Wort chilling when a chiller can't be used ?
- Thread starter BronxBrew
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How about a picture of the the sink\faucet, we might be able to make some useful suggestions with a little more info. There are all kinds of less than elegant, but perfectly effective ways to couple a sink faucet to an immersion chiller (assuming you need a 100% zero alteration\ completely reversible solution for said faucet). If you're apartment brewing, how big are your batches (1,2, 3 gallons)?
Keyth
Keyth
hello_josh
New Member
You could also get a little water pump and recirculate ice water through a wort chiller.
run a hose into the kitchen.. Back in the day I used to fill my waterbed that way.
Try a "no chill" in the kettle...after boil when the wort has chilled a bit...place the lid on the kettle and let the wort chill overnight. Will likely need a little ice water bath to get to pitching temps but no big deal IMO. Water baths in the sink will work for 5 gal batches as well...the key IMO is to be patient and not toe tap or watch grass grow. Fill the sink and come back every hour or two, or even the next morning, don't fight the process. Of course, it is ideal to chill the wort asap and pitch yeast asap...but also RDWHAHB.
I brewed a batch this afternoon and it is sitting hot in the kettle now...I will likely have to chill it a bit tomorrow afternoon prior to pitching...i have noticed more chill haze "no chilling", but kept for a few weeks cold in the keg it will drop clear...
I brewed a batch this afternoon and it is sitting hot in the kettle now...I will likely have to chill it a bit tomorrow afternoon prior to pitching...i have noticed more chill haze "no chilling", but kept for a few weeks cold in the keg it will drop clear...
What is the risk of infection doing a "no chill" in the kettle? I'm just wondering because if this would work it would be the method I would use, but I'm a little worried about infection because the lid on the kettle isn't air tight.
+1
If you have a faucet with a little ingenuity you can find a way to connect the chiller.
mikescooling
Well-Known Member
Lots of guys cant use tap water due to high temps and they use Ice baths with pumps.
BronxBrew
Well-Known Member
I think the ice bath with pump or even running the hose to the sink my just do it. I'm in a small condo like house so space is premium. My first batch I was able to get it down to 75 in 40 min. I learned quick that the water in the sink quickly became the same temp as the wort. I used my auto siphon to help and exchange the water out .
There is nothing to fear about the lid not being air tight. If it covers the pot it will protect the beer.
I am sure that you can get an adapter for your faucet. Some have obvious attachments for the aerator - threaded on the outside. Others are not so obvious - the attachment hides up inside and the threads are on the inside of the faucet.
You can get adapters that are male,threaded for the inside or adapters that are female, threaded for the outside.
I am sure that you can get an adapter for your faucet. Some have obvious attachments for the aerator - threaded on the outside. Others are not so obvious - the attachment hides up inside and the threads are on the inside of the faucet.
You can get adapters that are male,threaded for the inside or adapters that are female, threaded for the outside.
Probably less risky than driving to the LHBS during rush hour traffic, so be careful, and "stay thirsty my friend".
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
XXguy
Well-Known Member
Here's how I got around the "not chiller friendly" faucet head in my kitchen - cost me @ $5 at the local hardware store. I just cut off the "shower head" and connected to my chiller with a hose clamp:
fredthecat
The original homebrewer™.
i used to try to use a high intensity (lots of work/changing the water) sink ice bath, but have used no chill in the kettle for the past year due to space/equipment issues. i'm searching the site now for alternatives, because in my experience i've found all my no chill beers to be less than perfect, though none have been infected. i would avoid no chill based on my experiences. not sure if i can blame the off flavours/muddled flavour profiles on the no chill, but i believe it to be the most likely cause.
I use a plastic tub. A regular tupperware type rectangular bin. It will hold more ice and water than a sink unless you have a really big sink. When a majority of the ice is melted I siphon some out and add more ice. Works well for me.
My faucet couldn't take an adapter either, so I did something that turned out to work even better...
I went under the sink and put a tee into the 1/2" rigid pipe, and a ball valve with a quick disconnect on the tee. So all I needed to do was hook up my plate chiller to the valve under the sink, and since it avoided the restrictions of 3/8" pipe and the faucet itself, the flow rate was WAY better than you could ever get out of a faucet.
5 gallon batches chilled to 60° in under the 5 minutes... can't beat that. And a plate chiller like I have also takes up *much* less space than an immersion or coiled counterflow chiller. All the gear necessary for the fastest chilling you can get, just a short length of hose and a chiller the size of a large hardcover book!
I went under the sink and put a tee into the 1/2" rigid pipe, and a ball valve with a quick disconnect on the tee. So all I needed to do was hook up my plate chiller to the valve under the sink, and since it avoided the restrictions of 3/8" pipe and the faucet itself, the flow rate was WAY better than you could ever get out of a faucet.
5 gallon batches chilled to 60° in under the 5 minutes... can't beat that. And a plate chiller like I have also takes up *much* less space than an immersion or coiled counterflow chiller. All the gear necessary for the fastest chilling you can get, just a short length of hose and a chiller the size of a large hardcover book!
fredthecat
The original homebrewer™.
this is probably my plan for next brew. damn im so cheap, but also my equipments gotta be disposable because of how i move often
jwwbrennan
Well-Known Member
I'm going to try running a slow, thin stream of wort from the boil to the primary fermenter through a copper tube submerged in ice water. I tried it with 20' of 3/8" silicon but it was too fast, wide and the material is not ideal for the purpose. At some point a thin, slow moving stream of wort passing through a very cold environment has to reduce it to a proper temperature. I am betting on that time being reasonable. I use two 5' lengths of 3/16" for sparging (one into and one out of tun) and the whole process goes very smoothly with little monitoring for just over an hour (1/4" would probably be better) so I'm hoping a couple of hours would do the trick with minimal water.
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