I'm going to make an immersion chiller and I was going to use 50ft of 1/2" od. Is it worth the price to use that over 3/8"od? What have you guys found? Most sites sell the 3/8" and I don't know if that's because it's more efficient or because it keeps cost down. Thanks
Quick immersion chiller question
- Thread starter drays14
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Transamguy77
Well-Known Member
I have both and the 1/2" cools way faster. Also if you go bigger now you won't have to upgrade later if you decide to brew bigger batches.
MindenMan
Well-Known Member
I got a tremendous deal on some 5/8" a while back and made a dual pass IC, the water goes into the bottom of both coils, and the water comes out the top of both coils; basically a "rib cage" design, and it cools 5 gallons fast. It is 42 feet long and works perfectly in a 30 quart kettle, as it is tall and narrow, but it is useless in a 40 qt or larger pot, as too much is above the level of the wort. 5/8" is a real b!tch to bend w/o kinking. I would suggest using the largest form size you can, so if you buy a larger pot it is still effective. It dawned on me why most of the pre-made IC's average 10" in diameter; they will fit into almost any size kettle. I have a 50' roll of 3/8" waiting to become an IC, I just haven't decided on a design yet.
Thanks for the vote of appreciation for my design! I've been toying with doing the dual pass version, I might have to try it this week when I build a few.
1/2 more expensive, works faster, uses a lot more water. 3/8 is usually called refrigeration tubing - requires 1/4" fittings that are often tough to find.
It's cost difference, theres $16 difference in the price of copper locally for me between 5/8 and 1/2" and $16 between 3/8 and 1/2" as well. Good luck man!
grrickar
Well-Known Member
More surface area will promote faster cooling. The larger the tubing, you may find it more difficult to bend. I went with 3/8", but went 50 ft for more surface area. I also use a fountain pump in an icewater bath to drop wort temps FAST. I use the hot water 'return' to rinse my gear and prewash it. Best move I ever made. Fast cooldown and 'free' hot water to wash stuff up with...
MindenMan
Well-Known Member
One of the online brew supply stores has a cool looking IC; it reminds me of a Celtic Cross. I am not brave enough to risk a roll of tubing to see if I could make one with their design.
I just measured my 40qt pot, and realized I need to keep the cooling part of the coil(s) less than 7" tall. 7"/0.375" = 18.6 coils high possible in 7 inches; and that would only be possible if the coils were wired tightly together. JaDeD Brewing has the crazy shaped IC's I was thinking about; the reviews were good, but they are pricey.
EDIT: 01/24/2015
School has started back, and I won't be doing anything DIY for a while, but a man can dream, can't he? I have 5 gallons of Brown Porter waiting to be bottled from almost 2 weeks ago. Last semester I wasn't as diligent with my studies as I could have been, and I finished with a "B" and two "C"s, and was sweating it the whole time. I am okay with "C"s, "C"s will keep me in the graduation loop.
I just measured my 40qt pot, and realized I need to keep the cooling part of the coil(s) less than 7" tall. 7"/0.375" = 18.6 coils high possible in 7 inches; and that would only be possible if the coils were wired tightly together. JaDeD Brewing has the crazy shaped IC's I was thinking about; the reviews were good, but they are pricey.
EDIT: 01/24/2015
School has started back, and I won't be doing anything DIY for a while, but a man can dream, can't he? I have 5 gallons of Brown Porter waiting to be bottled from almost 2 weeks ago. Last semester I wasn't as diligent with my studies as I could have been, and I finished with a "B" and two "C"s, and was sweating it the whole time. I am okay with "C"s, "C"s will keep me in the graduation loop.
