Whirlpool Return for Kettle

[BrotherhoodBrew]

I figured I would share my recent brew kettle upgrade that has worked out great so far. I've been doing the Jamil Whirlpool chilling method for awhile and found that with a 1/2 in copper pipe I was not getting the wort flow I wanted. It worked ok, but I found that if I stirred the wort with a spoon I could shave off plenty of time in the chilling process compared to using a pump. After a few times of using the spoon and IC method I decided that the hassle of using the pump to move the wort was not worth it. I still use a sump pump and ice water when the wort gets to 100F or so but I was doing the whirlpool manually and would use less ice and water overall. The main problem was that my kettle was open the whole time I was chilling and I had to stand over it and stir, so it was not the most sanitary way of doing things. I would guess that pitching a nice healthy starter didn't give any bugs time to get a foothold before the yeast kicked in.

I of course wanted something better but placed the project on the back burner. I recent post on another website inspired me to get it done. That's where I came up with this



I found a nice stainless union from here. They are getting out of the pipe fittings business and so I was able to get the threaded union for $3. The downfall is you have to order 20 bucks worth of stuff to place an order with them. I had no problems with my order but have heard some stories about St. Pats in the past, so be warned.

The last part of the whirlpool return use a 3/8 NPT nipple and a old keg diptube to become the output. I had a buddy of mine cut the nipple in half ( because the whole thing was not needed ) and then we put the diptube trough the nipple and welded it to the end of the nipple. We had to clear the threads and we pressure tested the weld with a sink connection and it worked great.




I ran a test with water and it makes a great whirlpool. I used it the next time I brewed and get the same if not faster results with cooling time as I did when I was using a spoon and moving the wort around. The upside is I can wait till 120F and put on the lid and be chilling my wort with the pot covered. It is works great! The wort really moves around the chiller and I had a small cone of hops in the middle. I've noticed that I can never get a full cone in my kettle and I assume it is due to all the cold break that ends up at the bottom when using a IC. I just brew 6 Gallons and leave 1 gallon behind when racking and I normally have clear wort going into the fermenter.

There are more pictures on my website at http://brotherhoodbrew.com/v/whirlpool+return/ and I will try to get some video the next time I brew.

[BDawg]

NICE!

[Bugeater]

Thanks! I think I will put that type of whirlpool design on the brew kettle I am putting together.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[soilboy]

Nice one Brotherhood.

I have this setup minus the smaller diameter return. I never thought of that!
I have a length of 10mm copper pipe lying around so I'll give it a shot.

I do have a problem with my setup though. I have been trying to recirculate my hot wort through my kettle filter but it seems to block when I use pellets and my whirlpool soon stops.

Should I look at improving my kettle hop/trub filter (i.e. covering my manifold filter with a hop bag) or just pump hops and trubs through the pump and let them settle in a nice cone before transfering to fermentor.

I listened to an archive show from 2005 and Doc mentioned that he uses whirlpool chilling with a pump. Does Doc use a filter? Doc?

Any ideas anyone?

Oops I forgot to mention that I recirculate through my counterflow chiller rather than use a IC in the kettle.

[Beermaker]

I do kinda the same thing on my BK. I can run my boiling wort through my plate chiller to sanitize it, then through my pump, and into the middle of the BK. I use a 1/2" valva into the kettle, and I have a 1/2" 90 on the inside to circulate. Works pretty goog to swirl the hops and trub to the center after boiling is complete.