First Boiler for a newbie.

[AnthonyUK]

10m of 8mm or 10mm copper from Plumcentre/Wickes etc £15-20

[jmc]

Thanks guys!

Ordered the 40L Buffallo while it's still on the discount.

Now need to start thinking about a wort chiller!

Welcome to Extract / BIAG / AG brewing

Wort chiller is very useful to get a good cold break and help ensure a quick start to fermentation, but its not essential.

What are you going to do for your 1st brew with the new boiler Extract or BIAB?

10m of 8mm or 10mm copper from Plumcentre/Wickes etc £15-20

Looks like Plumbcenter have increased their prices a bit
8mm x 10n - £43.60 inc VAt (+del)

Of those 2 Wickes seems a better bet
£24 for 10mm & 19.99 for 8mm


You'll still need end fittings to connect to hose too.

You can of course buy it ready made.
TMM does a top-class one

[AnthonyUK]

I think that Plumbcenter price may be wrong as I paid £15 recently.
Also try Plumbase which is £13 - http://www.plumbase.com/tprod99528/sect ... coil-.html

[lord groan]

I'd recommend trying your nearest scrap metal recycling dealer first, I asked my local one and between us we dug around in a big pallet sized crate of bent and twisted microbore until we found several coiled lengths of assorted size tube. I grabbed 2 clean undamaged part coils of 6mm and 8mm microbore. He charged scrap value so I ended up with about 12m in all for £4.50. They were both unused in mint condition.

[mChavez]

Thanks guys!

I was looking for 15m and the cheapest I could find was £40.
Are there any risks of immersing copper into wort (I've read that if you immerse into boiling wort it sterilises it)?

I still have 2 kits to brew: Cooper's IPA and Munton's stout.
Any suggestions on improving them (e.g. add some hops?).

I'll then try 3-4 extract recipes and then might move to BIAB.

[mChavez]

Oh, and by the way, would 12mm bore pvc tubing be ok to attach to the ends of the 8mm copper coil (with stainless steel hose clamps) ?

[lord groan]

I used these
http://www.screwfix.com/p/brass-c-x-c-c ... -8mm/45857
then added a brass bush adapter to get a 3/4" bsp thread
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbin ... 697/p98490
and finally a brass hozelock connector
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Landsca ... 316/p66154
to end up with

sorry its a bit blurred. Anyway having the quick connect and disconnect makes life much easier

[jmc]

I used these
http://www.screwfix.com/p/brass-c-x-c-c ... -8mm/45857
then added a brass bush adapter to get a 3/4" bsp thread
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbin ... 697/p98490
and finally a brass hozelock connector
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Landsca ... 316/p66154
to end up with

sorry its a bit blurred. Anyway having the quick connect and disconnect makes life much easier

+1
Mine's very similar now only its got soldered adapter 10mm-15mm then brass compression fittings to a 1/2 hose connector
I upgraded from plastic hose connection some months ago as I got fed up with the leaks I used to get.

[Fil]

coiling 15mm tube may be a bit of trouble.. akaik 15mm tube is 'hard', while 10 and 8mm is soft and more coilable. afaik you can treat hard copper to soften it my heating it to cherry red and allowing it to cool slowley?? but then you have to join 3m lengths together.. so i used 10mm for my coil but 15mm for the down pipes and bend over the boiler rim if using solder or compression fittings dont bend right upto the fitting as bending will misshape the tube making a seal harder to accomplish.

copper is ok to use in the beer upto the point you ferment, as yeast and copper dont mix so well..
you want to clean the coil before use and pop the thing in the boil for the last 15 mins with any late hops to sterilise it. you will also need a big spoon to keep the wort moving over the coils when chilling, stirring drops the chilling time dramatically, and is evident by the effect a lil stir can have on the temp of the water leaving the coil..

[simco999]

Thanks guys!

Ordered the 40L Buffallo while it's still on the discount.

Now need to start thinking about a wort chiller!

40l is a good choice - I've inherited a 60l from a mate.

See here for my BIAB method.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=45736

I don't use a wort chiller - the same as the Aussies - god bless them.

I need to update the method.