New twist immersion chiller

[Starrider]

FDA stamp or not, what is important IMO are the materials used. All the FDA stamp means is that someone paid a bunch of money to have something inspected and approved by them.

If you can afford $500+ brew pots and quadruple digit brew systems, more power to you. Not all of us can afford that and look for cheaper alternatives. I would not promote anything that is unsafe, just because the FDA hasn't put their stamp on something, doesn't by default make it unsafe. I'll bet the cooler that everyone uses as a mash tun wasn't approved. How do you know the plastic is safe for hot wort? Many plastics gas at high temperatures. That's why we have CPVC.

Now on the positive side; I found out this is 100% aluminum and uses aluminum solder in a reflow furnace that would also burn off any flux residues. An alcohol bath would take off everything else. As a new unit, no glycol or others were ever introduced.

To me, this is holding up as a viable option

 

[Pratzie]

How much did this cost u? Or were u given it? If it was given to u for free, see if u can get anothre or two or three and take them to a scrap yard. Cash it in, take that to Lowes or HD and get urself some copper coil and make urself an immersion. Or take the coil and look for yardsales for an old hose and make a CFC. My CFC takes boiling down to 60's in the time it takes to drain, roughly 6-9 minutes.

Boiling to get any heavy grease or anything else off of it from the inside isn't 100% sure thing. The stuff still has to drain and some is bound to be left inside. Judging by what ive read and most of the comments here, I commend u on thinking outside the box but I think there are WAY to many what if's with regard to safety.

 

[bad67z]

How much did this cost u? Or were u given it? If it was given to u for free, see if u can get anothre or two or three and take them to a scrap yard. Cash it in, take that to Lowes or HD and get urself some copper coil and make urself an immersion. Or take the coil and look for yardsales for an old hose and make a CFC. My CFC takes boiling down to 60's in the time it takes to drain, roughly 6-9 minutes.

Boiling to get any heavy grease or anything else off of it from the inside isn't 100% sure thing. The stuff still has to drain and some is bound to be left inside. Judging by what ive read and most of the comments here, I commend u on thinking outside the box but I think there are WAY to many what if's with regard to safety.

+1

I also commend you for thinking outside the box. I looks like one of the best prechiller I have seen thus far. That being said, put the solder chemistry aside, the sanitation concern would be a very close second for me. It only takes infecting one batch and you have lost money and quite a bit of time.

At this point the amount of time spent researching the materials, manufacturing process and finding an economical water testing facility would have outweighed the $40 or so it costs to make a conventional immersion chiller IMHO.

 

[Oseloth]

I support this idea as I have the same idea. There is no lead in soldering aluminium. These are all cold soldering so aluminuim to aluminium. Have one like this but made of copper. Same thing. Soldered by zinc and silver. This should work. There is a issue of cleaning it with starsan bt you actually do not have to sanitize it as it gets cooked in wort for 15min. Al is also bacteria free as metal. This could work.

 

[Starrider]

Do you have any pictures of yours?

Some good concerns were raised above. Even though I am confident the unit I have is safe, as bad67z said (is that a Camaro by the way), one bad batch and all.

Of all the pros and cons, one pro is that I only have to run the water about 4 minutes. Definitely helps With the SWMBO.

 

[Oseloth]

I will post some pictures when the sistem gets tested. Mne is also aluminum and cold welded