My weekend's work - a wort chiller

[asd]

Hi,

This is my first post apart from my introduction post, and my first try with Photobucket.

I have made a wort chiller as part of the setup I am doing. In fact, it is one of the final things I have to do, but I thought I had better get involved here, and so, here are a few pictures. I don't know how big they are going to be or anything. Please advise if they are huge downloads, etc.

I'm mainly doing this to learn how to use the board, and if it all works, I will of course add more written detail on future posts of how I did the construction,problems, the thinking behind why, etc. etc.

Best,

Simon



25M of 10mm copper wrapped around a Corny Keg



Internal view showing copper wire bracing soft soldered support



Completed coil



Coil in situ in copper

[GARYSMIFF]

looks like you have a large Copper to chill with that coil, any pics of your other kit?

oh and pic size is ok but could be a tad smaller:) also you could just use the (Img) option and just post the Pic URL and then you can get the Pics in the thread rather than an external link, then you can see what thay look like:)

eg

[asd]

Hi,

The chiller is 25m of 10mm copper - I took the muscle car approach to sizing it.

The copper is a 50 litre sankey keg. I'm using another one as my mash tun. I have a Willis immersion heater as my RIMS heater with a PID controller.

I'm going to use the Willis - via switching through a couple of ball valves - as an "instant" hot water system (under PID) to supply any needed sparge water, but I reckon that with a RIMS not much sparging is necessary given the solubility of sugars and the volume of strike water possible. If I'm wrong, then I can always partigyle, or add a hot water tank. So this is a two vessel system at present! I've made the standard sort of return manifold for the wort circulation.

I have made a reasonable false bottom from a piece of perforated 316 stainless from E-bay, which I was going to have cut with a water jet, but the job stood in a workshop for 3 months, so i took it home and cut it with an angle grinder in 1/2 an hour and three discs.

I'm going to use propane to boil my wort, and then cool via my chiller, and recirculating the cooling wort to speed the heat exchange.

I have a March May pump.

The whole lot will be fermented in a temerature controlled cabinet using an acquarium/vivarium hot/cold controller ( Not PID) in yet another 50 litre sankey keg. Dispensing will be via Sankey and Corny kegs

The whole lot will be connected with 1" Triclover clamps and copper and silicone tubing/pipe. I got a load of Triclovers and fittings from China at a good price - they are 304 Stainless, which is what the Sankeys are made from, I believe.

The good thing about the Triclover stuff is that I can experiment with configurations, and it is great to clean. For instance, I plan to use a 25Cm length of 2" ss tube with tricovers stuffed at the outflow end with a stainless steel scourer as a hop back of sorts in the recirculation circuit as I cool the wort for an IPA I have planned in my head..

HOpefully I will run the system in anger next weekend - it all seems to fit together, although I haven't got enough ball valves yet - I have three on back order at BES - nor have I finished my fermentation cabinet, but I reckon the weather and my garage are OK temp wise. It will come into it's own if I want to lager, for instance.

It may not look pretty, but it should work!

Now to try and put up some pics just with the links ...... It may go wrong here, folks!. Photobucket seems slow!



Mash tun - 50 litre keg with central drain to Triclover fitting



Lid made from itself - I did not heed the warning!



Internal view showing central outlet



From underneath

Willis 3Kw heater with Triclovers and ball valve


My favoured PID controller - it's a long story!



Innards of my home made PID controller


back of my PID showing 16Amp Powercon connector



Wort recirculation Manifold

March May pump triclovered up and ready to go!

[asd]

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[Grahame]

One thing with the wort cooler, you will need to be extra sure there will be no leaks up at the connection ends otherwise it will run down right into your wort

[asd]

Hi,
Good point! The connects seem pretty watertight at the moment, but it is a design fault and one day surely a leak WILL occur, so I will put a 90 degree bend in and take the ends and connectors well out of the way.

Thanks,

Simon.

[simco999]

Nice lookin kit - whats the Volvo tyre for???

Will it make beer? Let us know.

[Grahame]

Hi,
Good point! The connects seem pretty watertight at the moment, but it is a design fault and one day surely a leak WILL occur, so I will put a 90 degree bend in and take the ends and connectors well out of the way.

Thanks,

Simon.

No problem mate - I learned the hard way on my first go

[buggslife]

Wow - nice work.

I may have missed it in the thread as it was viewing quite messy - but what did you use to bend the pipe around as a guide?

[asd]

Hi,

I wrapped it round a Corny keg.

Simon.

[GARYSMIFF]

thanks for the pics and glad to see another RIMS user

[asd]

Thanks.

I don't think my system is as elegant looking as yours, but hopefully the beer will taste good!

I have 25KG of fresh milled Maris Otter malt just waiting for the finishing touches to my system. Also sufficient Northern Brewer and Goldings hops for a good brew - a 7% IPA recipe I have in my mind. Very simple one stage mash and plenty of late hopping will be the order of the day. I plan to brew this weekend.


Simon.

[asd]

Hi,

Please excuse this post - I am trying to get Photobucket to work for me



Ah! That seems to work!

I had enable BBCode as my universal setting, but for some reason the Disable option was on for some of the posts. I've redone most of the images now, so the thread looks a lot better.

This is part of my collection of triclover parts, with my cider press in the background.

Simon