Immersion chiller

[a-slayer]

Hi,
I am looking to make an immersion chiller for cooling 10 gallon brews, what do in forum members experience would be the best length of 10mm pipe to use for efficient cooling ?

[GARYSMIFF]

As long as you can afford!

[harry_mac]

I made mine from a 10m roll and I'm happy with that in a 10 gallon boiler. It was a bit big for the 5 gallon boiler I originally made it for, but it was more economic to buy it by the roll than by the metre.

[6470zzy]

+1 on as long as you can afford, just remember its ALL about surface area, the more you have the better your heat transfer, and of course the cold water helps too

Cheers

[a-slayer]

Well I can get the plumber who lives next door to get me trade price , so can I get 25 metres is coming in at a good price. Can I get that wound up and fit in a 10 gal boiler?

[Scooby]

You can work it out.

You'll need about a 10mm gap between the coils, you know the dia and you know the depth of the wort in the boiler.

3.142 x Dia = length required for 1 Coil

Depth of wort / 20 = Number of coils.... well it will be very close

[Aleman]

Or make two coils one inside the other . . . I've just built one using 20m of 10mm copper . . . the inner coil was wrapped around a corny and the outer around a 19Kg propane bottle. . . . the coils are soldered into a two way 10mm -> 22mm copper adapter

[Scooby]

Oh I forgot to add, you need to work out the volume of the chiller and factor that into the equation as that displacement will increase the level of the wort.

Yes Aleman is right, it's no good making it a long as possible as has been suggested if half of it is above the level of the wort, one coil inside another is a way round this.

[a-slayer]

Thanks everybody, and that is a work of art Scooby, I shall go for it this weekend

[boingy]

I went for triple loops to keep the dimensions low and wide to suit my boiler:



It ain't as pretty as Scooby's but then I ain't sad enough to put it on a perspex stand just to photograph it....

[garwatts]

I went for triple loops to keep the dimensions low and wide to suit my boiler:



It ain't as pretty as Scooby's but then I ain't sad enough to put it on a perspex stand just to photograph it....

I like the green frame round your picture
Not sure about the white stuff at the bottom getting near the brewing gear though If its seagull's it might make the beer a bit salty

[Scooby]

I don't normally see boingy's posts as he's on my foe's list but just this once I clicked 'display this post'

It obviously confirms that he stays on the list. BTW it's a glass stand.

[a-slayer]

Well got my pipe, a 25 metre coil which cost £30 before the vat.
So I am having a go at it this weekend.

[a-slayer]

Well it is all made, I managed to get 16 meteres plus in a single coil. So it was out with the hose pipe and it chilled 10 gallons down
in half an hour or so. Well pleased.
Looking forward trying the results in a few weeks time.