Which Chiller would you Choose?

[Doc Robinson]

Chillzilla, Shirron Plate Chiller, or the Therminator...I'm moving to 10 gallon batches.

 

[DRoyLenz]

PERSONALLY, I wouldn't spend $190 bucks on a chiller. So that would eliminate the Chillzilla and Therminator.

I'm still stuck in ice baths, and I'm expecting an IC for Christmas. But if I were you, and you have the ability to do so, I'd make a CFC from garden hose and flexible copper tubing.

 

[iparks81]

man, I dont know if your a DIY-er or not but I just made myself a counter flow chiller out of 30' 3\8 copper tubbing inside 30' of garden hose with the fittings found here

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_145&products_id=10644

wow... to test it out I put 198 ded water through it gravity feeding with 62 deg tap water and when the heated water came out the bottom it was the same as the tap water going in (62 deg)...very cool

The totall cost was $80 (if you use those fittings) if you go to home-depot or lowes you can do better

 

[Doc Robinson]

man, I dont know if your a DIY-er or not but I just made myself a counter flow chiller out of 30' 3\8 copper tubbing inside 30' of garden hose with the fittings found here

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_145&products_id=10644

wow... to test it out I put 198 ded water through it gravity feeding with 62 deg tap water and when the heated water came out the bottom it was the same as the tap water going in (62 deg)...very cool

The totall cost was $80 (if you use those fittings) if you go to home-depot or lowes you can do better

Wow. So you basically made your own Chillzilla...except that the inner copper isn't twisted. I'm down. Did you follow some instructions you found somewhere...I think I saw this posted by Bobby M.

 

[Doc Robinson]

And dude, I may as well just buy this one if it cost you $80 to build the same thing...it's only $70.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_145&products_id=10458

 

[annasdadhockey]

This is the one that I made. $75 got me the materials to make 2. I sold the other one on ebay for $70.

EDIT: Well that's a crappy picture. Anyway, its in my Gallery. Basically the same as the yellow one above.

 

[annasdadhockey]

That's better!

 

[wildwest450]

Or you could make a 50' IC, easy and cheap, and one less thing you beer has to run through. Mine cools 11 gallons as fast as 6 gallons.

 

[alcibiades]

Or you could make a 50' IC, easy and cheap, and one less thing you beer has to run through. Mine cools 11 gallons as fast as 6 gallons.

how thick is ur copper?

I got the 50' ghetto ass 1/4 inch immersion chiller from brewster brown (I got got). Would that work for 10 gallons?

 

[Doc Robinson]

Or you could make a 50' IC, easy and cheap, and one less thing you beer has to run through. Mine cools 11 gallons as fast as 6 gallons.

I hate using an IC. I am looking to set the pump, the hose, and run it to the carboy.

 

[Doc Robinson]

$75 got me the materials to make 2. I sold the other one on ebay for $70.

That is solid!

 

[dunnright00]

That's better!

So, this may be a stupid question, but you HAVE to have a pump to run one of these, right? No other way?

 

[wildwest450]

how thick is ur copper?

I got the 50' ghetto ass 1/4 inch immersion chiller from brewster brown (I got got). Would that work for 10 gallons?

It's 1/2". Yours should work fine, especially if you use a water pump and some ice.

 

[wildwest450]

So, this may be a stupid question, but you HAVE to have a pump to run one of these, right? No other way?

They will gravity feed.

 

[Doc Robinson]

They will gravity feed.

But pump is way easier.

 

[HoppyDaze]

why do they put the copper inside garden hoses?

 

[iparks81]

And dude, I may as well just buy this one if it cost you $80 to build the same thing...it's only $70.

yeah Ive got a grand total of $50 in mine $10 50' light duty hose, and $37 for 50' 3\8 copper tubbing all at lowes
the fittings were a freebee from my LHBS (old phill chill phittings)

 

[iparks81]

the cold water runs through the garden hose around the copper tube (that the wort is flowing through) to cool it before pitching it is amazing how much heat you can draw away from the wort in a realitivly small length of tube that has this water jacket around it.

 

[Jipper]

Those are a great way to chill - only problem is that if you puncture that outside garden hose, you pretty much have a lump of copper you can't use. That being said, how often does that happen?
I say make your own at that point.

 

[iparks81]

are the plate chillers more efficient than Counterflow chillers....

 

[annasdadhockey]

They will gravity feed.

But pump is way easier.

Not sure how. All I do is open a valve and the flow starts.

Those are a great way to chill - only problem is that if you puncture that outside garden hose, you pretty much have a lump of copper you can't use. That being said, how often does that happen?
I say make your own at that point.

Not real sure how you'd puncture the outside hose. You would have to try to puncture it on purpose I believe.

 

[IrregularPulse]

But pump is way easier.

I've been using my CFC with gravity all summer. It cools to <70 in one pass from the boil kettle to the fermenter. I have bought a pump though that I'm going to integrate into a stand sometime soon (hopefully) and recirculate. This allows you to cool the whole volume faster because you're mixing the cooled wort into the non cooled stuff constantly. Where as gravity some wort sits there near 200 still until it gets its chance to run through the CFC.

I would say technically the pump is one more piece of equipment that requires fudging with. Not to mention the common 809 is not self priming and has a learning curve to use.

So faster chilling, YES, Easier to use, I'd say nope.

 

[mmb]

why do they put the copper inside garden hoses?

You flow the water through the hose and the wort through the copper tubing inside the garden hose. Wort flows in the opposite direction that the water flows, so that the warmest water hits the hot wort side and the coolest wort is on the cold water inlet, allowing for better cooling.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I made one from Bobby_M's post. I paid about $100 at Lowes, and that will build two. I haven't built the second one yet, but when I do, I'll sell it to recoup some of my cost.

 

[Doc Robinson]

So faster chilling, YES, Easier to use, I'd say nope.

You should know by now that I do everything the hard way...

 

[Brew-boy]

My opinion would be neither I feel the JZ whirlpool chiller is better for me.

 

[iparks81]

I've been using my CFC with gravity all summer. It cools to <70 in one pass from the boil kettle to the fermenter. I have bought a pump though that I'm going to integrate into a stand sometime soon (hopefully) and recirculate. This allows you to cool the whole volume faster because you're mixing the cooled wort into the non cooled stuff constantly. Where as gravity some wort sits there near 200 still until it gets its chance to run through the CFC.

I would say technically the pump is one more piece of equipment that requires fudging with. Not to mention the common 809 is not self priming and has a learning curve to use.

So faster chilling, YES, Easier to use, I'd say nope.

well cool wort or not, just please...dont poop in the bottling bucket when it comes that time....weve both done our experiments ...but im confident to say that it only makes beer taste like $hit...well..until it clears out about 3-6 weeks later...

 

[iparks81]

what is the JZ whirlpool cooler>?

 

[mmb]

what is the JZ whirlpool cooler>?

You use an immersion chiller and at the same time pump the cooling wort out of the pot and back in to circulate while chilling. Keeps the wort moving so that the cooling coils end up getting more wort in contact.

You can sort-of do the same thing by giving the wort a stir with your sanitized spoon. Also helps center the hop and break material in the center of your kettle.

 

[Jipper]

Not real sure how you'd puncture the outside hose. You would have to try to puncture it on purpose I believe.

You are probably right, garden hoses are pretty durable. I was just pointing out what could happen. After all, I have never wanted to break a carboy with a carboy brush, but I did.