Making my own chiller?

[Cap'n Jewbeard]

Hey guys (and ladies)-

I just searched around, to see if this has been covered. Probably it has, but I'm tired and my research skills are on holiday.

-So-

Is it cheaper to build my own chiller, or buy one? Is it better one way or the other? Do I really need a chiller anyway? (I've done wines and ciders, but this weekend will be my first beer).

What's the diff between immersion and counterflow? And is it possible to build either one of them without tearing out my hair?

Thanks, sorry about the barrage of inquiries.

 

[brackbrew]

In terms of cost-effectiveness, I don't know which is better, although someone recently posted that the price of copper is sky-rocketing. As to the difference between immersion and counterflow (and anybody please feel free to correct or add on):

An immersion chiller is a single length of copper tubing between 25'-50' in length, wrapped in a coil that you insert into your wort the last 10-15 minutes of the boil to sanitize. One end is connected to a cold water source (tap or outdoor faucet) and the other end has a length of tubing (generally) for the water to exit. The underlying principal is that the heat conductivity properties of the copper will carry the heat of the wort off with the water passing through it. It is the easier of the two chillers to use and is the least expensive of either kind.

A counterflow chiller, as its name suggests, has liquids flowing in opposite directions. It involves two lengths of copper tubing--one inside the other--again generally between 25'-50' in length. The principal behind the counterflow chiller is that hot wort exits the brewpot (usually through a faucet at the bottom, or with the aid of a pump) and travels through the inner-tubing of the chiller directly into the primary fermenter, while cold water passes through the outer-tubing, absorbing much of the heat from the wort. In this case, there are four ends--an in and out for the wort, and an in and out for the water source. The counterflow chiller is considered to be more efficient in terms of water usage and cooling time, but thought by many to be harder to sanitize than an immersion chiller. It is also generally more expensive.

Hope this helps; sorry to be so long winded.

BREW ON

 

[Cap'n Jewbeard]

Oh, that definitely helps, don't worry about length!

So it looks like immersion is probably the way to go for me, given my set-up. Any idea on what prices would be for a pre-made immersion?

 

[Beer Snob]

Oh, that definitely helps, don't worry about length!

So it looks like immersion is probably the way to go for me, given my set-up. Any idea on what prices would be for a pre-made immersion?

Yes, actually. I just ordered one and am awaiting it's arrival from Austin Brewing Supples. It cost $39.99 and if you want one I would get one fast, as the prices are going up as we type here. At my local HBS he wanted $60 for the exact (actually I think his was smaller) thing!