Using Stir Plate While Using Immersion Wort Chiller to Rapidly Cool Wort

[Brewmegoodbeer]

Hello all,

I recently made a stir plate via a DIY thread post on homebrewtalk and I want to put it to good use. I was thinking that I could use it under my pot while the immersion wort chiller is cooling so the wort get circulated around the pot and the hot wort goes to the bottom where the coils usually are the coldest. Check out a visual of my idea on this Youtube video I made. Let me know what you think.

https://youtu.be/a2aWno0p01c

 

[itsme6582]

It would be really cool if you can get this to make a difference. Try the dry run again and add a drop of food coloring. You'll be able to see how fast or slow the color mixes in.

 

[jerbrew]

If you can stick the stir bar in some sanitized tubing when you drop it in you might be able to get more movement in there. Cool idea. I agree the food coloring might help you figure out how well it's working. I would make sure that whatever material that stir plate is made out of can handle 212F so you don't start melted my things.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

The stir bar is made with teflon ptfe which is chemically inert and food safe (same stuff they put on teflon pans). The melting point of it is above 600 degrees Fahrenheit so it will not melt. The stir plate is not touching the pot, as it is raised over the pot with aluminum cans. I like the tubing idea. Im going to try to put the stir bar in tubing and see If I can get a vortex moving in the water. The food coloring would deff prove to you all the movement of the water, but there were small particles in the water that were left over from my last batch and they were moving from the top to the bottom, proving that the water was circulating. I think this will work! I will post my results when I brew this upcoming Monday.

 

[AkTom]

I use my long handled stainless spoon. 5 or 10 gallon batches. About 20 minutes stirring, 60*. I do have nice cold well water.

 

[brent756]

I'm too cheap to buy a pump right now and I actually use a DIY stir plate on my electric brew kettle when heating strike/sparge water.

My temp probe is at the bottom of my sight glass. If I don't stir the probe never reads correctly until I overshoot. Adding my stir plate with a 2 inch bar is able to agitate 12 gallons of water enough to keep the temp constant throughout the kettle.

Are you wanting to just set the chiller in and move on to other things? If not, you'll prob be just as good moving the chiller up and down.

 

[Qhrumphf]

If you can stick the stir bar in some sanitized tubing when you drop it in you might be able to get more movement in there. Cool idea. I agree the food coloring might help you figure out how well it's working. I would make sure that whatever material that stir plate is made out of can handle 212F so you don't start melted my things.

Many folks (myself included) boil starters directly in an Erlenmeyer with the stir bar already inside (makes sanitation of a starter vessel super easy). They can handle the heat no problem.

I don't know if any of the common commercial stir plates (that you'd buy from Northern Brewer or the like) could handle stirring a full batch, especially not with kettle trub in the equation. Some of the smaller guys who advert on here probably could. A homemade plate, if powerful enough, absolutely can handle it. A former clubmate (before he f***ed off up north) had a homemade plate where a visible vortex could be seen in a 5 gallon starter in a bucket.

 

[MrBJones]

Is there any chance that this might oxygenate the hot wort?

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

If you had a powerful enough stir plate to get a full vortex in it and a big enough stir bar, then yes, it could oxygenate your wort while you are cooling it (2 birds, 1 stone). I am trying this method Just to cut more time out of my brew day. I am a pretty busy student with not much free time, so any time cutting off my brew day with the same or better results, I am happy to do it.