Looking to get a plate chiller very soon to replace my immersion chiller. I was originally eyeing the $200 Therminator by Blichman, but the price tag stuck out a little high for me. Anyone know anything or have thoughts on this one I found? Wondering if it would make THAT much of a difference. http://www.amazon.com/B3-12A-Plate-...&qid=1357324448&sr=8-35&keywords=wort+chiller Any feedback before investing appreciated.
Was in a similar situation when looking to buy, biggest difference is type of stainless used... Therminator is 317 whereas the dudadiesel one you linked to is 304. 317 is much more resistant to degradation and corrosion from salts present in water and wort than 304, meaning you'll probably get a much longer shelf life from the therminator. Brazetek I believe offers chillers made from 316 at a very good price point. I got a duda for Christmas, so I kinda had my choice made for me.
Good info. How is the duda working for you in the meantime? Also how many plates does the Therminator have?
I believe the Therminator has between 40-50 plates, I haven't emailed Blichmann to find out though and its not listed on their website. Haven't had a chance to brew with the duda yet, as I slipped a disk in my back. Will be doing a couple batches with it in 3-4 weeks though. I previously had a shirron that worked great, but I started doing 25 gallon batches to fill barrels and wanted something a bit bigger so that I could increase my wort flow rate and still chill adequately (I uses a prechiller and aquarium pump, and will with the duda as well).
I have the duda and have done 3 or 4 batches with it. Has worked okay, but I haven't found that a single pass was quite sufficient to get down to sub 70. I just got a pump, so will be incorporating that to recirculate while chilling (bonus of leaving the cold break in the kettle), and possibly repurposing my immersion chiller as a pre-chiller.
I've found my cheapo CFC to be more than adequate for 10 gal batches. It is coupled to a 25' immersion chiller that does double-duty as a stand/holder for my whirlpooler. You can make one out of a garden hose and copper tubing or buy one for ~ $75.
