Wort chillers advice wanted

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I, like others, am looking at the Ace micro brewery as an option but it doesnt come with a wort chiller. So I've done a look around and have some questions. It may also influence my decision. For this thread I am not looking for info on no chill brewing but if you do this and want to comment feel free as others may be interested.

First, it looks like counter flow chillers are a lot quicker. I have seen things which suggest a counter flow chiller is quicker than a counter flow chiller by some amount. I've read that an immersion chiller will take 40 mins and counter flow 10 mins, thats quite a difference.

What type of chiller do you have and how long does it take for a standard 23l wort to be cooled to pitching temperature. Size/rating is also relevant here and also how its used, e.g. if using an immersion chiller do you use the pump to circulate the wort?

The other thing that may influence which I go for is cleaning. Obviously an immersion chiller only needs the outside cleaning as thats what comes into contact with the beer. What about a counter flow chiller? Is running steraliser through sufficient to keep brews sterile?

If I get the Ace I'm considering a plate chiller like this
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/CounterFlow_Wort_Chiller.html
or this
https://www.manomano.co.uk/heat-exc...plates-max-66-kw-plate-heat-exchanger-3214341

Anyone know if these are any good?
 
I run plate chillers. I can go straight from boil to 23 degrees right through the chiller to the FV. And, I send my water back to the HLT to be reused for the next batch. Before I used to fill the tub and used it for cleaning but as I picked up brewing, it made since to just store the water for later use.
But if you get a plate chiller, think about your connection types. I got the nipple ones and since I've upgraded my system, I wish I had gotten the threaded kind so I could just pipe in the whole system.
 
I have an HBC copper immersion chiller. I just rinse it after chilling and put it in for the last 5 mins of the boil to sterilise. I move it by hand continuously when chilling, and it usually gets from boiling to pitching temp in 20 minute or so. A bit quicker in winter when the groundwater is cold. I'm considering getting an ACE because I'm happy with it and don't want to waste money on a system with a chiller when I really don't need one.
 
I've used both a counterflow chiller and an immersion chiller, and for both it comes down to flow rate, ground water temperature, and size of the tubing (surface area). My first home-made immersion chiller was about 1cm ID copper line, about 7.5m long. It would take 40 min or more to get to 20C. Then I built a bigger one, 1.25cm ID, 15m long, and with a whirlpool could get there in 20 minutes. I made a CFC out of 5m of the copper from the first chiller and some garden hose, but was not impressed - just not big enough, but that was the fault of the builder. Then, one Friday night, after I may have consumed a bit too much to be making good decisions while shopping online, I pulled the trigger on a Hydra immersion chiller from Jaded Brewing. I have to confess, I have not regretted it. With 10C groundwater, using a pump and a whirlpool port, I can get 25L down to 20C in under 10 minutes. When I'm chilling to lager temps, once I'm to 20C, I switch from the garden hose to a bucket of ice water with a sump pump recirculating the water through the chiller, and I can get to 7C in another 5 minutes.

I haven't tried a plate chiller, but if I did, I'd go for one with plates that can be disassembled for cleaning. I've seen the solid welded ones cut in half after they've plugged up, and they are not pretty.

PS: it takes me for freakin' ever to convert all those numbers from feet and fahrenheit to meters and celsius. Thank the winds that you haven't buggered up the clock, or I wouldn't even post! :lol:
 
I looked at the plate chillers and decided that only those that can be stripped down for cleaning were worth considering; and they were way too expensive for me.

I built my own single-pass "shell and tube" chiller (please see first photograph) and although it worked okay it was terribly slow and if I didn't get the cooling right it was too late to go back and do it again.

I then looked at the immersion chiller and made my own from 10mm tubing (please see second photograph). Aesthetically as ugly as sin, it worked amazingly well but was difficult to clean and fiddly to set up.

I finally made the one shown in the last two photographs. It is made to fit the boiler exactly and at this time of the year it easily chills 25 litres of boiling wort down to 20 degrees in 30 minutes. I will add another couple of "coils" when the temperature picks up in the summer but as far as chilling my wort is concerned it is the dog's doodads. Sterilisation is carried out by spraying it with Star-san and then rinsing it with fresh water before putting it into the wort and cleaning after use is by simply washing it down afterwards.

Shell & Tube 1.jpg


Coil Cooler.jpg


New Cooler 1.jpg


New Cooler 2.jpg
 
Copper coil immersion for my 5 or 6 gallon batches. Easy to wash clean, takes about half an hour which is fine as it ties in with me having my sardines on toast!
 
Godfather50 said:
Copper coil immersion for my 5 or 6 gallon batches. Easy to wash clean, takes about half an hour which is fine as it ties in with me having my sardines on toast!
Click to expand...
About the same for me as well, does the job fine, easy to clean as well, takes about 35 min to cool to pitch cost including the hoses and connection from my LHBS £59
(but no sardines!)
Cheers
 
I made my own chiller from 10m of 10mm copper coil. I wrapped it round a paint tin and it works great. Takes about 20mins to chill in the winter and about 30mins in the summer (its the last 10°c that takes for ever). I am usually having a clear up during this time, so its not time wasted. Cleaning is easy, I just use a brush whilst its under a running tap straight after use. It gets sterilized when I put it in to the boiling wort for the last 15mins. This is ideal for 5 gal batches, but I would be looking at alternatives for bigger batches.

Jas
 
I would not recommend a plate chiller for anything less than a 100l batch that is using pumps already. To properly clean them out you need to be able to pump cleaner through it in both directions for ages.
 
Speed of cooling is all well and good, but you need to consider how you brew. If you like hoppy beers and do hop stands/whirlpool at a reduced temperature before cooling to pitch temp, then a system that cools before wort leaves the kettle is the only option. So immersion or a more complicated recirculation system requiring pumps.

For that reason I stick with the immersion chiller. Made my own for under £24, cools 19c in 19 minutes at this time of year.

32557c4c284b35a3448f67306b5f919e.jpg


da36a3b02f73f84dfd735cbe23cac6a5.jpg


Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
 

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