Mounted Shirron

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Brewiz

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OK, I did a search and didn't come up with many. Who's got pictures of their Shirron plate chillers mounted and in use??? I just got one and I'm trying to decide how I'm going to connect/disconnect..:drunk:
 
Here are some of mine mounted on my stand...

bracket1.jpg


bracket2.jpg



it is important that the mount is temporary--as you'll have to remove the chiller after every use to thoroughly clean it.

I have another that I'll have to post tomorrow of the shirron all hooked up--it isn;t mine but I considered doign the same thing....
 
I see it's been a while since the last posts; are you guys still happy with the Shirron? I'm thinking of buying one. Please post pros/cons and cleaning details.
 
Love mine - no problems cleaning at all. Post chill, I just backflush, run some sanitizer through, and it put it away. Before next use, just push some sanizer through again and you are ready to chill.

You will want some sort of hop strainer, of course, to keep anything of size out of the chiller.

:mug:
 
Hmmmmm....

Fer a minute there I thought I read this thread title as "Mounted Sharon".

I was gonna offer my congratulations.... :D

...and ask for pictures of course...
 
BierMuncher said:
Hmmmmm....

Fer a minute there I thought I read this thread title as "Mounted Sharon".

Uh, I think you need to start that thread in a different section. :D
 
My recommendation for cleaning the shirron is that every once in awhile that a good boil in PBW will remove some of the debris that can be retained within the chiller and not removed with a simple backflush. I think the backflush works well but I've have a few worts that some particulates from the hops and some of the hot break proteins are sticking or getting stuck. A quick 10 minute boil in PBW worked wonders.

Make certain to dry that thing in an oven after you've rinsed it. If you loosely cover the wort ports with Al foil then bake in the oven for 30' @ 400°F; that puppy is already santized and awaiting the next use.
 
Pardon my ignorance, but why cover the wort ports?

Also, do you need a pump for a plate chiller? I am moving up to bigger batches and need to either buy.build a new IC or come with something else. A plate chiller or CFC would be nice and easy. Also, it would be cool and that's what it's all about! Pricewise though, A shirron + fittings, etc isn't really cheaper than a 50' IC.

(Sorry for the slight derail...)
 
briandickens said:
Pardon my ignorance, but why cover the wort ports?

Also, do you need a pump for a plate chiller? I am moving up to bigger batches and need to either buy.build a new IC or come with something else. A plate chiller or CFC would be nice and easy. Also, it would be cool and that's what it's all about! Pricewise though, A shirron + fittings, etc isn't really cheaper than a 50' IC.

(Sorry for the slight derail...)

I use a home made "wort wizard" with mine, not a pump, and it works great. Search for wort wizard and you can find enough info to build one for less than 10 bucks.
 
This past Saturday I had my smoothest brew day yet, mostly in part to the Shirron (cooling was always my biggest hassle, compounded with the fact that it happens at the end of the brewday when I've had a few).

I used Lil' Sparky's PVC collar/hop-bag to strain hops, and with 6 oz of whole leaf, it worked like a charm. I then wort wizarded Star-San into my carboy to sanitize that and the chiller.

Actual chilling was far more than I ever imagined: 5.5 gallons down to 54 degrees in 7 minutes. That December tap water sure is a beast. Afterwards I backflushed and forward flushed for about 10 minutes. I didn't dry, but will next time.

I spent a lot of time on the fence between immersion so I could eventually whirlpool (I agree with Jamil's reasoning) and a plate chiller. I went with a plate chiller because I could use the wort-wizard and also because of its size and storability since I don't have dedicated brew-storage space. After seeing that it took less than 10 minutes to chill, I don't think spending extra money on a March and getting a spigot on the brew kettle will offer that much more of an improvement. Only one use, but I definitely recommend the Shirron.
 
Afterwards I backflushed and forward flushed for about 10 minutes.

What did you flush with? Just hose water? or did you flush with a cleaner? I was just about decided to make a 50' IC, but the size of the shirron (plus it's cool) makes me keep considering it as the better option. I don't have a pump though and don't know that i want one just yet. How can I clean out the Shirron without one? Wort Wizard pulling from a bucket of PBW i guess? (Did I just answer my own question? I think I did.)
 
briandickens said:
What did you flush with? Just hose water? or did you flush with a cleaner? I was just about decided to make a 50' IC, but the size of the shirron (plus it's cool) makes me keep considering it as the better option. I don't have a pump though and don't know that i want one just yet. How can I clean out the Shirron without one? Wort Wizard pulling from a bucket of PBW i guess? (Did I just answer my own question? I think I did.)

Yeah, I just used hot water to flush. Next time, I'm going to use how water, then soak in star-san, then bake. I use it with a wort wizard, and it worked out great because I used it to sanitize both the chiller and the carboy. Then I used it for the actual cooling.

Just be sure to get a SS racking cane.
 
I am confused about the wort wizard. I know it pulls via venturi, but how does the wort not mix with the water?

(BTW I have a shirron plate cooler and a march pump, that have not been used yet.)

Also is this chiller cooling down to temp, after only one pass through the chiller itself? In other words are you running the wort in a closed loop, or directly to a carboy?
 
You connect a hose from the wizard's vaccum port to a port on your carboy cap to create a vaccum in there. The wort flows in via the second hole on the carboy cap. No wort ever gets near the wizard.
 
G-E-R-M-A-N said:
I am confused about the wort wizard. I know it pulls via venturi, but how does the wort not mix with the water?

(BTW I have a shirron plate cooler and a march pump, that have not been used yet.)

Also is this chiller cooling down to temp, after only one pass through the chiller itself? In other words are you running the wort in a closed loop, or directly to a carboy?

Directly to carboy. Keep in mind this is winter tap water which is really fuggin' cold already. In the summer, I'll probably have to use a prechiller.
 
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