Slow-chill in plastic bucket in pool?

[splitpea]

I recently upgraded to a larger kettle in order to start doing BIAB, and I just realized my old homemade wort chiller won't fit in this new kettle.

After doing some reading I want to go the slow chill / no-chill route for the time being. I also have this big body of mostly unused and unheated water in my back yard.

Now I don't want to just put the kettle in the pool as I don't want to contaminate the ball valve. My plan is transfer the wort into a sanitized food grade 5 gallon bucket with lid, cover and let it sit for 10 minutes to fully sterilize then set it on the first or second steps of my pool to cool off.

I could just leave it in the bucket and let it cool naturally, or even in the kettle, but this speeds things up a bit and may even let me pitch the yeast same day. The heat transfer from a plastic bucket isn't as good as a metal brew kettle, but it should still cool off a lot faster this way.

Am I missing something here?

 

[RM-MN]

There will be a space above the liquid that contains air and when you add the heated wort that air will want to expand so you need to allow that. When the wort cools, the steam that pushed out the air will condense and air will need to be allowed to return to the bucket. If your lid seals it may blow off when first put on or be sucked down so tight that it is difficult to remove when cooled. An "S" shaped airlock fitted to it will allow the air to first escape, then return without expelling the water (starsan?) and then allow the air to return without sucking the water back in.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

What you are proposing would work, albeit slowly. One concern I do have, however, is that I think the buckets that use have a maximum temperature rating around ~160°F I believe (someone else can chime in to verify) so you'll need to be below that before you transfer the hot wort to the plastic bucket. That's if I'm right; I could be thinking Better Bottle PET material instead.

 

[splitpea]

Thanks for the replies. Good point on the s-valve, I may look into that.

I could be thinking Better Bottle PET material instead.

I think those are rated to 140-160 degrees. I've read other people melting their better bottles with hot wort.

HDPE buckets are rated to 230 degrees and are rated food safe, as long as there is no dye used. It shouldn't have a problem with 190 degrees and is what most people use from my research.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

Ahhhhh. Thanks for the clarification, and I apologize for almost leading you astray

 

[broadbill]

Will your chiller fit in the plastic bucket fermenter? Can you modify the chiller (i.e. rework the coils into a smaller diameter coil) to fit the new kettle?

 

[splitpea]

Will your chiller fit in the plastic bucket fermenter?

Now there's a thought.

My old kettle was 20qt, the new one is 64qt (I have big dreams), but a 5 gallon bucket isn't much taller than the old kettle, I may have enough slack to modify my old chiller for use in a bucket.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would suggest just no chilling in your kettle, leave the lid off for a couple few hours till you are down to 160 - 170, lid the kettle and then pitch yeast the following morning.

 

[AlmostWitty]

I would suggest just no chilling in your kettle, leave the lid off for a couple few hours till you are down to 160 - 170, lid the kettle and then pitch yeast the following morning.

I did this for my last brew (Forgot to buy ice, and had enough problems with the process--specifically a really stupid stuck sparge--that I was done with it for the day). Put the lid on as soon as the boil was over, left it overnight, transferred from the kettle to fermenter, pitched the starter and should be bottling later today.

 

[jahdub]

Can't you just re-coil your chiller?

 

[passedpawn]

Bah, you just need a pool noodle. And duct tape, of course.

Oh, also, don't even think about putting hot wort into a glass carboy then setting it on the second step of your pool. That works about 5 times, then astonishing failure.

 

[scarekrow]

You can also use the no-chill cube method