Submersible Wort chiller

Systems, Gear, & DIY
1

OK, in the spirit of the DIY in me, I have decided to try and make a submersible wort chiller.  I have both Lowes and Home Depot near me, so I think I can do it.  My thought is, and please add anything if I am wrong, 20 feet of 3/8 inch copper tubing, the kind you can bend.  I couple of compression fittings to attach a couple of pieces of garden hose to and my submersible pump.  My question is, do you think 20 feet of copper tubing will be enough to cool 6 gallons of wort in a 10 gallon Gas One Kettle?  I have seen up to 50 feet, but I just think that is going to be way too much.  Thoughts?  I am off this week, so I am thinking of doing this tomorrow as I don’t have much going on that I know of right now  LOL.  Any input is much appreciated.  RR

2

I built my first IC the same way you are describing.  I connected two 25’ foot sections and it worked well.  Eventually the junction between the two rolls of copper failed.  It worked very well until my minimal copper soldering skills made themselves know.

I have a 25’ stainless steel IC now.  I can’t say it works better than my DIY one and I think it’s a bit slower actually.

I think you’ve got a sound plan.  More tubing will cool more quickly.

Paul

3

I’ve used a couple of 3/8" x 25’ immersion chillers and found them to be adequate for my 5.25-gallon batch size. If I were to build one, I’d go with 35 to 40’.

4

Go with 50 ft.  If you don’t you’ll wish you had.

5

Thanks all for the replies.  I think I am going to take a ride to my local Lowes first.  I hate Home Depot  LOL.  I am thinking 3/8 would be the best diameter.  We will see what I can come up with.

6

yes, this, i think 3/8th should be good, i either have that or 1/4". mine was i believe 25’ DIY copper and it just isn’t that fast due to its smaller size, takes about 30 full mins to cool to near pitching temps.

7

I would highly recommend 50 ft. 3/8.

8

When we researched building a coil immersion chiller, vs simply buying one, it was always less expensive to buy one ready made.

The Hydra Chiller is a huge step up in quality, and chilling capability. Best money I have ever spent.

9

Funny you should say that, I have found that to be exactly the case.  By the time I buy the copper and all the fittings, I can buy one and avoid the hassles.  Now, to find one that fits in my Gas One pot.  LOL.

10

If you want to go with Jaded, contact them and tell them what kettle you’ve got. Clay will hook you up with the right chiller.

11

And, Clay can custom fabricate what you want if it is not an off the shelf model. He really helped me.

12

Thanks for all the help guys.  Unfortunately the Jaded one is a bit over my budget at almost 200 bucks.  I am going to see what I can find on Amazon.  I found one with just a quick search for about 100 bucks with free shipping.  50 foot of 3/8 inch copper with the connections already on it.  I might give that a go for now.  Once I get it dialed in and am into this more I might look towards the more expensive ones, but for now, budget minded is where I am

https://www.amazon.com/NY-Brew-Supply-W3850-CV-Efficient/dp/B01C856JQI/ref=asc_df_B01C856JQI/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312191044760&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3605948603173085947&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031933&hvtargid=pla-568698077486&th=1

This is the one I am looking at.

Once again, thanks for all the help  I appreciate it.

13

That looks like a perfectly fine chiller.

14

The Lowe’s near me lists 50 ft of 3/8 copper tubing at $78.98 … before you add in cost of fittings (and a tube bender if you don’t already have one).  $100 all in sounds like a competitive price to me.

(Or save the $100 and go no-chill.)

EDIT: You can also find aluminum tubing online for cheaper than copper. That could be a budget option, too, and preserve the DIY element.

15

The Jaded really is the best immersion chiller I have encountered.  If you go with the one on Amazon, try swirling it in the kettle as it chills to get a better chilling effect.  Then when you can afford the Jaded product, you can use this first one as a “pre-chiller” to sit in a bucket of ice water.  At that point you will be chilling 5 gallons to pitch temp in almost no time.

Cheers.

16

Thanks guys, for all the input.  Yea, I think the Jaded one is probably the best, but at almost 200 bucks it is a bit over right now for me.  2 Kids in College and a wife who is a teacher and they have to buy a lot of their own supplies.  Like I said, when I get into the hobby more and brew more often with better results, then I start getting into the fancy stuff.  LOL.  Right now, I am cooling 3 gallons or so in my sink with a ice bath, and while it is effective, I think I could do better. The Gas One Kettle my wife brought me has the ball valve and the Temp gauge in it, so no putting that into cold water to chill.  And it will be more than 5 gallons of post boil wort, so that is gonna take longer.  I have a plan for the setup that I will post later on another thread.  .

So, I think I am going to give the Amazon one a go, what the heck.  I am sure it will do what I want it to.  Maybe not as fast, but that gives me a few more minutes to have a beer or two  while I wait.  LOL.

Keep those comments coming.  I appreciate them all.  RR

17

I don’t think you want to use AL for a chiller.  pH is likely to low for AL.

18

Definitely swirl your chiller around once in a while. Helps to equilibriate temp.

19

This is exactly our procedure. The original copper coil goes into a 6 gallon bucket of ice water, with the line out feeding the Hydra in the boil kettle. The water temp is right at 34 degrees!
While Jaded is a little more expensive, it is money well spent in the long run.
But…we brewed for decades without it, so you can make other methods work for you.

20

I agree that the Jaded setup is one of the best, but for now, I am going to try and make due with something a bit less expensive.  One day, I will be good enough to get a really cool setup with all the bells and whistles, but for now, we make it with a bit less.  RR