Sanitizing a copper Wort chiller

[alaskajeff]

I am new to brewing and was wondering if I could just sanitize my wort chiller along with other things that I sanitize before I make beer. I know most just put it in the boiling wort but wouldn't this work as well ?

 

[ThreeDogsNE]

Immersion chiller or counterflow? If it's an immersion chiller and it's ugly, dunk it in StarSan for a while. If it's pretty shiny, just put it in the wort and save yourself a step. I used to just run boiling wort through my counterflow chiller for the final 15 minutes of the boil, before I switched to a plate chiller. The plate chiller I just fill with StarSan and drain. There are more than enough steps to be careful on with brewing - why add one? When I started with all-malt brewing I even sanitized my mash tun. Now I just brush and rinse it clean. If you don't leave significant organic material on the surface, nothing can grow there. Clean is good enough prior to the boil. After the boil, your sanitization needs to be thorough. Before the boil, just clean is plenty good. An hour of boiling won't get you truly sterile wort - or chillers. But it will get you to the same place that has worked fine for many thousands of brewers for many hundreds of years.

You also might want to see this: http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html

 

[Singletrack]

This probably isn't recommended, but I noticed I get a lot of cooling when I first drop my IC into the boil. Then I use more gas to get back to a boil so I can cut the gas and use the IC to cool again (and continue cooling). Since this reheating step wastes both gas and IC cooling water, I now drop in the IC at flame out, hoping there is enough remaining temperature and time to sanitize the IC. Due to severe drought, I do a few crazy things to conserve water. So far, this one has not resulted in an infection.

 

[Paps]

Due to severe drought, I do a few crazy things to conserve water.

You really should start flushing your toilet again.......jus saying.

 

[Singletrack]

You really should start flushing your toilet again.......jus saying.

Oh yeah, we have to flush toilets. That's our source of drinking water now.

http://www.gwrsystem.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=2

 

[madscientistbrewNq]

15 minutes left in the boil I drop it in.

 

[brew_ny]

drop it in at flame out and you are all good

I brew electric put my IC in when I turn off the element and have not had a problem

all the best

S_M

 

[kh54s10]

I put mine in the BK with a few minutes left in the boil time. It does stop the boil, but I don't have to raise the flame. It takes less than a minute to return to a boil. If you put it in at flame out the 212 degrees it will kill anything nasty on it.

You could use your sanitizer, but why bother.

 

[MaxStout]

This probably isn't recommended, but I noticed I get a lot of cooling when I first drop my IC into the boil. Then I use more gas to get back to a boil so I can cut the gas and use the IC to cool again (and continue cooling). Since this reheating step wastes both gas and IC cooling water, I now drop in the IC at flame out, hoping there is enough remaining temperature and time to sanitize the IC. Due to severe drought, I do a few crazy things to conserve water. So far, this one has not resulted in an infection.

I do the same thing, as dropping the IC in earlier kills the boil. From flameout, the copper may not become sterile, but it will quickly get over 200F and I'll bet it will be at least as sanitary as anything else that contacts the wort from that point forward. Good enough for brewing. Copper is a good conductor of heat. It will get quite hot before I turn the water on.

 

[enkamania]

I have 5 gallons of sanitizer, so I just dunk it in

 

[ArcLight]

This probably isn't recommended, but I noticed I get a lot of cooling when I first drop my IC into the boil.

I put my IC in a pot and fill it with hot water in the bath tub.
It's not boiling but its still 40 degrees warmer than without doing it, and cools the wort less.

Also make sure you get out any trapped water since that will cool the wort.


If I was in a drought affected area I'd probably use No Chill, just to save the extra 30+ gallons an immersion chiller uses. You can also use an immersion chiller with a low flow rate. It wont cool as fast, but once it's down to 20F over your water temperature, you can pump through ice water.

 

[Singletrack]

I put my IC in a pot and fill it with hot water in the bath tub.
It's not boiling but its still 40 degrees warmer than without doing it, and cools the wort less.

If I was in a drought affected area I'd probably use No Chill, just to save the extra 30+ gallons an immersion chiller uses. You can also use an immersion chiller with a low flow rate. It wont cool as fast, but once it's down to 20F over your water temperature, you can pump through ice water.

Cooling is good. It's a chiller. I will not preheat my chiller to avoid chilling, especially if it involves using more water and the same energy as just dropping the IC into the boil. (It takes energy to heat the water at your bathtub too.)

I waste no water. I run my chiller water at a low rate, as you suggested. After filling a couple buckets with hot water, I use a pump to recirc ice water. I use the hot water to clean, then use it again for landscape irrigation after it has cooled. I can't get interested in no chill, though it seems to work fine for many.