Thanks for the video, it helped out a lot in making mine. Did you notice any positive effects to your beers when you started using a chiller? I haven't used mine yet and am looking forward to it.
@Dactat The thing is, I started using wort chillers when I moved from stove top to full volume brewing. I was not going to try to cool down 5 gallons of wort with an ice bath. So I had a different wort chiller first, but I do think that the one in this video (the one I'm still using) cools down the wort a little faster than my previous one that had smaller copper tubing. cheers.
increasing the diameter of the tubing actually reduces the surface area per volume last time I checked. You are trading flow rate for surface area. The best way to increase the cooling capacity of a chiller would be to use a longer piece of tubing.
Ok! Here we go! I'm really ignorant to what this is. I'm currenlty wanting to learn more about how to brew at home. I purchased a kit from Bass Pro Shop and it came with two batches of beer mix. Turned out really good. I am the type to want to learn the whole process and not just the simple version. Is this item a part of making wort?. Thanks. Any tips or direction for knowledge would be appreciated by all.
@holdemstacy Good question. I can give you a place to start. Go to my home page and look for "Brewing Guides." donosborn (dot) com will get you there. Send me an email or YT message if you have more questions. Oh, a wort chiller is used to cool down the wort after the boil. cheers.
I think this project had potential but I would have like to see you do a test to show how your new one compares to you old one. For instance, how long does it take for each one to bring down the temperature to a pitchable level.
Also, I think perfecting the method of making one would be your first step. You made one but obviously not one that you were too proud of. I think you said it best, "This could be a how not to make a wort chiller". Sorry.
I made my own wort chiller. I think my thickness of copper was about the same as the one you got from a friend. It's a pain in the but getting that copper into the right shape, but it definitely works and mine was about 1/2 the price or less of buying one! It works great-especially living in St. Paul during the winter when you get super cold water out of the faucet.
Nice job - reaffirms my thought that I need to be careful as I am about to make my first attempt doing the same.
One note on the design - I'm making sure the end of my copper tubing extend at least 4-5 inches beyond the sides of my brewing pot in the event a leak develops in the link to the hose. It may work well initially, but after moving it around, wear and tear etc..., I'd hate to put my brew at risk of water leaking into it.
@tcestari1 You are right. I found that when I was first using it I had to make sure that the clamps around the tubing were tight. Because of the initial heat, I found I had to tighten them up a few times to make sure no water was dripping into the wort. But, now it is tight and now they do no leak. But if you were able to have the ends of the tube off to the side of the pot, that would be best. good luck.
So what is the benefit to having an immersion chiller as opposed to using just a sink full of ice and water? Is it a whole lot faster? I'm just thinking it's one more thing to have to sanitize, all the hoses and copper and clamps.
@fatsachs You don't need an immersion chiller unless you are trying to cool 5 gallons or more. If you are stove top brewing and only boiling 2-3 gallons, you can just do an ice water bath. But once you get more than that, it would take too long and be difficult. Also, you don't have to sanitize this chiller other that setting it in the boil for the last 15 min. Then just clean it off after brewing. No other sanitizing is necessary. cheers.
There are different grades of tubing as well: L,K, M . Be sure to get the thinnest (M), so it is easier to manipulate the copper when coiling it over a "cylindrical" object.
It might be a 2 person job also, but I don't think your little girl seems too interested ;)
@wogamon The main reason is that I gave away the older one to a guy who is interested in getting into all grain. :) But I suppose if they both would fit, and you could make sure that the "out" water of the one wasn't leaking and going into the "in" of the other, maybe that would work. It would be a little overkill though, like you say.
You know, strictly speaking, you actually reduce the amount of surface area per unit volume of water by using a larger diameter of the copper tubing. However, you have increased the amount of water that passes through the tube per minute, so that is why it cools faster.
@domu888 I'm not a scientist, but I'm not sure I agree with you. the water flows at the same rate. I lift the end of the tubing "up" so the copper fills with water. I end up with about the same amt of water run through the coils, but it cools it down faster. That has been my experience at least. cheers.
@donosborn I used to be a science teacher, so I'm pretty sure that I'm right about it. The extra copper will also have a positive effect on the cooling rate. I could explain if you can remember any of your algebra from High school. However, as long as it cools it down faster, who cares? Hope your brews turn out well.
@domu888 OK, I hear ya. Thanks. I guess it comes down to the fact that it does seem to work better. So I guess the science, even if it doesn't seem to support the results, doesn't really matter in this case. :) cheers.
@donosborn I used to be a science teacher and I am pretty sure that I am right about this. I could explain if you remember any of your high school algebra. However, as long as it cools down the wort faster, who cares how it does it. Happy brewing!
@domu888 There's a lot more to it than that. Reynold's Number, delta temperature, copper wall diameter, copper quality, etc.
In any case, any diameter larger than 1/4" will do the trick in less than 15 minutes which is more than sufficient. Just make sure the coil runs have space between them as opposed to packed together. Whirlpool when cooling.
@BeeRich33 Yes, there is a lot more to it, as in copper wall diameter & copper quality, etc. However, I am not sure how much Reynold numbers will come into play except near the ends of the coil, so I would guess that it was negligible. Delta temperature is just change in temperature, so I am not sure what you are trying to say with regards to that. Wall diameter and quality will be important as that will afect the amount of copper present, but then I mentioned that, so ...
@domu888 Some people might want to conserve water, and therefore reduce coolant flow. You should expect that. Coolant flow rates, coolant entry temperature (various temperatures from various "city" locations). Higher RN can optimize full coil efficiency. My 6 gallon trials about 18 years ago showed that a 3/8" coil will chill below room temp in 10 to 15 minutes. These coils are more than adequate. Cold break is great.
@BeeRich33 If you want to reduce water consumption, then I would recommend a plate chiller: They really do create that type of turbulent flow and, hence, a high Reynolds number. They can also help reduce the amount of water used, which is the reason big breweries use them. In my original post, I was pointing out that an increase in tube diameter does NOT necessarily give you better heat exchange, which seems to be your point as well.
@domu888 No, you missed what I meant. I'm a professional brewer. Some people might design an immersion chiller, then restrict coolant flow. I find people overkill their immersion chillers. 3/8" at 30' is just fine, and the 3/8" wrapped around a Cornelius will prevent kinks. Degrease outside of new coils, and use hose clamps to ID 3/8" line, and yer good to go.
@BeeRich33 I agree with you people go over the top when it comes to these things. I think Donosborn did as well, but that is just my personal opinion. Assuming that he used the same flow rate, but with a larger diameter, that would mean he had more water in his immersion chiller for a longer period of time, that combined with the extra copper might compensate for the reduced heat exchange efficiency of a larger diameter pipe. However, I agree with you: It is overkill.
@domu888 Honestly, there really isn't a difference. 3/8" is more readily available, because of its use in residential HVAC situations. In any case, the point of my post is to show that you can do with either. Smaller ID means more manipulation and a highly effective heat exchange for anybody's wort. EVERYBODY BE HAPPY WITH ALL CHOICES.
I had trouble getting a proper temperature reading because the bottom water was alot colder then the top water, good that i found out cooling water rather than wort lol. stir like hell I guess is the solution? ( couldnt fit this in last comment) anyways, im going to check out some more of your videos, thanks for uploading
haha, I built one of these yesterday, fun watching you struggle too.I used half inch tubing a garden hose and a spring type tube bender. didnt have anything to bend around as I have 2 brew pots, 7.5 G and 16G so I had to make it fit both. anyways, I gave it a test run with a pot of water ( 6 G), worked well, I read somewhere that smaller diameter copper tubing carries the heat away better, would you say this is true?
@tcjnz You wan the cold water going into the "top" of the immersion chiller tubing. I would say based on my experience this chiller cools down the wort faster than my smaller diameter tubing. It is probably based on the idea that when I get to the ice water siphon part, it transfers the water through at a much higher volume/rate than the old chiller. It cools it down faster than my old one. cheers.
@kirkshoulderroll In around 10 min it is down to about 90-100. Then I start siphoning through ice water to get it down the rest of the way but you could probably keep using tap water. I think the ice water makes it goe faster and/or uses less water overall (although you do have to make ice ahead of time). I'd say in about 20 min I am usually transferring the wort to the fermenter. cheers.
Your primary chiller is coiled too tight. Also you should take length of coil into consideration. 20' should be just fine. I did 30' of refrigeration at 3/8" (21 years ago) and it took <15 min to cool it down. You can modify the coil by hand. Keep the coil relatively large diameter, not a tight little thing like your primary.
Hopefully you haven't started. 30' is just fine. Direction should be coolant into top of wort, coil down, then hit the bottom, then rise to exit. Keep it wide enough so that it's 2" from outside of kettle, and spacing between the floors. Whirlpool should perform great with this setup.
@BeeRich33, I disagree. Cooling water should go bottom up and exit at it's hottest. Having water enter from the top means it looses it transfer power early and does nothing except re-distribute heat.
The point is moot however if whirl pooling, which is the way to go.
Your concern is not the coolant. It's the substrate. You'll cool the wort the most with highest gradient, which is lowest temp coolant at highest temp substrate. That's the foundation of counterflow chillers.
Second, your hot break needs to start at the top. Ionic charges will create the best break if initiated at the top, so denaturation is initiated best at the top, not the bottom.
Well I brewed my first batch of all grain last weekend using your Sparge video as a guide. All went well until it cam time to cool the wort. Being in Minnesota, I figured I would just place the pot in snow and it would chill down fast. An hour later and my wort was still over 100 f. Hopefully, the brew isn't all funky. I am going to Lowe's today.
@Wamphyriification I too take advantage of the snow, but not quite like that. I put my boil kettle into my laundry tub sink when cooling it down. In the winter I surround the kettle with snow and water (making sure to not get any INTO the kettle). That combined with the wort chiller cools it down pretty quickly. Good luck with future brews! Glad you used the all grain video. :)
Don, I finished my chiller and it cooled down the wort in about 6 minutes. Nice!! I ran into another issue with my second all grain attempt....I chose to try a fly sparge method and ended up with 4.5 gallons...oops.
I also broke a floating thermometer using it to stir the yeast.
@Wamphyriification If you come in a little under volume, that's ok. Was your gravity about where you wanted? And truthfully, it takes a few times until you learn your system that you know how much water to add at what step, etc. Bad news about the thermometer though. did you have to run out and get more yeast? It is worth it to shell out for a non-breakable digital thermometer. Quick easy accurate readings, and it won't shatter! Plus with AG you need to know temps.
Stole yeast from another kit. From what i am reading, I should not add water from this point forward. I should have added it to the boil I guess. I think I lost more than expected during the boil. 1.067 OG. Lots of activity right now.
Ha! Brings back memories...My brew buddy and I made an IC from the 5/8" OD copper tubing and it was tough! We didn't have the luxuary of keg either, just a paint can. Doesn't look to pretty, but it cools 3 gal. of word (extract brew) from 220 to 90 in less then 6 min. Cheers!
Did you try out the new wort chiller yet? Interested to see how well it worked. Thanks for posting this video! shows how simple a wort chiller is to make and also the difficulties you can expect to encounter. You rock
@xsavethesporksx Thanks for the comment. I have not tried it yet. I just made it 4 days ago. I also read that you should give it a good soapy water scrub to get off any remaining oils or chemicals that come on the copper tubing, so I will have to do that.
Don, your videos/website rock! Your passion and expertise for homebrewing has inspired me and will no doubt save me hundreds of dollars in homebrewing equipment.
Man vs. soft metal!!! OK, I really liked the video, you essentially showed how simple it is to make a wort chiller. You got the message out and it was rather hilarious!
If you are actually trying to find out which has a greater surface area to volume ratio, measure the volume of water that fits in the big wort chiller, and the little wort chiller, then compare with the surface area of the tubing. Your big tubing, if it's 10 feet long, has 19.6 sq feet of surface area. I don't know the OD of the smaller stuff, but that's a start.
This is totally independent of practical results, however, but it's interesting to see how it compares.
i made mine out of 3/8 copper a few years back and tried to wrap it arounp a smaller pot and it was like wrestling a grizzly, i ended up just free forming it by hand and it turned pretty good, so i feel your pain.
I'm not trying to be contradictory, but doesn't smaller gage tubing have a greater surface area? If you consider the liquid is traveling in a smaller stream, like human capillaries--which have maximum surface area compared to arteries and veins. Theoretically, if you use a tube with a 12" diameter, it would have even MORE surface area. It would actually put less liquid in contact with the walls, which is the point.
If you connected these end-to-end, you'd have the best wort chiller ever. One would fit inside the other--giving you the maximum heat exchange/surface area in contact with water/wort.
@kc7fys That is the 2nd time you have used a version of "capillary" in less than 24 hours. I probably haven't used the word in 20 years. Dang boy. I dunno if this will cool it down faster than the other one or not. I think it should. I will find out after using it a few times.
@kc7fys "Doesn't Jonathan have a kitchen to be refurbishing." - the peanut gallery. Harsh! Hey, if one raised the level of the "out" water above the level of the "in" water, wouldn't the copper tubing "fill" with water and thus be using all of the surface are to cool. Jerry gave me that idea. Seems like it might be true.
THE FUQ ARE YOU DOING BRO
tjacobsx22 1 week ago
Please turn off the music!
derekh61 3 weeks ago
I bet if anything your chiller is less effective
Fredmullegun 1 month ago
Thanks for the video, it helped out a lot in making mine. Did you notice any positive effects to your beers when you started using a chiller? I haven't used mine yet and am looking forward to it.
Dactat 1 month ago
@Dactat The thing is, I started using wort chillers when I moved from stove top to full volume brewing. I was not going to try to cool down 5 gallons of wort with an ice bath. So I had a different wort chiller first, but I do think that the one in this video (the one I'm still using) cools down the wort a little faster than my previous one that had smaller copper tubing. cheers.
donosborn 1 month ago
increasing the diameter of the tubing actually reduces the surface area per volume last time I checked. You are trading flow rate for surface area. The best way to increase the cooling capacity of a chiller would be to use a longer piece of tubing.
Evwoller 1 month ago
this video is full of thats what she said moments...
DillonWSylvester 2 months ago
@DillonWSylvester Ha. Great comment. Your comment could be expanded to say "Don's life is full of..." cheers.
donosborn 2 months ago
4:51 "This could almost be called how not to make a wort chiller video, uhm."
otterpopiceland 5 months ago
fill the copper tube with sand..prevents kinking so you can focus all your energy on bending the damn thing ; )
hogfan5011 5 months ago
Wouldn't a candle help with the bending process?
robandmindyhome 7 months ago
"craptastic". I love it. Good vid.
CutthroatCustoms 8 months ago
Ok! Here we go! I'm really ignorant to what this is. I'm currenlty wanting to learn more about how to brew at home. I purchased a kit from Bass Pro Shop and it came with two batches of beer mix. Turned out really good. I am the type to want to learn the whole process and not just the simple version. Is this item a part of making wort?. Thanks. Any tips or direction for knowledge would be appreciated by all.
holdemstacy 9 months ago
@holdemstacy Good question. I can give you a place to start. Go to my home page and look for "Brewing Guides." donosborn (dot) com will get you there. Send me an email or YT message if you have more questions. Oh, a wort chiller is used to cool down the wort after the boil. cheers.
donosborn 9 months ago
hahahaha! je nredo an kweto dma!!!
alensancin 9 months ago
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Tonights the night, what a great album.
lewjac3 10 months ago
I think this project had potential but I would have like to see you do a test to show how your new one compares to you old one. For instance, how long does it take for each one to bring down the temperature to a pitchable level.
Also, I think perfecting the method of making one would be your first step. You made one but obviously not one that you were too proud of. I think you said it best, "This could be a how not to make a wort chiller". Sorry.
SimmeringPotpourri 11 months ago
is using the copper for a jockey box ok, I was told it needs to be stainless steel if you have beer flowing through it?
dooey02 11 months ago
@dooey02 I can't give a definitive answer to that. Hopefully you can find one elsewhere. good luck.
donosborn 11 months ago
@donosborn Tonights the night, great album.
lewjac3 10 months ago
@dooey02 Tonights the night, what a great album.
lewjac3 10 months ago
@lewjac3 You know it. cheers man.
donosborn 10 months ago
I made my own wort chiller. I think my thickness of copper was about the same as the one you got from a friend. It's a pain in the but getting that copper into the right shape, but it definitely works and mine was about 1/2 the price or less of buying one! It works great-especially living in St. Paul during the winter when you get super cold water out of the faucet.
manzilla86 1 year ago
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O Jesus, son of Mary! Is thy Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven?
jesussonofmary1432.blogspot com
ahmd1431 1 year ago
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Thats a pretty good method I did something similar and used 50ft of 3/8 on mine.
But I only put some pictures up. Check it out winklerbrewery.blogspot.com/2010/10/building-mash-tun.html
winkleralex1 1 year ago
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winkleralex1 1 year ago
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winkleralex1 1 year ago
Nice job - reaffirms my thought that I need to be careful as I am about to make my first attempt doing the same.
One note on the design - I'm making sure the end of my copper tubing extend at least 4-5 inches beyond the sides of my brewing pot in the event a leak develops in the link to the hose. It may work well initially, but after moving it around, wear and tear etc..., I'd hate to put my brew at risk of water leaking into it.
tcestari1 1 year ago
@tcestari1 You are right. I found that when I was first using it I had to make sure that the clamps around the tubing were tight. Because of the initial heat, I found I had to tighten them up a few times to make sure no water was dripping into the wort. But, now it is tight and now they do no leak. But if you were able to have the ends of the tube off to the side of the pot, that would be best. good luck.
donosborn 1 year ago
Have you ever tried just going "no-chill" and pitching the next day?
nowashburn 1 year ago
@nowashburn Only when making a pseudo lambic kind of beer. Otherwise, no, I want to get it cooled and get the yeast in there. :)
donosborn 1 year ago
Ijust built a ribcage immersion chiller myself...fun project...vid up on my channel
immolateus 1 year ago
Thanks for taking the time making these videos. Kudos and hope to see other vids in the future!
wontonz87 1 year ago
So what is the benefit to having an immersion chiller as opposed to using just a sink full of ice and water? Is it a whole lot faster? I'm just thinking it's one more thing to have to sanitize, all the hoses and copper and clamps.
fatsachs 1 year ago
@fatsachs You don't need an immersion chiller unless you are trying to cool 5 gallons or more. If you are stove top brewing and only boiling 2-3 gallons, you can just do an ice water bath. But once you get more than that, it would take too long and be difficult. Also, you don't have to sanitize this chiller other that setting it in the boil for the last 15 min. Then just clean it off after brewing. No other sanitizing is necessary. cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago 2
How much do you think this whole thing cost you for the supplies? GREAT video!
braveusaf 1 year ago
@braveusaf It was in the description, about $33. cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago
the more you bend soft cooper the harder it is to work with the heat from bending makes it stiff
216252lou 1 year ago
There are different grades of tubing as well: L,K, M . Be sure to get the thinnest (M), so it is easier to manipulate the copper when coiling it over a "cylindrical" object.
It might be a 2 person job also, but I don't think your little girl seems too interested ;)
Cheers!
ACTeslaMachineDC 1 year ago
It might be overkill, but why don't you connect the two together and immerse them both?
wogamon 1 year ago
@wogamon The main reason is that I gave away the older one to a guy who is interested in getting into all grain. :) But I suppose if they both would fit, and you could make sure that the "out" water of the one wasn't leaking and going into the "in" of the other, maybe that would work. It would be a little overkill though, like you say.
donosborn 1 year ago
You know, strictly speaking, you actually reduce the amount of surface area per unit volume of water by using a larger diameter of the copper tubing. However, you have increased the amount of water that passes through the tube per minute, so that is why it cools faster.
domu888 1 year ago
@domu888 I'm not a scientist, but I'm not sure I agree with you. the water flows at the same rate. I lift the end of the tubing "up" so the copper fills with water. I end up with about the same amt of water run through the coils, but it cools it down faster. That has been my experience at least. cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago
@donosborn I used to be a science teacher, so I'm pretty sure that I'm right about it. The extra copper will also have a positive effect on the cooling rate. I could explain if you can remember any of your algebra from High school. However, as long as it cools it down faster, who cares? Hope your brews turn out well.
domu888 1 year ago
@domu888 OK, I hear ya. Thanks. I guess it comes down to the fact that it does seem to work better. So I guess the science, even if it doesn't seem to support the results, doesn't really matter in this case. :) cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago
@donosborn I used to be a science teacher and I am pretty sure that I am right about this. I could explain if you remember any of your high school algebra. However, as long as it cools down the wort faster, who cares how it does it. Happy brewing!
domu888 1 year ago
@domu888 There's a lot more to it than that. Reynold's Number, delta temperature, copper wall diameter, copper quality, etc.
In any case, any diameter larger than 1/4" will do the trick in less than 15 minutes which is more than sufficient. Just make sure the coil runs have space between them as opposed to packed together. Whirlpool when cooling.
BeeRich33 1 year ago
@BeeRich33 Yes, there is a lot more to it, as in copper wall diameter & copper quality, etc. However, I am not sure how much Reynold numbers will come into play except near the ends of the coil, so I would guess that it was negligible. Delta temperature is just change in temperature, so I am not sure what you are trying to say with regards to that. Wall diameter and quality will be important as that will afect the amount of copper present, but then I mentioned that, so ...
domu888 1 year ago
@domu888 Some people might want to conserve water, and therefore reduce coolant flow. You should expect that. Coolant flow rates, coolant entry temperature (various temperatures from various "city" locations). Higher RN can optimize full coil efficiency. My 6 gallon trials about 18 years ago showed that a 3/8" coil will chill below room temp in 10 to 15 minutes. These coils are more than adequate. Cold break is great.
BeeRich33 1 year ago
@BeeRich33 If you want to reduce water consumption, then I would recommend a plate chiller: They really do create that type of turbulent flow and, hence, a high Reynolds number. They can also help reduce the amount of water used, which is the reason big breweries use them. In my original post, I was pointing out that an increase in tube diameter does NOT necessarily give you better heat exchange, which seems to be your point as well.
domu888 1 year ago
@domu888 No, you missed what I meant. I'm a professional brewer. Some people might design an immersion chiller, then restrict coolant flow. I find people overkill their immersion chillers. 3/8" at 30' is just fine, and the 3/8" wrapped around a Cornelius will prevent kinks. Degrease outside of new coils, and use hose clamps to ID 3/8" line, and yer good to go.
BeeRich33 1 year ago
@BeeRich33 I agree with you people go over the top when it comes to these things. I think Donosborn did as well, but that is just my personal opinion. Assuming that he used the same flow rate, but with a larger diameter, that would mean he had more water in his immersion chiller for a longer period of time, that combined with the extra copper might compensate for the reduced heat exchange efficiency of a larger diameter pipe. However, I agree with you: It is overkill.
domu888 1 year ago
@domu888 Honestly, there really isn't a difference. 3/8" is more readily available, because of its use in residential HVAC situations. In any case, the point of my post is to show that you can do with either. Smaller ID means more manipulation and a highly effective heat exchange for anybody's wort. EVERYBODY BE HAPPY WITH ALL CHOICES.
BeeRich33 1 year ago
I had trouble getting a proper temperature reading because the bottom water was alot colder then the top water, good that i found out cooling water rather than wort lol. stir like hell I guess is the solution? ( couldnt fit this in last comment) anyways, im going to check out some more of your videos, thanks for uploading
tcjnz 1 year ago
@tcjnz hmmm, I think i have my hoses on the wrong ends, ill switch em around next time i use it and let ya know... if i remember lol.
tcjnz 1 year ago
haha, I built one of these yesterday, fun watching you struggle too.I used half inch tubing a garden hose and a spring type tube bender. didnt have anything to bend around as I have 2 brew pots, 7.5 G and 16G so I had to make it fit both. anyways, I gave it a test run with a pot of water ( 6 G), worked well, I read somewhere that smaller diameter copper tubing carries the heat away better, would you say this is true?
tcjnz 1 year ago
@tcjnz You wan the cold water going into the "top" of the immersion chiller tubing. I would say based on my experience this chiller cools down the wort faster than my smaller diameter tubing. It is probably based on the idea that when I get to the ice water siphon part, it transfers the water through at a much higher volume/rate than the old chiller. It cools it down faster than my old one. cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago
Don, I'm thinking of doing this build. How long does it take for you to get your wort down to pitching temps on your new chiller?
kirkshoulderroll 1 year ago
@kirkshoulderroll In around 10 min it is down to about 90-100. Then I start siphoning through ice water to get it down the rest of the way but you could probably keep using tap water. I think the ice water makes it goe faster and/or uses less water overall (although you do have to make ice ahead of time). I'd say in about 20 min I am usually transferring the wort to the fermenter. cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago
@donosborn Thanks Don. And thanks for all the excellent videos.
kirkshoulderroll 1 year ago
It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work. Thanks for posting these videos.
joralebedev 1 year ago
Your primary chiller is coiled too tight. Also you should take length of coil into consideration. 20' should be just fine. I did 30' of refrigeration at 3/8" (21 years ago) and it took <15 min to cool it down. You can modify the coil by hand. Keep the coil relatively large diameter, not a tight little thing like your primary.
BeeRich33 2 years ago
good video...although I have heard that 3/8" tubing is the best size. I am going to attempt to make one today with 50' of 3/8" tubing. Wish me luck!
svhardesty 2 years ago
Hopefully you haven't started. 30' is just fine. Direction should be coolant into top of wort, coil down, then hit the bottom, then rise to exit. Keep it wide enough so that it's 2" from outside of kettle, and spacing between the floors. Whirlpool should perform great with this setup.
BeeRich33 2 years ago
@BeeRich33, I disagree. Cooling water should go bottom up and exit at it's hottest. Having water enter from the top means it looses it transfer power early and does nothing except re-distribute heat.
The point is moot however if whirl pooling, which is the way to go.
SuluSuluSulu 2 years ago
Your concern is not the coolant. It's the substrate. You'll cool the wort the most with highest gradient, which is lowest temp coolant at highest temp substrate. That's the foundation of counterflow chillers.
BeeRich33 2 years ago
Second, your hot break needs to start at the top. Ionic charges will create the best break if initiated at the top, so denaturation is initiated best at the top, not the bottom.
BeeRich33 2 years ago
Well I brewed my first batch of all grain last weekend using your Sparge video as a guide. All went well until it cam time to cool the wort. Being in Minnesota, I figured I would just place the pot in snow and it would chill down fast. An hour later and my wort was still over 100 f. Hopefully, the brew isn't all funky. I am going to Lowe's today.
Wamphyriification 2 years ago
@Wamphyriification I too take advantage of the snow, but not quite like that. I put my boil kettle into my laundry tub sink when cooling it down. In the winter I surround the kettle with snow and water (making sure to not get any INTO the kettle). That combined with the wort chiller cools it down pretty quickly. Good luck with future brews! Glad you used the all grain video. :)
donosborn 2 years ago
Don, I finished my chiller and it cooled down the wort in about 6 minutes. Nice!! I ran into another issue with my second all grain attempt....I chose to try a fly sparge method and ended up with 4.5 gallons...oops.
I also broke a floating thermometer using it to stir the yeast.
Wamphyriification 2 years ago
@Wamphyriification If you come in a little under volume, that's ok. Was your gravity about where you wanted? And truthfully, it takes a few times until you learn your system that you know how much water to add at what step, etc. Bad news about the thermometer though. did you have to run out and get more yeast? It is worth it to shell out for a non-breakable digital thermometer. Quick easy accurate readings, and it won't shatter! Plus with AG you need to know temps.
donosborn 2 years ago
Stole yeast from another kit. From what i am reading, I should not add water from this point forward. I should have added it to the boil I guess. I think I lost more than expected during the boil. 1.067 OG. Lots of activity right now.
Wamphyriification 2 years ago
good stuff. I just said screw it and bought a 20ft stainless steal wort chiller.
shrekfx1 2 years ago
awesome. love your videos.
davidstonner 2 years ago
One tiny thing to add... you can insert your starting end of the copper tubing into the handle opening of the keg... that keeps it in place :-)
mookymookster 2 years ago
Ha! Brings back memories...My brew buddy and I made an IC from the 5/8" OD copper tubing and it was tough! We didn't have the luxuary of keg either, just a paint can. Doesn't look to pretty, but it cools 3 gal. of word (extract brew) from 220 to 90 in less then 6 min. Cheers!
mklojay 2 years ago
Did you try out the new wort chiller yet? Interested to see how well it worked. Thanks for posting this video! shows how simple a wort chiller is to make and also the difficulties you can expect to encounter. You rock
xsavethesporksx 2 years ago
@xsavethesporksx Thanks for the comment. I have not tried it yet. I just made it 4 days ago. I also read that you should give it a good soapy water scrub to get off any remaining oils or chemicals that come on the copper tubing, so I will have to do that.
donosborn 2 years ago
Don, your videos/website rock! Your passion and expertise for homebrewing has inspired me and will no doubt save me hundreds of dollars in homebrewing equipment.
boyermi206 2 years ago
Man vs. soft metal!!! OK, I really liked the video, you essentially showed how simple it is to make a wort chiller. You got the message out and it was rather hilarious!
kb1kix 2 years ago
If you are actually trying to find out which has a greater surface area to volume ratio, measure the volume of water that fits in the big wort chiller, and the little wort chiller, then compare with the surface area of the tubing. Your big tubing, if it's 10 feet long, has 19.6 sq feet of surface area. I don't know the OD of the smaller stuff, but that's a start.
This is totally independent of practical results, however, but it's interesting to see how it compares.
kc7fys 2 years ago
You should shove the old wort chiller inside the new one, instead of end to end, and then counter flow. Aha.
xxparsley 2 years ago
I guess uh..kc7fys said that. I uh.... I have to...I am going to go to the baffroom.
xxparsley 2 years ago
i made mine out of 3/8 copper a few years back and tried to wrap it arounp a smaller pot and it was like wrestling a grizzly, i ended up just free forming it by hand and it turned pretty good, so i feel your pain.
brewyourown4life 2 years ago
I'm not trying to be contradictory, but doesn't smaller gage tubing have a greater surface area? If you consider the liquid is traveling in a smaller stream, like human capillaries--which have maximum surface area compared to arteries and veins. Theoretically, if you use a tube with a 12" diameter, it would have even MORE surface area. It would actually put less liquid in contact with the walls, which is the point.
I'm just sayin'.
kc7fys 2 years ago
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kc7fys 2 years ago
If you connected these end-to-end, you'd have the best wort chiller ever. One would fit inside the other--giving you the maximum heat exchange/surface area in contact with water/wort.
kc7fys 2 years ago
@kc7fys That is the 2nd time you have used a version of "capillary" in less than 24 hours. I probably haven't used the word in 20 years. Dang boy. I dunno if this will cool it down faster than the other one or not. I think it should. I will find out after using it a few times.
donosborn 2 years ago
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kc7fys 2 years ago
@kc7fys "Doesn't Jonathan have a kitchen to be refurbishing." - the peanut gallery. Harsh! Hey, if one raised the level of the "out" water above the level of the "in" water, wouldn't the copper tubing "fill" with water and thus be using all of the surface are to cool. Jerry gave me that idea. Seems like it might be true.
donosborn 2 years ago
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kc7fys 2 years ago
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kc7fys 2 years ago
Awesome.. Been waiting for you to post a video showing this :) I saw the plans and pics on your website, but the video helps it.. .
unfun72 2 years ago