CFC or Plate Cooler

[Talisman]

This I's prob all over here but I'm on my ipnone ( no access at work)

I've been out of the brewin game for about a year n it's about time I got my Arse back in gear. Set my hand pull back up in the kitchen at the weekend which is tapped through the wall into the garage direct into my temp controlled freezer with the Cornies in.

I'm down to my last Cornies of Black Sheep and so am brewing this weekend. Quiet excited actually.
Thinking of brewing again has got me thinking about doing sine redesign work on the brewery. One of the things I wanted to improve was the cooling of the wort after boil.

I saw a while ago someone posting plate coolers from fleabay saying they were good.

Also I've seen people do Cfc with 10mm copper thru a hose pipe.

So what works better??? Which I's the way to go??

Any advise greatly welcomed.

Tally. (back in business)

[Scotty]

I've no experience with plate chillers so I cannot help on the how efficient they are.
I use a CFC chiller (Garth's actually) but I am in the process of building a copy. The cost of the parts was around £27 but I've decided to add a Blichman Thrumometer which was £19 bringing in the build to around £50.

The perceived problem with CFC chillers is that you cannot clean them. We (Garth and I) fire near-boiling water through the pipe before and after cooling and this normally dislodges any crap and never had a problem with infections etc.

[Talisman]

ahhh i meant heat exchanger not plate cooler as in

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=34801

can you tell me the details of you CFC?

Or the one your building, which is prob an improvement on your current model i presume

[Scotty]

a heat exchanger is the same as a plate chiller, or at least in theory.

My current model is Garth's own CFC and my own is going to be a carbon-copy. I am unsure of the exact build details but I'm sure someone who has built similar can help/

Garth bought the parts from BES (orders are subject to some hefty P&P unless you order over £40 exluding VAT). I've yet to construct it but the parts are as follows (I'm afraid I am unsure of catalogue numbers)

8 to 15mm Adaptor x2 - £0.86
15mm Equal Tee x 2 - £0.99
Washing Machine Tap x 2 - £1.98
8mm Copper coil 10m - £11.98
Yellow Pro Hose - £5.13
Hoselock male fitting x2 - £0.23
Hoselock female fitting x2 - £0.96

Total inc VAT - £26.62

[Talisman]

Blichman Thrumometer which was £19 bringing in the build to around £50.

What's the story about this part mate?

And thanks for the replies.

[Scotty]

Blichman Thrumometer which was £19 bringing in the build to around £50.

What's the story about this part mate?

It's an aluminium thermometer that is to be attached on the outlet of the chiller before a pipe that leads to the fermenter. The chilled wort passes through the thermometer and the temperature is displayed on the readout. To adjust the temperature, I use the tap on the washing machine fitting on the outlet to achieve the desired temperature.

Here it is - http://www.hopandgrape.com/public/detai ... HR20064899

I'll try and get some pictures tomorrow.

[Talisman]

Thanks I'd appreciate that mate

[Aleman]

Plate chiller is great . . . BUT Ideally you need to be able to filter anything bigger than 0.5mm from the wort before the chiller as you stand the risk of blocking the plates, which Daab went on about ad nauseam . . . A simple slotted/drilled manifold is not going to cut the mustard I am afraid My hop Stopper which is made of #30 mesh has a hole area of around 0.51mm (squared), and #40 mesh is something like 0.46mm (squared), both of which allow you to drain from the kettle as fast as you like.

Cleaning . . . well running hot caustic through them seems to shift anything protienaceous . . . they flush well, and even my 50 plate one fits in my pressure cooker to be autoclaved.

How fast does it chill? even under gravity I have to slow the wort rate down from the kettle to ensure that it doesn't drop too low . . . In summer I suspect that it may struggle with the warmer coolant temps . . . but I have a cunning plan for that as well (I have a 10 Plate chiller and a Python Line . . .which will be used to cool the coolant pre wort chiller)

[Talisman]

Hmmmm decisions decisions

[Talisman]

Aleman I've been thinking also about my mesh filter in my boiler and had been intending to get a fine mesh sheet and make a better filter unit.

What mesh/gauge size I's recommended

We use slit of 80 & 100 mesh filters at work. I enquirer with them if they had any food grade. They do supply ss316 mesh but it's oiled/greased so td them I wouldn't be able to use it.

[Scotty]

#30 mesh is ideal. I have one of these - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=20716&hilit=hopstopper

The bonus of a plate chiller is that there is no building involved but both these and a CFC are limited to how cold the cooling water is.

Pictures still on the way!

[Talisman]

Yeah been Thi king of making something like that but my boiler drains from the bottom centre of the keg...

[Scotty]

Yeah been Thi king of making something like that but my boiler drains from the bottom centre of the keg...

hmmm

On another note, here are a couple of pics of the chiller with a thrumometer fitted to the outlet.



and a one of the the pipe arrangement

The 8mm pipe runs through the middle of the 15mm pipework and soldered at the end to prevent the cooling water from going all over the place

[Aleman]

As Scotty said #30 or #40 mesh is more or less perfect . . .I know of people that have used #60 mesh and report slow draining/blocking from the copper, although others have reported no issues with #60 mesh . . .down to amount of filter area I guess

[Talisman]

Ordered the parts to make a Cfc ( like to tinker )

Why two washer tap fittings? Thought you'd only control the out flow?

Aleman. Cheers will look into the mesh. Will have to put imago ation into how I can work it for a bottom centre drain hole....