Immersion Chiller Output

[Middo]

I'm about to purchase a boiler, strainer, IC, etc as I currently have to boil 10L volumes in a stock pot and then top up to brew length in the FV. When it comes to chilling the wort, I understand it takes an average of 20-30 mins for 23L to reach pitching temp; so how much water is run through the IC? We're on a water meter so have to watch how much we use - is it a huge amount? If so, any ideas on how to reuse it?!

[flytact]

For the average 20 minute cooling time I would guess that I use about 30 gallons of water. I fill a 40L pot with the initial hot water coming out of the chiller and use that for clean up. Then I run another 10L or so into a bucket and use that as sanitizer for my spoon, thermometer, runoff hose, etc...

No bones about it, there is water waste.

You may look into running your chiller water through another set of copper sitting in a bucket of ice water to get the IC water as cool as possible. The cost of another coil may pay for itself if your water bill gets too high.

[OldSpeckledBadger]

The amount of water used is going to depend on the ground water temperature and how low you want to cool the wort. Cooling those last few degrees takes an awful lot of water. Yeasts such as S-04 will pitch quite happily at around 30C so perhaps you should first research what's the minimum cooling needed for the yeast strain you're going to use. The "waste" hot water can be used for cleaning at the end of the brew day.

[Kristoff]

For the average 20 minute cooling time I would guess that I use about 30 gallons of water

My last brew, when chilling, i filled a FV with about 25l of hot water, which I used for washing down, and i'd say i probably used another 20l to get to 30deg, when by the time i'd drained the wort into the FV it was 25deg.
I'm on a water meter and I stir constantly through the cooling period, I don't have the water running full blast and it takes about 20 mins, so I don't think you need to worry too much about your water bill - I know I don't - the electric bill is another matter tho

[Scooby]

My water costs are approx £1.70 per 1000l so even in mid summer the most I spend is 20-30p to cool to 23c and half that in the winter.

The hottest water can be used to clean down as has been mentioned. Cost aside it is still wasteful especially when compared to a CFC

[flytact]

For the average 20 minute cooling time I would guess that I use about 30 gallons of water

OK, maybe I overstated. I really have no idea, but it's not less than 15 gallons.

[CJBrew]

Kristoff wrote:
flytact wrote:
For the average 20 minute cooling time I would guess that I use about 30 gallons of water

OK, maybe I overstated. I really have no idea, but it's not less than 15 gallons.

I remember on one occasion leaving the immersion chiller going and popping out for a couple (ok, three. Or was it four?). When I got back the wort had cooled to about 10'c

[Scooby]

For the average 20 minute cooling time I would guess that I use about 30 gallons of water

OK, maybe I overstated. I really have no idea, but it's not less than 15 gallons.

I'd go with 15-30 of your gallons, I have seen quoted 200l on here that's 50gallons but still only 34p

[tubthumper]

i recently managed to cool to30 deg with only 60 ltls
I put 3 pop bottles of water in the frezzer and when frozen used theese in a 30 ltr bucket and using a drill pump circulated the water for 10 mins ( will be using a central heating pump next time) a change of water was all that was needed and the bottles still had ice in them when i finished

[CJBrew]

i recently managed to cool to30 deg with only 60 ltls
I put 3 pop bottles of water in the frezzer and when frozen used theese in a 30 ltr bucket and using a drill pump circulated the water for 10 mins ( will be using a central heating pump next time) a change of water was all that was needed and the bottles still had ice in them when i finished

Sounds like a good approach.

It might be worth doing the first change of water without ice in it, as cold tap water is quite cool enough to take the first 50' or so out of the hot wort. That way your ice might last a bit longer.

so: 1) fill bucket with cold tap water
2) fill another bucket with cold tap water and lots of ice, so the water gets nice and cold.
3) chill wort using bucket 1
4) further chill wort using bucket 2
5) clean up with warm water from bucket 1

[Jack Hackett]

I have this idea in mind for when I get my equipment together....

I have a 220L water butt collecting rainwater, I thought about getting hold of a Pond pump off FreeCycle and running the waterbutt water through hosepipe from pump to IC and back into the butt...
What do you guys reckon?
Of course I would ensure that my joints were tight and out of the way of the brew so as not to contaminate in the case of a cooling water leak..

[beer taster]

I have a 220L water butt collecting rainwater, I thought about getting hold of a Pond pump off FreeCycle and running the waterbutt water through hosepipe from pump to IC and back into the butt...

I use a DIRTY WATER PUMP to pump water from a water butt. The first 30L goes back into the HLT for cleaning the next 60L goes into a couple of buckets and anything else goes down the drain. (The 60L then goes back into the water butt) I Usually use around 100L for my 23L brew length. Maybe a little more in summer.

I like the idea of using some ice as it is often difficult to get below 30ºC in summer.

[Scroogemonster]

I plan to do roughly the same thing.
I have a 220l water butt in the garden with a tap fitted. When I start to go AG (hopefully next year) I plan to just run the cold water through my copper IC and let it trickle out through the exit pipe into another vessel further down the garden, letting gravity do the work. Then I can just refill the water butt when the jobs done!!!

Obviously as everyone else has said, care needs to be taken to ensure no cross contamination with smelly coolant water from the water butt!

Rain is never in short supply here in the north west, a 30 min downpour fills my water butt to overflowing so there should be no need to use mains tap water for cooling.
Kev

[Bobba]

You could save some water by making a more efficient immersion chiller.

I went for two concentric coils, instead of a single coil (water goes in to cooler from tap, splits into two, one half goes down one of the coils, the other half goes up the other coil, two join back together and leave cooler). This gets me down to pitching temperature in 10 minutes.
See here....
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=24638&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

If you collect the outputted water, you could use it to clean your other equipment, including the chiller itself and boiler after you finished, so you don't really waste any water, just warm it up using your wort!

[Scroogemonster]

That's is an impressive IC!!! 10 mins cooling time would be a real bonus in getting the brew underway.
I was planning to run the water from the butt to the "bottom" limb of the IC ( i.e water goes into the IC and flows from the bottom coils upwards and out to slow water flow and increase heat absorption) as the exit hose at the top of the IC vents to a bucket lower down in the garden then gravity should do the trick.
My water butt stinks at the best of times, not sure I'd want to rinse my kit out with it, but i get the idea. Water waste shouldn't be an issue as its rainwater from the roof (in a near endless supply,certainly at the moment!!) and I'll plan to refill the water butt from the collection vessel lower down in the garden.
Nice pics though!!

Kev