Acceptable Immersion Wort Chiller

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by jtdolla911, Mar 9, 2013.

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  1. jtdolla911

    jtdolla911 Initiate (0) Nov 18, 2011 Massachusetts

    I'm working on adding some more pieces to my homebrew collection. An immersion wort chiller, grain mill, and temp control belt are the top of my list.

    I live in a condo, so space is limited. I am an extract brewer and steep specialty grains, at least for now.

    I brew about 2 1/2 gal of wort and then top off with cold water, but have had trouble getting the wort cool quickly. I'm shopping around for an immersion chiller and saw that I could do a 25' 3/8" copper chiller, but also found the following on ebay..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-1-4-Copper-Wort-Chiller-/300343731564#vi-content

    its a bit smaller, but would it be efficient enough to justify the 30ish investment?

    For a mill, i'm going to find a used corona on ebay, and upgrade in the future when i go all grain

    For a belt, i'll try to find a used on ebay, otherwise ill pick up a new one from midwest.

    Thoughts, protips, any help appreciated. Thanks!
     
    #1 jtdolla911, Mar 9, 2013
  2. geezerpk

    geezerpk Initiate (0) Nov 8, 2010 South Carolina

    I wouldn't bother with Ebay for the Corona mill. You can get one from Amazon, with free shipping for $25-$30. I've use a Corona for years for AG, Brew in a Bag.
     
    #2 geezerpk, Mar 9, 2013
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  3. biglobo8971

    biglobo8971 Initiate (0) May 6, 2010 Minnesota

    restaurant supplies have "ice wands" which are big plastic tubes that you can put ice water in that helps with soups and stocks. Not sure if it would work, could check it out.
     
    #3 biglobo8971, Mar 9, 2013
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  4. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    This would help with your cooling, but it really looks small. I use 25' of 3/8" for five gallons batches and wished I had 1/2" tubing. As a minimum, take it's measurements and see how it fits in your brew kettle and doesn't go above your typical 2.5 gallon mark (you don't want to be cooling the air).

    I really think you could build your own out of 3/8" tubing for the same price or less. This ain't rocket science, just wrap the tubing around some sort of round device (paint can, large coffee can, etc). You will need a pipe bender (~$5) to make the ends sweep up. Plus you can customize to your kettle. Vinyl tubing and clamps are cheap.

    This would be woefully inadequate if you go to all grain brewing.
     
    #4 PortLargo, Mar 9, 2013
  5. jtdolla911

    jtdolla911 Initiate (0) Nov 18, 2011 Massachusetts

    Thanks for the tip. I don't know when I'll make the move to all grain, so I wanted something inexpensive before buying a bigger brew kettle and upgrading my coil. Ill see if I can do this homemade version. Thanks!
     
    #5 jtdolla911, Mar 9, 2013
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