immersion vs. plate chiller - I've only ever used immersion

[GCPHomebrew]

I use a sump pump (in ice) attached to my IC. Pitching temps in under 10 minutes. No way I will buy anything else. 50' 1/2 copper. 80bucks on Amazon. 40 for the pump at hat our freight.

 

[user 141939]

Oh by the way you all were totally right. I stir constantly and takes about 10 - 15 minutes to cool the wort down. If i stop stirring, the water coming out gets cold. When I start again it starts coming out hot again, so it is quite clear that constant stirring is very important.

 

[brewfarmDan]

regarding stirring. If an immersion chiller is coiled so that almost all tube is in the upper part of the wort that is where the hottest liquid is if not stirred. My thinking is that the greater the temperature differential between the cold coil and hot wort the more efficient the heat transfer. I have a 50' X 3/8 double coil in 12 gallons that is in the upper half of the pot and the bottom of the pot is consdensing and cool to the touch in 5 to 10 minutes with all the heat at the top where the coil is working. I don't stir until I'm ready to check for pitch temp, I run the waste from the coil into a cup with thermometer and when it drops to 70 return I stir and take an actual kettle temp. I like that the coil just needs a quick rinse and it's done.

 

[DesignatedDrinker]

Howdy. I've just recently gotten back into homebrewing. I just posted on these forums about my biggest pain point and got some great responses, soooo, I figure I'll post about my second biggest pain point:

It takes me about 25-30 minutes to chill my wort with an immersion chiller, and I'd like to reduce that time. I am doing 5 gallon batches. I recently read that a plate chiller is WAY better, but I'd like to here from the group. Should I get a plate chiller? What are the biggest pros/cons of using a plate chiller vs an immersion chiller?

Thanks!

stick with the immersion chiller for easy clean up. if you want faster times use a pump and whirlpool your wort around the chiller. I use 50' SS Immersion and whirlpool, go from boil to around 70 degrees in under 10 minutes, that's with pumping ice water through the chiller once its under 120.

I tried the plate chiller and got rid of it, its a pain to clean and adds time to your brew day. A stainless Immersion chiller only requires a few seconds of rinsing and your done.