So my 20 ft counterflow finally had enough and sprung a hole in the hose last brew session. It was fun trying to cool 10 gallons without a chiller. So yesterday I started over. A couple hours later and my new 50 ft counterflow is ready to rock. Has anyone built a 50 footer? I'm curious what kind of results you get. Here in Michigan, I'm pretty confident that I can set my pump at full bore and chill to pitching temps.
I built a 50'x1/2" chiller a few years ago. I also added Jamil's whirlpool attachment. It will chill 10 gallons from boil to pitching temp in 10-20 minutes, depending on the season (early summer is closer to 10, early fall is closer to 20). I'm using Chicago water from Lake Michigan, so it's probably the same as yours, assuming you get your water from one of the lakes. FWIW, my home made chiller definitely has a home made look.
i had a two 25' sections of copper hosing that used compression fittings to connect and used a pvc tubing to connect two 25' sections of garden hose since i started at 25' and wanted 50'. 50' is definitely more efficient, not knowing your setup, i would recommend having an incoming chilling water valve to make quick adjustments and thermometer on your exiting wort temp since you don't want to overchill. I always collect the exit chilling water since if your tap water is cold enough, the temp of this water should be 120F+ and perfect for cleaning.
I used 3/8" copper since I felt the length was more important that the surface area. 1/2" inch was pretty expensive for 50ft. We shall see when I get to use it but probably not for a few weeks.
