using a immersion chiller in cold climates

[amishland]

I was wondering what techniques folks with immersion chillers in cold climates outdoor brewing use?

Does one carry the brew kettle indoors?
Bring in the garden hose after use?

 

[Jaybird]

Why would you bring it indoors? Your trying to get it cold. Or am I missing something?
JJ

 

[Shonuff]

I think my brother from Michigan is worried about his hose freezing. I brewed last weekend outside and it was damn cold. I used my IC outside and it cooled very fast. The wort got a little too cold actually.

I'm going to brew next weekend and I think I'll bring the brewpot inside this time. Gotta love the snow.

 

[amishland]

my concerns are with hooking up to an outdoor faucet, creating an icy driveway, draining the hoses, and general cleanup after use.

 

[Jaybird]

my concerns are with hooking up to an outdoor faucet, creating an icy driveway, draining the hoses, and general cleanup after use.

Oh he!l your talking really freeken cold. I gotcha. How about making a resirculating chiller like some people here make, with a pond pump.
Just a thought

 

[springer]

I just hook outlet side of the IC up to a longer hose and run it in the basement window to the clothes washer drain . I do collect the hottest water for clean up before doing this. roll up the hose drain as much as possible store in the house. I have brewed in single digits in NY

 

[betch]

Last winter I had to bring the hose to the tub for the thaw before the use, but still worked and faster.

 

[wild]

If you're going to bring the hot wort inside, why not attach a hose adapter to your sink faucet?
I brew outside when it gets cold and it can get below 70° here. What's this snow stuff you're all talking about?

 

[LibertyBrewer]

Why would you need an immersion chiller when you have things like snow banks, and below zero wind chill?

 

[jds]

Why would you need an immersion chiller when you have things like snow banks, and below zero wind chill?

Interestingly enough, I never had much luck with chilling in a snowbank. 40+ lb of boiling liquid takes a long time to chill via this method.

I brew outdoors in cold weather. The trick is to drain hoses and store them in the garage so they don't freeze (much). The advantage is that the groundwater is really cold, so immersion chillers work well. I also keep some cat litter handy, so if I make an ice slick in the driveway, I can get some traction on it.

 

[conpewter]

If there is snow on the ground I'd think a recirculation pump setup in a 5 gallon bucket would work fine. Just start out with cold water, recirc into the bucket and keep dumping in snow to cool the water. Never tried it but may work well and use very little water.

 

[LibertyBrewer]

Not ever having any experience with this, I would have thought it would have worked better.

 

[TeleTwanger]

Not ever having any experience with this, I would have thought it would have worked better.

Oh yeah it works better but I think he's referring to really cold/freezing temps. My hose drains into a lake in my backyard so no worries for me.

 

[Bobby_M]

Cold tap water is great for chilling but when the air temp is in the 20F or colder area, you do have to worry about the output water freezing. Just make sure you run it into an area where ice won't be a problem. Then make sure you drain your hose out before coiling it up.

I have plans to install a secondary hose bib on the inside of my garage so I can leave the supply turned on.

 

[defenestrate]

i second using a pond pump and recirculating-a 5 gal bucket full of ice and water does quick work. just make sure you have plenty of ice as it melts realllllll quick