Williams stainless counterflow.

[reinstone]

Anyone know how this would compare to the copper chillus convolutas? The tubing diameters are a bit different. Thanks.

 

[Ajgeo]

I would go with copper. Better conductivity.

 

[lanvp]

First of all, I am no expert but here are my findings…

I started with a homemade counterflow chiller and upgraded to a Chillzilla (very similar to the Copper Chillus Convolutus Counterflow). It did a great job cooling the wort and I was happy with the results.

But then, I upgraded to a SS Plate Chiller and have never looked back! If you are looking for stainless steel, plate chillers are a great bargain. OK, technically it is a Stainless Steel Copper Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger. In any case, plate chillers are awesome and IMO they do a great job getting the temperature down fast (did I mentioned they are cheaper!!!).

Caveat, both types have pro's and con's. Plate chillers have limitations. Some people have experience clogging issues. I normally use leaf hops and a hop stopper, so no issues yet. In addition plate chillers need to be clean right after use (but if you are a homebrewer, you should not be a stranger to cleaning equipment).

You should check the Duda Diesel site for more information,
http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=%2Bbeer+%2Bwort+%2Bchiller&i=beerchillers

Do your research before dropping the cash. At the end is a matter of personal choice.

I still have all my chillers but some are just part of my "Homebrewing Museum", a.k.a my garage.

Hope you find this information useful!

 

[reinstone]

I had a good plate chiller. Clogged all the time. Wanna sell that chillzilla ?

 

[wolfman_48442]

I was in love with the Williams stainless version until I saw that the OD of the convoluted tube is .6"
WTF?
You can't add any connectors to that, it'd be tubing only.
Fail.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I think the stainless version will still work quite well. The difference in conductivity is real, but the wort will probably reach coolant temp by the time it gets to the end of the 25' vs. halfway or so in a copper version. You probably wouldn't notice a difference at the output....if that makes sense.

Aesthetically, I prefer the stainless. Copper looks great all polished up, but it sticks out if the rest of your plumbing is SS. I'm glad they offer this, and I may get one of these in the distant future. For now, I have a SS IC.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I was in love with the Williams stainless version until I saw that the OD of the convoluted tube is .6"
WTF?
You can't add any connectors to that, it'd be tubing only.
Fail.

What's wrong with an OD of ~1/2"? That's plenty. One thing that never gets discussed is that the convoluted tubing DOES have crevices:

It has a helical shape with ribs in it, so there are grooves which can trap debris and you can't get it out. But, it is less of a problem than with a plate. If a plate has a chunk of hop debris in it, the wort flows around it and it just stays there. In a tubular CFC, you can force blockages out because everything is linear.

You can add fittings to the outputs by soldering them on. I did it with the copper version. However, if you want to save yourself the headache of finding those rare fittings in SS, you'd be better off just using a length of tubing, then adding a camlock or other QD.

Morebeer makes a bitchin' stand for these, BTW.

 

[wolfman_48442]

What's wrong with an OD of ~1/2"?

An outer diameter of .6" will not allow you to add any of the typical 1/2" fittings on to it unless you start boring them out. Which I have no plans to do.
That's my problem with this unit.

The copper version from MoreBeer has 1/2" outer diameter piping, which is why you can add fittings.

 

[orangehero]

I think the stainless version will still work quite well. The difference in conductivity is real, but the wort will probably reach coolant temp by the time it gets to the end of the 25' vs. halfway or so in a copper version. You probably wouldn't notice a difference at the output....if that makes sense.

Aesthetically, I prefer the stainless. Copper looks great all polished up, but it sticks out if the rest of your plumbing is SS. I'm glad they offer this, and I may get one of these in the distant future. For now, I have a SS IC.

The Williams SS chiller is actually only 12'...does anyone have experience with how it performs?

 

[reinstone]

The Williams SS chiller is actually only 12'...does anyone have experience with how it performs?

I don't have the Williams stainless.....but I can say the chillus convolutas from more beer does one hell of a job.