] Copper has a much lower thermal resistance than stainless steel (by about 30x)

 

[richl025]

You're right, that's weird. An immersion chiller is significantly less efficient than a plate or counterflow chiller. Not sure what you mean by " the majority of your wort is just below boiling for a lot of the time..." - do you have the PC just in line and decanting straight into your fermenter?

You can try recirculating (which will of course require a pump & more hoses) or get a larger plate chiller so can run your wort through at a higher rate and avoid it sitting at higher temps.

Trust me, avoid the PIA of an immersion chiller if you already have a plate setup....

 

[TimmyWit]

You're right, that's weird. An immersion chiller is significantly less efficient than a plate or counterflow chiller. Not sure what you mean by " the majority of your wort is just below boiling for a lot of the time..." - do you have the PC just in line and decanting straight into your fermenter?

You can try recirculating (which will of course require a pump & more hoses) or get a larger plate chiller so can run your wort through at a higher rate and avoid it sitting at higher temps.

Trust me, avoid the PIA of an immersion chiller if you already have a plate setup....

That hasn't been my experience. An IC is only a PIA if you're not using it right. If you're recirculating or stirring, it's pretty quick. I have a plate chiller and an IC and my IC is my go-to. If anything, the IC is quicker than the PC and it's easier to clean.

To answer OP's question, if you're not happy with the PC, get a nice copper IC and ditch your plate chiller; no need to use both. I use a Jamil style whirlpool chiller. Jaded is making some really nice ones these days too.

 

[trav77]

If you have a pump just add a recirculation arm and continuously recirculate/whirlpool while chilling. I drop mine to pitching temp in < 10 mins and see no reason to go to a plate chiller.

As for the original question - not sure what the benefit of a SS chiller is so I would save the cash and stick with copper.

 

[Lost_Arkitekt]

My plate chiller isn't big enough...so I have to slow the flow down. It was/is the best I could get for the money. Plus, it uses a ton of water to chill a batch. I have a gift certificate for Midwest and I was thinking of getting an immersion chiller to knock the initial temp down and then running the wort through the plate chiller. I do have recirculation capability, but not integrated to the wort chiller.

Midwest offers two models for the price I want to spend. They are exactly the same except for the materials they are made of. I'm actually thinking of just using the gift certificate for something else, selling my smaller plate chiller (great for 5 gallon batches) and buying a larger one. I've had no problems with the plate chiller being stuck because I BIAB (stainless basket) and use a stainless mesh hop spider. My hot break/trub is not bad either...although I might just get a wort strainer at some point.