Seems like every time I start a mash midway through I tell myself that i need a wort chiller,(done that over 20 times now )
Today I loaded up with ingredients for a HBB at my favorite home brew store and saw that they were selling a 50' x 1/2" copper chiller for a little over 150$, I would rather spend that money on grains. Then one of my few remaining old brain cells fired off and I remembered that a few months ago I found about a 50' spool of 3/4" copper in my parking lot (prob some crackhead stashing it there thinking that it would be safe )
So a couple hours of work putting it together:
Crude and still needs to be cleaned up, the inner coil was wrapped around a 5 gal bucket and the outer was just free formed around it. Should fit my fermentor with room for a paddle in the middle.
OVZ
Wort Chiller
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- Oldvine Zin
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Re: Wort Chiller
Thats gonna be amazing! I have a 50 x 1/2", 2nd best gift a woman has ever given me. I can barely imagine 3/4"! AND found for free?!
Make sure you can drain it, I left mine for an extended break from the hobbies, and apparently it wasnt really dry. Corroded to the point of failure at the low point. Fixed it right up with a coupler, but also stretched out the angle and added ground wire to hold the slope. Drains fine hung upside down now.
Make sure you can drain it, I left mine for an extended break from the hobbies, and apparently it wasnt really dry. Corroded to the point of failure at the low point. Fixed it right up with a coupler, but also stretched out the angle and added ground wire to hold the slope. Drains fine hung upside down now.
- still_stirrin
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Re: Wort Chiller
Tight!
Separate the coils a little (spread them as Zapata suggested) and lay a piece of copper wire across the coils in several places around the coils and solder them on...makes stiffeners to keep the coils separated. Using 12 or 14 gage solid copper wire (scavenged from some spare Romex) works great. Just a dab of flux and heat it with the torch and put a drop of solder on it to hold.
A great mash tun immersion heat exchanger. Some would have wasted the copper making a worm instead. But a chiller is a very useful tool in your tool chest.
ss
Separate the coils a little (spread them as Zapata suggested) and lay a piece of copper wire across the coils in several places around the coils and solder them on...makes stiffeners to keep the coils separated. Using 12 or 14 gage solid copper wire (scavenged from some spare Romex) works great. Just a dab of flux and heat it with the torch and put a drop of solder on it to hold.
A great mash tun immersion heat exchanger. Some would have wasted the copper making a worm instead. But a chiller is a very useful tool in your tool chest.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
- Oldvine Zin
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Re: Wort Chiller
Yea it would of made a great worm but that would of only been good for nostalgia, my first condenser was a 3/4 over 1/2 liebig and now I use a 2" shottie for my pot and a 3" for the flute.still_stirrin wrote: A great mash tun immersion heat exchanger. Some would have wasted the copper making a worm instead. But a chiller is a very useful tool in your tool chest.
ss
Did a 60 gal HBB last night Running the coil through my cooling reservoir brought the mash from 140 F to 90 F in a little under 25 minutes
Kicking myself for not building one sooner Happy ferment
OVZ
- nerdybrewer
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Re: Wort Chiller
Wow that's an impressive chiller!!
I'm glad I got a piece of that copper! Thanks OVZ!
I'm glad I got a piece of that copper! Thanks OVZ!
Cranky's spoonfeeding:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975
Time and Oak will sort it out.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975
Time and Oak will sort it out.
- Oldvine Zin
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Re: Wort Chiller
Damn I should of given you a longer piece, as it is that beast is over 30 lbs empty. Probably could of used less coppernerdybrewer wrote: I'm glad I got a piece of that copper! Thanks OVZ!
OVZ
- nerdybrewer
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Re: Wort Chiller
I'll bet it's DAMN efficient!!!Oldvine Zin wrote:Damn I should of given you a longer piece, as it is that beast is over 30 lbs empty. Probably could of used less coppernerdybrewer wrote: I'm glad I got a piece of that copper! Thanks OVZ!
OVZ
Cranky's spoonfeeding:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975
Time and Oak will sort it out.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975
Time and Oak will sort it out.