Whirlpool set ups

To test my whirlpool I made a "poor-mans" modification. I stripped some 12 ga solid copper wire into three pieces about 6" long. I formed a loop in the middle and crimped the ends around my immersion chiller, roughly mid-way up. My output hose from the pump goes over the kettle brim and is threaded through the three loops. This makes the hose bend (arc) in the same radius as the chiller and gives a very respectable whirlpool. This is something like Jamil's modification, but I believe he uses solid copper tubing.

Time involved was less than ten minutes and cost was zero. It was meant to be temporary to look for problems but it worked so well I stayed with it.

 

Pics! if you have any. I am very interested in this thread too. I am imagining what you are describing but want to get a visual.

 

Okay . . . but no zingers about a filthy immersion chiller. I have graduated to a plate chiller and Mr. IC is retired to storage:

I took a few copper wire pieces and bent them so my hose would go through them (enough friction to hold a silicone hose) and then twisted them around the IC coils. Here you can see two easily, the third is closed to the camera:





Here is the hose threaded through the loops. Two loops would probably work, but it only took another minute to add the third. The copper loops are attached loosely to the coils and can be moved if needed:




Obviously you want to thread the hose before you dunk the IC into boiling wort. Once loaded, the silicone is shaped the same as the coils and creates a nice whirlpool. For what it's worth, the temp inside the coil seemed to drop the same as the outer portion of the kettle. This does not compete aesthetically with a drilled-port/QD-fitting . . . but can't beat the price and I was pleased with the whirlpool effect.

 

Troll.

 

Heh. Seriously, that is my whirlpool setup. It's also my mash paddle and wort boil stirrer.

 

MoreBeer has a whirlpool arm add-on for immersion chillers for $13. Its already bent and ready to attach with zip ties and/or hose clamps. Best $13 I ever spent. Saved me a lot of hassle from trying to bend the pipe properly. Then I took it down to my local plumbing supply place and had them set me up with fittings for the disconnects I had. Total cost was about $20. Works the balls.

 

This is what I have, from morebeer. I've only gotten to use it once, but it seemed alright. It's a little pricey, but what the hell, it was easy to mount.

 

I use a spoon and my arm. My friend however uses magic pumps and this setup...

Both work pretty well. I sweat. He doesn't.

 

Just a nit pick but shouldn't the pick-up and whirlpool face the same direction? That way you don't direct the trub right into the pick-up tube. Minor but could help.

 

I think his thinking is with both sucking/pulling from opposite directions the whirlpool spins faster. He could install a diverter plate by his pick up to help if he wanted.

 

I've been meaning to post this...


I used soft copper pipe and a cam disconnect to make a whirl pooling port. I just bent it so it fits over the top of the kettle and then another bend in the direction of the whirl pool. The pictures are in a bucket just for illustration.
It makes an ok WP, I may pinch the end a bit next time to see if creates a better whirl pool.

 

not sure if you want to spend the coin...but I use this for my whirlpool arm and would be good for a pick up tube too:
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=151

 

Here's mine:



Just soldered some copper together. It hooks over the side of the kettle. Cam connection for ease of hookup, and a slight curve on the wort return to loosely match the inside of the kettle. Half the reason for making this was an excuse to learn to solder, which I had never done before.

 

I cut the nubb off of mine and it fits in an electric drill. You may as well aerate while you're standing there.

 

The reason I set it up this way was to increase speed. I figured if i pushed and pulled from the same direction it would actually create a counterclockwise motion on top and a clockwise motion on the bottom (or vice versa) and wouldn't really spin the wort at all.

The trub does go through the pickup tube and back out the whirlpool arm but for the most part it settles out in the middle. Its just when I have tons of hops in a beer that the cone gets too big and spreads out, then i get a little bit of hops in the fermenter. (which is what's goin on in that picture)