Wort Chiller and Pre-chiller
This was my first immersion wort chiller and pre-chiller.
They were both made with 25’ of ½” copper tubing. They were easy to make.
Just
wrapped the tubing around a corney keg. Then carefully bent the ends down and
attached the hoses. Looks like it's time to clean the chiller with vinegar.
For instructions on how to keep your copper and brass parts clean for brewing
check out this site. http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html
The first time I used them it took over 2 hours to
reach pitching temperature of 70º. After some helpful suggestions from the guys at
rec.crafts.brewing, I was able to get to 80º in about 45 minutes on the next
batch. Getting down to 70º took a while longer. The only thing I did different between batches was spread out the coils
leaving most of them at the top and also stirred the wort to get maximum heat
transfer across the coils. To automate this I built an electric stirrer.
Now after a few more batches I can
get from 212º to 70º in under 40 minutes in the summer time and 30 minutes
when the weather is cooler.
To insure everything is sanitized I place the chiller
and stirrer inside the wort for the last 10 minutes of the boil. During
this time I offset the lid to allow steam and DMS to escape and prevent a boil over.
Note: Some claim 3/8" tubing is more efficient.
I
have nothing to compare to, but only 30 minutes to get down to 70º is fine by
me. If I go to 10 gallon batches, many will say you need a counterflow
chiller. We'll see.... My water can reach temps of
85º in the
summer time so I would still need a pre-chiller so I doubt I will make the
switch to a counterflow chiller anytime soon.
All parts for chiller and pre-chiller including copper
& vinyl tubing with SS clamps and hose fitting $45
Wort Stirrer
Construction was easy. Used an old ice cream
machine motor for the stirrer. Purchased a universal lid at Wal-Mart and used
a Drimmel tool to cut out a whole in it for the motor. Bolted the lid to the
motor with 2 SS bolts and sealed it well with silicon to prevent air from
flowing through and contaminating the wort after it is cooled. Also had to cut
a notch out of the lid for the chiller coils. Bolted a SS spatula to the old
ice cream container lid and bolted that to the motor drive unit. Next I twisted the
spatula so it fits just inside the chiller coils and provides a good downward
circulation without splashing the wort.
Wort stirrer motor $0, spatula $4, lid $4, SS hardware
$2.
Total Cost: $10.
Value: Priceless!
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