Brewzilla Users - Chilling

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

Anyone using the chiller that came with the brewzilla in this way? Instead of immersing the chiller in the hot wort, put the chiller in ice and run the hot wort through the chiller. I currently run cold ice water from a cooler thru the chiller in the hot wort. I hate wasting water and our ground water is getting warmer by the day. On the last brew day, I used 30lbs of ice to chill a 5gal batch to 80F before the ice was all gone. I'm just curious if that method cools quicker and lower than my method..

 

[Hawkbox]

I used it when I was demoing a friends and did not do it that way. I just swapped my Jaded Hydra for it and kept everything else the same. The Hydra wouldn't fit in the tube sadly, so I need to keep that in mind if I ever buy one.

 

[Donoroto]

Cleaning the insides of the coil is more important when using it that way @Frankenbrewer but my counterflow chiller has the same issue. Using it with water inside makes cleaning inside moot.

From a thermodynamics view, your temperature delta is higher (hot wort, ice water) and thus more efficient. Running tap water through it is less so, but the water is essentially unlimited.

You might consider two 'buckets', one with plain water (bring it from boiling to 170? 140?) then use the ice water.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

I think i'll give that a try. That first hit of the boil heat kills the ice. I'll keep you posted on the next batch.

 

[Donoroto]

Excellent. Just remember 141F: that is the high temperature where you start worrying about bacteria reproducing. So recirculate until something like 150, then move the coil into the ice water and chill it below 80 fairly quick.

Just to clarify: 30 minutes in the "danger zone" between 40 and 140 is not a problem, for potato salad or wort. Just be aware.

Oh, and unless you use the garden hose, you need a second pump to run water through the coil. Another good reason to do it like you do.

 

[Craigerrr]

I use my homemade immersion chiller, which a member here tagged as "FRANKENCHILLER" . I get to 30C with slightly less than 3 buckets of tap water, getting to 20C takes another full bucket. Ground water here is rising and soon I will be using the chiller that came with the BZ. I plan to run tap water through a bucket of ice water then on to my "FRANKENCHILLER".
I'm not sure what is more wasteful, a lot of run off water from chilling, or the electrical energy to freeze 30lbs of ice. Look at the ice this way. It is essentially 3 gallons of waste water (water is approx 10lbs per gallon). I use all of my run off water for cleaning post brew.

I give you "FRANKENCHILLER"
Total of 100 feet of 3/8"OD copper tubing, two 50 foot flow paths flowing in opposite directions (not by design, more by default)

 

[Donoroto]

Holy crap. With the price of copper today that's almost a new house!

 

[Craigerrr]

It is amongst one of the many things that I sell, so I got a pretty good deal on it

 

[Minbari]

I use 50' of stainless 3/8" tubing in a 5 gallon pot. Put water and 20 lbs of ice in it and run the wort though it. Takes 200° wort downto 80° in about 20 minutes.