Upgrading a DIY immersion chiller

[joyceman]

Im currently using a DIY immersion chiller that uses 20ft copper tubing. I started using it right around late spring and my chill times arent great, maybe around 1-2 hours per batch. I got to the point where im dropping sanitized ice containers when the temp drops to the mid 100s to speed the process.

Obviously with the groundwater temps dropping in the next few weeks I should be getting a quicker chill, but I was considering upgrading from a 20 ft to a 50 ft copper coil tube. As a bonus, I can keep the 20 foot to use as a prechiller next summer.

Can anyone tell me how much more of a benefit I can expect from chill times moving from 20-50ft of copper tubing? Can I expect times under 1 hour? Is it worth the investment? My local HD has 50ft tubing on sale for $37.50 this week, which seems like a helluva price.

 

[jflongo]

Yes it will speed up your chilling without a doubt. But if you are going to spend more money, maybe you should consider getting a 20 plate chiller instead.

 

[darknazgul]

I'm using a 50' IC and can chill from flame-out to 68 in about 10 minutes with cool spring/fall tap water.

Are you agitating your wort at all during the chill? 1-2 hours seems awful long. I usually run water through the IC until the temp drops to 180 or so, and then start stirring the wort for better circulation (a little propeller gadget hooked up to a drill and sanitized does wonders). As far as I know there's no downside and it really speeds up the process. There is some concern about hot-side aeration, but I believe that only happens at 180+.

As the previous poster suggested a plate chiller is optimal, but they are more expensive and I imagine cleaning is a pain.

 

[jflongo]

After many brews under my belt now, I'm getting a little tired of using a Immersion Chiller, sticking it in the last 15 minutes. When I just made my chocolate oatmeal stout and had to add the 8oz of chocolate powder in and hops, it was a pain having the chiller in. That is why I'm moving to a Plate Chiller. I have a two step filter in my brew pot, so I don't think I'll get to much crap in it to clean out.

 

[joyceman]

I'm using a 50' IC and can chill from flame-out to 68 in about 10 minutes with cool spring/fall tap water.

Are you agitating your wort at all during the chill? 1-2 hours seems awful long. I usually run water through the IC until the temp drops to 180 or so, and then start stirring the wort for better circulation (a little propeller gadget hooked up to a drill and sanitized does wonders). As far as I know there's no downside and it really speeds up the process. There is some concern about hot-side aeration, but I believe that only happens at 180+.

As the previous poster suggested a plate chiller is optimal, but they are more expensive and I imagine cleaning is a pain.

Thanks Dark, thats the info I was looking for. I dont move the wort at all, just hookup the chiller to the faucet, put in a thermometer with an alarm and walk away until the alarm goes off. Maybe I'll consider agitating if I get the time next brewday.

I've considered a plate chiller, but my kettle isnt set up for it and I cant justify the additional $40-50. I dont really need it if an immersion chiller can do the job in 30 mins for an investment of under $40.

 

[CGVT]

This is my setup. (25' 3/8" prechiller and 50'3/8" chiller ina 40 qt cooler full of ice) I brewed last week. Air temp was 94*, my water coming out of my hose was 84*

I timed how long it took to take 5.5 gallons from boiling to 67*

12:32 ( I brewed alone and had to move the chiller and pre-chiller by myself. It probably would be faster with some help)

 

[Homercidal]

Thanks Dark, thats the info I was looking for. I dont move the wort at all, just hookup the chiller to the faucet, put in a thermometer with an alarm and walk away until the alarm goes off. Maybe I'll consider agitating if I get the time next brewday.

I've considered a plate chiller, but my kettle isnt set up for it and I cant justify the additional $40-50. I dont really need it if an immersion chiller can do the job in 30 mins for an investment of under $40.

Stir the wort and I think you will see a huge improvement. Upgrading to a 50' IC will also help, but you should not be seeing 1-2 hours with what you have.

You could also consider ADDING 20 feet to what you already have instead of buying 50' of new copper. The joint would be sanitized by the boil, even if there were some places for gunk to get caught in.

 

[joyceman]

Stir the wort and I think you will see a huge improvement. Upgrading to a 50' IC will also help, but you should not be seeing 1-2 hours with what you have.

You could also consider ADDING 20 feet to what you already have instead of buying 50' of new copper. The joint would be sanitized by the boil, even if there were some places for gunk to get caught in.

Well one reason for buying the 50 footer is that its on sale for 37.50 while an additional 20 is 25.95. The other reason, Im going to hold on to the 20 footer for a prechiller next summer. PA summer groundwater temps dont get hot, but do get warm.

 

[ResumeMan]

Moving the wort around while chilling (I actually just "churn" the chiller itself) makes a huge difference. If you let the wort sit still for a minute or so and feel the outlet tube, then stir things up, you'll be amazed at how much hotter the outlet gets. Clearly makes for much more efficient heat transfer.

 

[Hemicharger99]

I started off with a homemade 25' immersion chiller that chilled within 15 minutes with the normally cool tap water we have around here. Then I upgraded it to a homemade counterflow that allowed me to place it wherever I wanted and dropped it to 12 minute-ish levels. I finally made the jump and purchased a 40 plate chiller and I don't regret it at all. Less water usage, quicker cooling times AND I can use a pump with it. Check out a few other ones online because for what you will pay in copper, you can upgrade to a plate chiller.

 

[jflongo]

Yes agitating the wort is a must to speed it up, so that more of it contacts with coils. Becareful though if you are holding onto the copper when you stir it, because it will be super hot in the early cool stages. You will see what we mean with the stirring too. Hold on to the coil bent parts, and you'll notice both are pretty cool, then move the chiller around and you'll see the out part gets super hot.

 

[jflongo]

I started off with a homemade 25' immersion chiller that chilled within 15 minutes with the normally cool tap water we have around here. Then I upgraded it to a homemade counterflow that allowed me to place it wherever I wanted and dropped it to 12 minute-ish levels. I finally made the jump and purchased a 40 plate chiller and I don't regret it at all. Less water usage, quicker cooling times AND I can use a pump with it. Check out a few other ones online because for what you will pay in copper, you can upgrade to a plate chiller.

That is exactly why I'm upgrading. But not everyone has a valve on the kettle and I'm guessing joyceman doesn't.

 

[ResumeMan]

Yes agitating the wort is a must to speed it up, so that more of it contacts with coils. Becareful though if you are holding onto the copper when you stir it, because it will be super hot in the early cool stages. You will see what we mean with the stirring too. Hold on to the coil bent parts, and you'll notice both are pretty cool, then move the chiller around and you'll see the out part gets super hot.

Yeah, I definitely use an oven mitt in the early going!!

Another thing I forgot to mention is that there are two other things you can do to speed things up:

1. Make a pre-chiller, which can be smaller than your main chiller. Put that inline in front of the chiller, and stick it in a bucket of ice water. The ice water will make your cooling water colder, speeding the chilling.

2. A variation on the above that saves water, but you need a pump. Instead of a pre-chiller, once you've got the temp down to maybe 100-110 or so, recirculate the cooling water into a tub of ice.

 

[jflongo]

Yeah, I definitely use an oven mitt in the early going!!

Another thing I forgot to mention is that there are two other things you can do to speed things up:

1. Make a pre-chiller, which can be smaller than your main chiller. Put that inline in front of the chiller, and stick it in a bucket of ice water. The ice water will make your cooling water colder, speeding the chilling.

2. A variation on the above that saves water, but you need a pump. Instead of a pre-chiller, once you've got the temp down to maybe 100-110 or so, recirculate the cooling water into a tub of ice.

I'm thinking when I get a plate chiller, i'll probably use my 25' immersion chiller to become a pre-chiller. My water in MI is pretty cold, but anything that speeds it up more is good.

 

[joyceman]

That is exactly why I'm upgrading. But not everyone has a valve on the kettle and I'm guessing joyceman doesn't.

Nailed it.

 

[Topher79]

If you're still considering moving up to a 50' IC you might wanna check out coppertubing sales.com. I bought a roll of copper from Lowes, but then found these guys. I ended up buying a 50' 3/8" compression fitting kit from right at $50 shipped, and returned the stuff to Lowes. They had super fast shipping, and I was more than happy with the materials. Here is the link to their wort chiller packages: https://coppertubingsales.com/storefront/index.php?cPath=174_208

I can get my wort chilled in about 30 minutes in the hot GA summer.

 

[jflongo]

Nailed it.

Before you spend the money, you may want to try moving it around in the wort like we mentioned, then decide if you need to upgrade. No matter what size you make, you are going to want to move the chiller in circles or stir the wort with a sanitized spoon.

What size of pot are you using I missed that? Also, adding a valve to a kettle is pretty easy with a cheap step bit.

 

[Chefboubou]

I modified my IC after my first batch to improve my chilling time. The T's ensure that my coil is halfway in my wort and it gets easy to rock from side to side to accelerate chilling.

10-15 min is what it takes with the not so warm water here in Canada.

Cheers!