Call me dedicated or dumb, I'm brewing here in SE Pa tomorrow and it will be about 13deg F in the afternoon. I'm mashing indoors, but full-wort boiling outside and realized getting my immersion chiller is could be a challenge. I'm considering heating up my hose-bib with a hair dryer just before turning the supply line on from the inside. Any other suggestions?
Immersion Chiller - sub zero temps?
- Thread starter HopTonger
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Hoppity
Just brew it!
I put the hose in the furnace room prior to use. The last 2 weeks I've just put the kettle or fermentation bucket into a pile of snow, why waste the water and create more ice in the driveway?
That's a perfect time to try a no-chill session. When the boil is done, put the lid on the pot and let it cool in the outside air. I'd expect it to take 4 to 6 hours.
If you use a plastic bucket fermenter you can pour the boiling wort in there if you want. Don't try it with a carboy or we'll be reading about your lost wort on the lawn because the hot wort would shatter the glass or melt the plastic carboy.
If you use a plastic bucket fermenter you can pour the boiling wort in there if you want. Don't try it with a carboy or we'll be reading about your lost wort on the lawn because the hot wort would shatter the glass or melt the plastic carboy.
I guess my main concern is the pipe is so freaking cold that as soon as I turn the water on it'll instantly freeze before it even hits the hose. I'm brewing a Helles (yes, already named Helles Frozen Over), so I want a good cold break and I don't think I'll get that without a chiller - we have only a dusting of powdery snow here.
$12 pond pump and a bucket. Ditch the hose. Use that annoying white stuff as your ice. Chills a tiny bit faster in summer and a tiny bit slower in winter if you suppl water is like mine...but no ice rink in the back yard.
Crap that's a great idea - not sure I can get one of those by tomorrow morning though :/
MEPNew2Brew
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2013
- Messages
- 311
- Reaction score
- 26
Just brewed today in a suburb of Philadelphia, on the NJ side of the river. My chiller is dry, sitting inside. Boil kettle is outside on front porch in 12-ish degree weather. It will cooler in plenty of time. In about an hour, I will sanitize by fermentation bucket and put it outside and let it chill. An hour after that or so, I will transfer the wort to the chilled bucket. If more chilling time is needed, so be it. It will sit on my front porch until 65-ish and then I'll pitch. For me, the infection risk from introducing an immersion chiller is greater than or equal to letting the wort sit, with the lid on, for a few hours.
Crap that's a great idea - not sure I can get one of those by tomorrow morning though :/
Harbor Freight has like three versions. Lowes/HD/Menards has 20 dollar versions...and they are either on clearance or out of stock this time of year.
GenIke
Well-Known Member
I used mine the other day in Wisconsin and just used the hose like I would in warmer temps. I had to drag stiff hoses into the basement to drain and it was a PITA, but was doable.
Just chilled a partial boil batch outside this evening at a balmy 0°f ...I simply stuck my kettle out on the porch in a Rubbermaid tote with a few gallons of tap water to help disipate the heat...after about 20 minutes I was bummed because it still was steaming hot when I opened the lid!!!.....then I checked the thermometer -- just below 80°f.
Slowly running water in a hose will not freeze even at -20. Unfortunately, I know this to be true. Thawing a frozen hose is a huge PITA. Unfortunately, I know this to be true. Take your hose out only when ready for it and you should be good IMO.
Well, the spigot wouldn't defrost - had to pull plan B and haul 6.5gal of hot wort inside and run a hose up from the basement into the kitchen. Investing in the pond pump from Amazon before next brew - great idea.
I always had my propane torch handy for thawing the spigots. Only took a few seconds.
Couple suggestions - keep the IC inside until you're ready to drop it in the kettle. If there's any water in it and you let it sit outside, you could get real freezing damage.
But the real thing is, if you ever need an excuse to get a good pump, this is it. I run ice water through my IC using a March 809 and it works like a champ. It is SOOO useful for other applications too. Way more than a pond pump.
But the real thing is, if you ever need an excuse to get a good pump, this is it. I run ice water through my IC using a March 809 and it works like a champ. It is SOOO useful for other applications too. Way more than a pond pump.
I always forget to drain my hose and usually realize its frozen 10 mins before i need it. Good thing i have a hottub. I just throw the whole hose in there for a minute and it thaws right out. Ive run water in below 0*F and never had a hose freeze with the water flowing. Noticed a comment about IC being a source of infection from another poster. Ive always thrown the chiller in for the last 20 minutes of the boil to kill off any nasties that might be clinging to it.
sakeyfour
Well-Known Member
Brewed yesterday at about 10F in Maine. Chilled by putting the boil kettle with a towel on it in the very large snow pile beside porch. Packed snow around it a few times while I was cleaning up. Cooled in about an hour and my snow pile is much smaller.
MarkInBuffalo
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2012
- Messages
- 84
- Reaction score
- 10
Brewed this past weekend in Buffalo, high of -2 both Saturday and Sunday. Luckily I've got it down to where the only thing I have to do outdoors is chill the beer at the end of the day. The hose spigot I use for my immersion chiller outside has been frozen the last few times I've gone to use it. A gallon of boiling water poured over the faucet gets that water flowing quickly. Going from flameout to pitching yeast (60-65 F) in 25/30 minutes. The trick is where you go with the discharge water from the immersion chiller. Pick a neighbor who'd like a backyard ice rink.
Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
She'll REALLY love when you use the hose connections for the washing machine though. Double so if you have to run the hoses across the carpet to the garage.
I did that for my first year of brewing and broke the faucet's thread (was made of cheap plastic). Hopefully I'm not married and we planned to replace the faucet anyway! :cross:
You guys have it so easy. 
36 degree water right out of the tap.
Try chilling your wort with 90 degree tap water.
I had to resort to the Grossy Wort Chiller 3000 to chill wort down here.
(Just pulling your leg, I'm sure your beer will come out great.)
36 degree water right out of the tap.Try chilling your wort with 90 degree tap water.
I had to resort to the Grossy Wort Chiller 3000 to chill wort down here.
(Just pulling your leg, I'm sure your beer will come out great.)
ColdbreakBrewing
Member
This work well when the temps are this low (Michigan). I just hook it up to the cold side of my washing machine and then run the outlet side of my chiller into the washer. I use the warm chiller water to wash a load of laundry when its done.
