Need a new chiller

[Kyle]

So, 30 minutes into my boil I pull out my immersion chiller and find this. It looks like it blew out from the bottom and there is another one on the coil above it. Any idea how this happened? It is stored in a garage on the floor. Going to try an ice bath today, but it gives me an excuse to upgrade.

What would you guys recommend? Another IC, a CFC, or a chill plate. Can't spend a lot but what is the best bang for the buck?

View attachment 1485028082508.jpg

 

[schematix]

Common fail. It froze with water in it.

Get yourself a Jaded Hydra.

Optionally if are handy you could cut that section out and sweat in a repair.

I'd just buy the Hydra and next time store the IC upside down so it drains out. If money was tight i'd just fix it.

 

[pvpeacock]

Jaded for sure! It works wonders.

 

[Murphys_Law]

Jaded has some good stuff. Spend the money and be happy.

 

[mtnhunt]

Why not just pick up 50ft of copper tubing and build your own? $160 seems a bit much. Idk what they are doing for their stats, but I my last batch was gas off to carrying the fermenter into the house in 5 minutes. I run a whirlpool, but I dont crank the water pressure up so I could probably drop even more time if I ran it full open.

 

[schematix]

Why not just pick up 50ft of copper tubing and build your own? $160 seems a bit much. Idk what they are doing for their stats, but I my last batch was gas off to carrying the fermenter into the house in 5 minutes. I run a whirlpool, but I dont crank the water pressure up so I could probably drop even more time if I ran it full open.

apples to oranges. the $160 hydra is not a basic 50' IC. i use the hydra in 10-15G batches as a plate chiller replacement. it's a beast.

 

[mtnhunt]

Yeah but being different is irrelevant. Results are similar on my system for a fraction of the price.

 

[schematix]

There are many published reviews that the Hydra performs significantly better than standard ICs. Their design significantly increases surface area while not reducing flow. Physics is on their side.

Do you have a Hydra?

 

[mtnhunt]

No but based on their advertised performance and the performance of a 50ft coil running at probably 1/4, maybe 1/3, the pressure it could operate at and going from boiling to 64 and me carrying the fermenter into the house in 5 minutes ...

... Im sure the hydra is great. A 50ft coil works just fine for a fraction of the cost.

 

[IslandLizard]

You can solder those holes close.

 

[DasBierBaron]

I'm going to try 50' of 1/2" stainless for my next chiller I think. Hopefully it works well enough for 10 gallon batches compared to my plate chiller.

 

[Kyle]

Seems the consensus is the hydra. I may attempt a repair first since this was a 50' coil, otherwise I'll probably look into a hydra. I want to eventually move to 10 gallon batches so I think it would be a good investment.

For repairs, would it be better to solder the holes or remove the section with the holes and add a coupling?

 

[pretzelb]

I have the Jaded King Cobra and I love it after 2 uses. The nice thing about this model is the low height which works for both 5g and 10g. Having this IC I can say it would be really hard to make at home.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I just gave away my 50' 1/2 copper immersion chiller after making it 4 years ago. The Jaded Hydra was so much more efficient, faster, used way less water. But if you get the Hydra, remember to drain it EVERY TIME so you don't freeze it, and don't turn it on and walk away. More than once I've done this only to have it chill too cold because I wasn't watching and didn't think it would chill so fast.

 

[mongoose33]

I bought the hydra just after Christmas. Haven't had a chance to use it yet, but after a fairly exhaustive examination of the various chiller options, it seemed clear to me this was the most efficient one.

Pricey? Yes. Built like a tank? Yes. It's not perhaps obvious from just looking at it, but the Hydra is heavy. Obvious from the amount of copper used in it, but it kind of shocked me how much heft it has.

I can't wait to see just how much it cuts down chilling time.

 

[JB_Brewing2]

Seems the consensus is the hydra. I may attempt a repair first since this was a 50' coil, otherwise I'll probably look into a hydra. I want to eventually move to 10 gallon batches so I think it would be a good investment.

For repairs, would it be better to solder the holes or remove the section with the holes and add a coupling?

For frozen pipe repairs such as you are experiencing, a plumber would cut out the blown out section and sweat a coupling in place.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]For repairs, would it be better to solder the holes or remove the section with the holes and add a coupling?

If you can cut out the two blown sections and sweat couplers to the ends, that would be the best fix, but you may find it easier to cut out the section between the blow-outs and sweat in one coupler...

Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

Seems the consensus is the hydra. I may attempt a repair first since this was a 50' coil, otherwise I'll probably look into a hydra. I want to eventually move to 10 gallon batches so I think it would be a good investment.

For repairs, would it be better to solder the holes or remove the section with the holes and add a coupling?

These holes are easy to get to, so cut the piece out then sweat a coupler in.

I've successfully closed some gaping holes in coils by first easing the sides back together, then solder, sometimes using a patch made from a coupler sawed in half lengthwise, or another piece of copper.

 

[schematix]

After the repair make sure to test under pressure.

One time i trusted my buddie's repair, and well, we ended up an extra gallon of tap water in half chilled wort. Ended up being a great beer but very stressful.

 

[NeoBrew]

I choose to make my own. I don't have any solid stats on comparisons with the Hydra, but it goes plenty fast enough for me.

The most expensive part was the copper tubing itself. I am sure the whole thing came in for under $75.

If you are going to put a coupling in yours to repair, remember that tubing is not the same diameter as hard pipe. You should bring the cut out section to the store and see if you can find one that fits. You can sometimes go down a pipe size and make it work.

 

[day_trippr]

Any decent hardware store will carry copper tubing couplers that are specifically sized to copper tubing.
No need to mess around with pipe fittings...

Cheers!

 

[augiedoggy]

You can solder those holes close.

or just cut the last 3 ft off including the section with the hole in it which would have no noticeable impact on function...