Jockey Box Wort Cooler

Systems, Gear, & DIY
1

Has anyone used a jockey box as a wort cooler? I live in an apartment complex and have a garage where I would like to do my brewing. My problem is, that the closest water source is probably 50 yards away, and impractical to run multiple hoses across other peoples apartments.

I have been wondering if this would be an option? I would think that at first, the wort may be cooler than necessary, but towards the end, it may even out to a good pitching temp. I would suspect that very good temperature control and standing by with ice and possibly draining off the melted water would be a must if using this system.

Any thoughts, ideas, experiences etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

2

I don’t, but a lot of people use immersion chillers in an ice bath to do the same thing you’re proposing.  I don’t think it will work as well as you think, but it will work to some extent.  It depends on how long the coil is (it will be slower with a plate), how fast it is flowing through, and you might need to add more ice before it’s done.  I would do it with water as a test first.