I am wanting to get a new chiller. I want stainless steel and I want to circulate water through a pond pump in a bucket of ice this summer. Which of the two following chillers would be easier to adapt to the pump?
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/stainless-steel-immersion-wort-chiller-w-garden-hose-fittings.html
I don’t think you have any more or less work adapting either of them. They seem basically the same. You’ll need a couple of hose connectors, some tubing, a valve for flow control and a few hose clamps to either one.
Paul
*** Edited to add the valve. Forgot that the first time.
Both have hose connecters on the inlets. One you’d pay more and have to supply your own hose. I think that’s your answer.
I’d get a submersible utility pump which will have garden hose fittings.
Why stainless and not copper?
I have cleaned that green corrosion off of my copper chiller twice now. I always go over it with vinegar before each use. Yesterday was the second time my paper towels had green on them after wiping it down. Some places I have read that copper corrosion is extremely poisonous, other places I have read that it is harmless. I don’t want to leave anything to chance so I just want to get stainless and be done with it.
My copper coil has never gone green on me (yet). It sometimes develops a greyish coat of who-knows-what all over it. When it does I drop it in a bucket of PBW for awhile and it comes out all shiny.
I like the copper because it transfers heat more efficiently than stainless. Probably not a big deal but I haven’t found any reason to replace my old roll of copper.
Paul
IF you can get the 50’ coil instead of 25’ coil id suggest the bigger one. It allows you to expand into bigger brews and the cost shouldnt be to much. I purchased a 50’ Stainless steel IC a few weeks ago from amazon and love it. Chilled my first AG batch to 65F within 8 minutes, but our ground water is very cold in MA.
Jeff
As for the pump, don’t buy a little “pond pump” unless that sucker is at least 1/3HP. Get a “submersible pump” with at least that rating. If you cannot get the velocity of flow through your chiller, you are not using the whole chiller capacity. It can make a big difference, especially when you have had the opportunity to use the proper setup.
1/3HP will make a big difference compared to a 1/5HP?
In principle, it should have 5/3 more flow.
really, not linear relationship between horsepower and flow rate. double speed doubles flow rate, increases differential pressure by four and power demands by 8. hence why cars with twice as much horsepower in the same car are not twice as fast.
From experience: do your homework on a pond pump. Its a great tool to have (I use one for chilling as well), but most are not built to last.
Lowes.com has customer reviews for all of their brands. Most reviews will point out that the pump lasts 6-12 months before giving out. Pick up the one that has a reputation for a longer lifetime. Price point doesn’t necessarily reflect quality, either.
Most pond pumps are rated by Gallons Per Hour (GPH) rather than HP. Some models don’t even give HP with their specs. I think I bought a 560 GPH model, and it provided plenty of flow through my 3/4" IC.
IMO: Copper ain’t no big thang on the brewhouse side.
What model of pump do you have?
I have this pump: Flotec | Pressure Tanks & Pumps | Pentair
1/6th hp is plenty for a 25-ft IC. I actually have a little garden hose ball valve on the pump output. It’s about half open.
I’ve been using this pump since 2009 for probably 15 to 20 batches per year, so it seems pretty reliable.
It also comes in handy pumping out a flooded crawlspace. :-\