Help needed please - close to quiting :@

[DarloDave]

I've always had problems with chilling the wort, with my H&G IC, i just keep getting water spurting out of the side of my tap. Its obviously a wrong hose connector ive got on both the tap end and the IC, I just dont know what connecters it needs, can anybody help me? This is I think the last of many problems i have to iron out, and its just so frustrating I could pack it all in right now! ..but I really dont want to. Would it be better me buying a different type of chiller?

Anybody?

[EoinMag]

Have you tried to call H&G about the issue? surely they'll know what hardware works with their version of the immersion chiller?

[mysterio]

I just used jubilee clips but i've seen far better ways of approaching it on here, hopefully someone will be along soon with the optimal fittings. All I can say is DON'T QUIT!

[DarloDave]

I dont want to quit, its just so frustrating, putting in so much effort and getting so little back.

[Horatio]

I often have this very problem and get a jets of water spurting out of the connector that fits (or doesn't) my tap. What type of tap are you fitting it to? I use one of these http://www.gardencentre.co.uk/product.asp?id=2789 and have to mess about with it constantly to get a water tight fit. Fortunately I have access to an outside tap and intend on using that with a screw fit connector instead. The hoses on my IC are standard garden hose with hoselock type connectors on the end. I only get a leak at the tap end. Is yours leaking elsewhere too?

[DarloDave]

Its mostly just where the tap meets the hosepipe. It works no problem at all with just the hose, then as soon as I attach the IC I just get water spraying. I've tried differernt lengths of tubing and different positions and still nothing!

[themadhippy]

put a washing machine tap on the inlet of your i/c and either use the existing washing machine tap or put a new on in and link with normal washing machine pipe,if you put the same fitting on your boiler a cheap shower head and pipe will screw on,ideal for sparging.

[thankyousam]

put a washing machine tap on the inlet of your i/c and either use the existing washing machine tap or put a new on in and link with normal washing machine pipe,if you put the same fitting on your boiler a cheap shower head and pipe will screw on,ideal for sparging.

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the H&G IC so I don't know what plumbing fittings you'd require. My custom built IC has washing machine taps on the inlet and outlets; on to these I've attached hozelock fittings and the corresponding connectors on the ends of the hoses. There is a slight leak (just a very slow drip) on the inlet connection, but I suspect this is because I bought the B&Q value range of connectors! I can post a picture if required

[oxford brewer]

Have you tried slowing the water feed down?It might be worth slowing the feed to see if it stops the leak!.If it doesnt leak when the IC isnt connected then the restriction caused by the IC is somehow affecting the connection to the tap.

[boingy]

Dave, is it possible you are just trying to push too much water through the cooler? They do cause quite a bit of back pressure so you should only use a fairly slow flow rate.

I use one of those mixer tap attachements and it does take a bit of experimentation to get it tight enough and located correctly on our curved mixer tap but it can be done.

[DarloDave]

I've tried with the smallest amount of pressure, and I only get a trickle coming out, to which I think its not even worth using, which makes me want to use a different kind of chiller to speed things up. I normally just use the trickle, and it still takes a good few hours to get it chilled down, whereas say with a plate chiller I've read you can get it chilled within a few mins.

[johnmac]

The H&G chiller is 8mm copper. The water flow through 8mm copper should be almost as good as you get through the garden hose. Unless you have an internal blockage?

[adm]

Dave,

To go from the 8mm copper of the chiller to 15mm (which will fit well to hosepipe with a jubilee clip), your local plumbing supply shop should be able to sell you an 8mm to 15mm adaptor for under a pound....if you can solder. If not, you can get a similar thing in a compression fitting that you can just do up with a couple of spanners. Probably no more than £2 for that....



If you can get the end adapted to 15mm pipe, then garden hosepipe will slip over it tightly and you can secure it with a half inch jubilee clip.

For the tap attachment, your local garden centre is probably the best bet. They normally have all kinds of hozelock or equivalent fittings to go onto pretty much any tap.

[Damfoose]

The hozelock tap adapter is a great bit of kit, I have been using one for the last 2 years now and everynow and again I dont put it on the tap properly so it spurts water everywhere bt once I reseat it their are no leaks I can then open the tap full bore through my 8mm chiller. BTW my tap is a square one so as you can guess fitting the adapter to the tap is sometimes a right pain.

[delboy]

As others have said get a decent hoselock fitting (not the b&Q own brand). If your kitchen tap is some weird and wonderful design that refuses to play ball you could think about attaching another standard tap/washing machine attachment below the sink and run the IC of it instead.