Planned AG Build...

[itsme6582]

If you're really gonna go all out, you need to at least look at RIMS and HERMS. Also, what about a 2 tier instead. You can do a 2 tier stand with only one pump. You're going to need one if you get a plate chiller. You can mount a whole house water filter to your stand. This will be cheaper and last longer than a Pur or Brita water filter. I don't filter my water but I attach 1/2" vinyl tubing to the spigot with a hose adapter to fill my pots. This avoids potential issues with filling up with a rubber hose.

 

[CidahMastah]

IF you wrap the keggle mash tun with Reflectix, make sure you don't have it on when you're applying heat to it. I did that last time and the insides (the bubble wrap portion/layer) melted. You could see the depth change on the outside (the two foil layers were intact).

Haha - did that once myself. I should have mentioned - I wrap it on when it is mashing, take it off if I need to goose the tun with propane.

Flomaster - glad to see I am not the only brotha rocking the banquet table as my current "brewstand" haha. Soon my stand will be realized!

 

[bigirishape]

So I have my parts to build the keggles all purchased and in hand, burners and propane in hand, ingredients in hand....3 things I'm lacking...

1. high temp food grade vinyl tube to transfer from the hlt to mt, and mt to bk, and bk to carboy. resolving this issue soon, local HBS has 1/2" in stock.

now here is where I could use some feedback...

2. I neglected to buy a dip tube from BargainFittings while I was getting valves and such. Is there an easy way to pick up some parts from Lowes or Home Depot and jury rig one up?

3. Immersion Chiller. I am planning to use an IC with a fountain pump to recirc icewater from a bin. I've found the pump I want, the question now remains about the IC itself... I'm using keggles, so they're fairly deep, and I'm going to be getting into 10 gal batches soon. I was thinking about 20' of 3/8" pipe with vinyl hose and screw down clamps, then a fitting to hook the inlet hose to the pump. I've read some of the other IC posts and popular opinion seems to be 50' of 1/2" or 3/8" copper would be better, and would be optimal for 10g batches.

So I guess my questions regarding this are...
A) Is 50' of 3/8" good? 1/2" is a bit cost prohibitive...
B) Will single coil work, or should I try to do some kind of double coil-inside-a-coil, or the ribcage design?
C) I am planning to coil it around a corny keg to keep size, any suggestions for wrapping it so I don't kink it? Anything aside from a corny keg you'd recommend to use for a mold?

 

[itsme6582]

Silicone tubing seems the best. Food grade, not easy to kink, resilient...

Look at IC prices. Sometimes it costs just as much or even less to just buy an IC than to buy the copper. Since you're using ice water, I think you can get away with the smaller copper tubing. I think you should get as much as your budget can afford.

 

[bigirishape]

I can buy a 25' 3/8" IC from LHBS with hose fittings soldered on for $60. Can't order anywhere else for less. However if I just buy the copper, it will run 50' 3/8" for $55. Then some vinyl hose and clamps for another $5-10. I'll end up with 2x the IC and able to pick my own fittings for less cost, so I'm heading that way...just hoping I don't pinch the tube or something...

 

[Naggs]

I can buy a 25' 3/8" IC from LHBS with hose fittings soldered on for $60. Can't order anywhere else for less. However if I just buy the copper, it will run 50' 3/8" for $55. Then some vinyl hose and clamps for another $5-10. I'll end up with 2x the IC and able to pick my own fittings for less cost, so I'm heading that way...just hoping I don't pinch the tube or something...

I'm going to make a "rib cage" chiller this weekend with this thread as my inspiration:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-interwoven-rib-cage-immersion-chiller-106415/

 

[subliminalurge]

I can buy a 25' 3/8" IC from LHBS with hose fittings soldered on for $60. Can't order anywhere else for less. However if I just buy the copper, it will run 50' 3/8" for $55. Then some vinyl hose and clamps for another $5-10. I'll end up with 2x the IC and able to pick my own fittings for less cost, so I'm heading that way...just hoping I don't pinch the tube or something...

For 10 gallon batches, you're going to want the 50 feet. The extra length will make a big difference for those last 50 or so degrees.

Remember, the biggest factor in heat transfer is the difference in temp between the two sides. At the beginning of the chill, 10 feet will perform as well as 50 since it only takes about a foot or two for the chill water to get heated up to near boiling and it won't absorb any more heat. But when you're trying to chill down that last 10 degrees, the extra length will help a lot since the chill water won't be fully heated up in the first 20 feet and it can keep absorbing heat all the way through the full length.

Hell, I'm considering moving to a 50 foot IC for 5 gallon batches.

Also, if it's not cost prohibitive, I'd look at stainless instead of copper. I've used both and I can tell you two things from experience. 1. Copper performs better than stainless. 2. The difference is so frickin' small that I'll take stainless every time just to avoid cleaning up the green nastiness that builds up on the copper between brews. The weather (tap water temps) makes a bigger difference in how fast you can chill than the material the coil is made of does. Seriously, we're talking a very small difference....

You can buy a ready made 50 foot stainless IC for a hundred bucks, with garden hose fittings attached, not just rubber tubing hose-clamped on.

So that would be a good dollar figure to use as a baseline when you're pricing the copper tubing.