I have to improve my AG cooling methods due to the fact our tap water is over 80. I have been running tap water through a pre-chiller placed in a cooler of ice water then over to the immersion chiller until it gets down to about 110 (10-15 mins). I'm not sure the pre-chiller is very effective. I then switch to a battery powered sump pump and recirculate the ice water through the IC but the pump is pretty weak so the entire cooling process takes about 45 minutes to get to 65 degrees. I wanted to get a sump pump to use in place of this battery powered thing I have but they seem to be 1000+ GPH which seems like way too much for what I need. Does anyone have a pump recommendation?? Thanks!
Pump for immersion chiller
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jasonsbeer
Well-Known Member
I don't have any experience, but I've heard folks mention pumps for fountains work well. You can find them at Harbor Freight pretty cheap.
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/?category=&q=fountain+pump
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/?category=&q=fountain+pump
bnmir
Well-Known Member
Aquarium powerheads work well
HometownHoosier
Well-Known Member
I use the 258 GPH pump from harbor freight. I just use tap water to get to 100 then I hook up the pump. Works great.
I use the same one and it works great.
Paddle_Head
Well-Known Member
I'm looking to do the same.
Have seen folks recommending 170-200 GPH as sufficient.
Have seen folks recommending 170-200 GPH as sufficient.
HometownHoosier
Well-Known Member
I went with the Harbor Freight one mainly because it is inexpensive and it was easy to attach to the Garden hose fitting on my IC.
As long as there is water inside the IC, I would imagine a smaller pump would work okay. I do have to pull a little vacuum with the 258GPH to get it flowing though, but I'm sure that is just due to my setup.
As long as there is water inside the IC, I would imagine a smaller pump would work okay. I do have to pull a little vacuum with the 258GPH to get it flowing though, but I'm sure that is just due to my setup.
dogtailale
Well-Known Member
65dg in 45min pretty good.
This is my pump of choice for cold water ONLY http://www.rvpartscountry.com/RVWaterPump115V they also come in 12dc for about 60$. Lots better than any harbor freight pumps. They work when you need them.
This is my pump of choice for cold water ONLY http://www.rvpartscountry.com/RVWaterPump115V they also come in 12dc for about 60$. Lots better than any harbor freight pumps. They work when you need them.
I use a 1/4hp, 115v submersible pump from Harbor Freight. I bought it to help me move water from my cellar [old farm-style of foundation walls which are extremely porous] to the sump crock. Works equally well to circulate chilled/iced water through my immersion chiller.
glenn514
glenn514
starrfish
Well-Known Member
Doing this Over the Weekend for first time, getting my pump tonight, brewing Sunday. Last weekends boil I could only get down to 110° with plain tap water.
2pugbrews
Well-Known Member
Before I got my immersion chiller I had started to freeze 2 or 3 gallon plastic milk jugs of water; then breaking the ice up with an ice pick; cutting the jug open and dumping it into a sink full of water. Cooled almost as fast as my IC later
SwampassJ
Well-Known Member
I bought a 190gph pump from harbor freight two weeks ago. I can hit 60 degrees on the wort but it still takes some time.
My problem is that I have a 3/8" IC, I should of made a 1/2" but I was being cheap so the water flow is a bit reduced because of the size of the IC.
My problem is that I have a 3/8" IC, I should of made a 1/2" but I was being cheap so the water flow is a bit reduced because of the size of the IC.
HometownHoosier
Well-Known Member
I have a 25' 3/8" IC and use the submersible pump. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get down to pitching temp. The pump definitely speeds things up.
Sudz
Well-Known Member
I'm using a Fountain pump running about 300 GPH. I made up a simple copper pipe manifold which allows me to select water from the tap or water from the pump.
I use tap water to get down to about 100F then which to the pump. The trick here is I put the pump in my 48 gal MLT picnic cooler to which I previously added two bags of ice and filled with tap water. I simply pump the ice water through my IC at a very slow flow, controlled by a ball valve on my manifold. My manifold also has provisions for topping up the cooler from the tap if my water runs low. So far, I haven't needed to add water to my cooler.
The slow flow is the secret and it's very efficient at sucking up the BTU's at the low flow rate.
I can take 6 1/2 gals from flameout to 60's in 17 minutes with 80+ tap water using my 1/2 IC.
I use tap water to get down to about 100F then which to the pump. The trick here is I put the pump in my 48 gal MLT picnic cooler to which I previously added two bags of ice and filled with tap water. I simply pump the ice water through my IC at a very slow flow, controlled by a ball valve on my manifold. My manifold also has provisions for topping up the cooler from the tap if my water runs low. So far, I haven't needed to add water to my cooler.
The slow flow is the secret and it's very efficient at sucking up the BTU's at the low flow rate.
I can take 6 1/2 gals from flameout to 60's in 17 minutes with 80+ tap water using my 1/2 IC.
starrfish
Well-Known Member
Can you post pics? was thinking about something similar using a "Y" hose splitter with 2 cut offs on splitter. Using this method it's flicking a 2 cut off / ons and no dis/reconnecting. thanks!
Oh yeah... "a new twice the ice" vending machine opened about 1 mile from house! 20lbs of ice $1.49!
Sudz
Well-Known Member
I'll make an attempt at the pics this weekend. Sure wish I had a cheap source of ice around my digs...
maskednegator
Well-Known Member
Your coil would cool more quickly at a higher flow rate. The higher the flow rate, the higher the gradient between the coolant and the free stream temperature of the wort.
Got a 396 GPH for like 20 bucks off Amazon... will be using it for the first time next brew. I already set my pot in an ice bath so I'll just drop the pump into the ice bath too and suck the cold water from the bath while replenishing it from the tap. Beats hell out of the warm water I normally get from the tap usually.
Sudz
Well-Known Member
Not necessarily.
There's an optimum flow rate for each set of conditions with each set up of given hardware. Too fast a flow can actually be less efficient on a water cooled heat exchanger. Admittedly my rate may be too slow for optimum heat transfer but it utilizes my ice more efficiently and I'm perfectly happy with my 17 minutes.
Clearly there's a lot of room for playing around.
maskednegator
Well-Known Member
Higher flow rates mean more thermal mass through the exchanger, more turbulence and a higher gradient in temperature. There are no situations in which a normally-operating heat exchanger will cool more quickly if you throttle back the flow.
You may be perfectly happy with your cooling times, and frankly 17 minutes is a great time, I just want to make sure that a noob reading this doesn't try to shorten their cooling times by reducing flow through their IC.
You may be perfectly happy with your cooling times, and frankly 17 minutes is a great time, I just want to make sure that a noob reading this doesn't try to shorten their cooling times by reducing flow through their IC.
HossTheGreat
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I, along with some others on here use this:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_792_792
It's works great and is also handy to have around the house. In fact if you read the reviews on the NT site, you'll see a few people comment that their using it to chill wort as well.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_792_792
It's works great and is also handy to have around the house. In fact if you read the reviews on the NT site, you'll see a few people comment that their using it to chill wort as well.
Sudz
Well-Known Member
Blowing though your ice water in the first few minutes will leave you with warm Wort. If you have a endless supply of ice water, you are correct.
maskednegator
Well-Known Member
If you are recirculating your IC water and have the ice in the supply at the beginning, then throttling your IC water still does nothing. The ice in your water has a given thermal mass, and changing flow rate through the IC does not change that. The final temperature of your supply water will be the same, regardless of the flow rate throught the IC. It's more or less a closed system.
If you are switching from tap to an ice bath with a pump in it, then you should rocket first the tap water and then the ice water through the IC at as high a flow rate as possible (if your desire is simply to reduce to pitching temp asap).
Harbor Freight has cheaper pumps, submersion Bilge Pumps but they don't plug into a standard outlet, you need a car or deep cycle battery in the room. In your garage, no problem. In your kitchen, not ideal. I just wanted to throw that out there. Search Harbor Freight for "Bilge Pump".
MDRex
Well-Known Member
That's my plan. Just picked up a 250gph HF pump and will see how well that works today.
bmckee56
Well-Known Member
I have posted this several times to different threads and will do so again here. No pump necessary!
I freeze my pre-chiller tubing in a pan of water overnight and circulate water from the tap to the frozen coil, then to my wort chiller. I have recorded temperatures of 38F. out of the pre-chiller using 75 degree water from the tap. It works great and is easy to construct and re-fill when needed.
Only word of caution here is to ensure you do not run any water into the pre-chiller prior to hooking up your wort chiller or it will freeze up and stop flow. Hook up all lines before moving water through. Also make certain the pre-chiller is liquid free before freezing overnight.
Salute!
I freeze my pre-chiller tubing in a pan of water overnight and circulate water from the tap to the frozen coil, then to my wort chiller. I have recorded temperatures of 38F. out of the pre-chiller using 75 degree water from the tap. It works great and is easy to construct and re-fill when needed.
Only word of caution here is to ensure you do not run any water into the pre-chiller prior to hooking up your wort chiller or it will freeze up and stop flow. Hook up all lines before moving water through. Also make certain the pre-chiller is liquid free before freezing overnight.
Salute!
Sudz
Well-Known Member
I got the pictures on the manifold but I haven't a clue on how to get them posted. Is there a sticky somewhere explaining this?
Thanks
smakudwn
Well-Known Member
I use my LG pump on my brew stand to pump tap and icewater through my IC. I first fill up my MLT with just tap water, run about 7 gallons of that through my IC and then back to HLT (i use this for cleaning) Then i add 20 LB of ice into the MLT cooler, then start recirc that though the IC and back into MLT. Then when its done i use the water to fill up milk jugs to freeze to use for the next beers cooling.
