Any recommendations for a good, affordable submersion wort chiller?
DIY?
50’ coil of either 1/2 or 3/4 ID copper tubing
2 compression fittings with appropriate attachments for your water source.
If you can get the precoiled copper that’s really all there is to it. at some point I wrapped some copper wire to hold the whole thing together so it didn’t spread out so much when I picked it up but other than that I have used mine for a couple years now. 11 gallons boiling to ~80 in summer in < 30 minutes
I could tell you where I got one but I don’t think that’s the issue. Size, price, materials of construction, fittings, how soon you need it,… I think those are your considerations.
Is the shipping low enough that you should buy it mail order instead of your LHB?
In my state, the taxes are high enough, that I can buy from out of state & save money. So I buy equipment out of state and food from my LHBS.
good luck
Check these out: http://jadedbrewing.com/
+1
Do you think a 1/2 or 3/8 tubbing is better? 3/8 is always more expensive and was unsure why.
IIRC 3/8 has more surface area to volume so your heat transfer efficiency is better.
Sent from Fermentationland.
A while back I was going to build a 50’ 1/2" ic until I found that buying one was cheaper. Copper prices fluctuate like a lot
this is true, I happened to score my copper when prices were favorable. All told I put about $40.00 into mine. at the time More Beer was selling a 25’ model for 50 or 60. I have heard others say that just the copper was going to cost them around 70. So it matters when you buy.
That being said, I am not a mechanical guy, not stupid about it but not practiced, and I was able to put mine together in about 2 hours.
This is all very strange. 3/8" tubing is never more expensive than the 1/2" tubing. The 1/2 " is larger than the 3/8" and will have a larger surface area in contact with the wort, chilling faster. I bought mine 4 months ago and it is the same price today, much cheaper than buying a premade one.
I think it really depends. I spent over $100 on my DYI wort chiller. Granted it is 50 feet but it was not cheap and I have recently seen some really inexpensive chillers. I could have sworn I just saw an SS chiller for $99…I will try to find the site.
If you go the DYI route, do yourself a favor and get a tube bender. It is roughly $15 but will save tons of headaches and give you a good looking chiller. Also…measure twice and bend once.
Good luck.
I had set out build my own recirculation chiller like jamils. Went to a local large supply that rhymes with Nome people. If I remember right, all the copper and solder, flux, etc would have been about $50 more than b3 with shipping. I’m still using my DIY 3/8 chiller
Check out fleaBay, 50’ x 3/8" chiller for $70 for stainless or copper with all hoses and connectors.
I made mine by taking copper and wrapping it around one of those fat (3 lb, I think) coffee cans. These days coffee now comes in plastic containers with square cross sections instead of steel circular ones. A square profile IC might look pretty cool. 