Immersion Chiller for Blichmann Boilermaker 10 gallon

[stadelman]

Currently my immersion chiller hangs off the side of this kettle. It's too short.

Anyone have a specific model that seems to work well with the 10 gallon boilermaker?

Looking through the different models available, they all seem to fall short someplace.

It needs to be 11" or less in diameter and it has to be at least 17" to the bend over the top of the kettle.

Also a 5 gallon batch only bring the liquid level up to about 8", some of the larger chillers would work, but 5 or 6' of copper will be sticking out of the kettle. These chillers also seem to have sparse tubing toward the bottom, so more than half of the copper will end up sticking out.

Ultimately I want to build a jamil-o-chiller and add a whirlpool arm.

Thanks!

[TheDarkSide]

How about something like this:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/x ... ubing.html

[pfooti]

This might not be the most help, but I can attest to the ease and expense of making a chiller on your own. Mine isn't exactly pretty (bending copper precisely is a LOT harder than it looks), but it's a coil, which is just about all that matters at the end of the day- surface area. I just got some 3/8" OD copper tube for a relatively low price, plus some 3/8 ID plastic tubing and some of those worm tighteners. Works fine, and I was able to bend it to fit whatever shape I needed. Personally, it worked out that a 50' x 3/8" copper tube was a bit cheaper than a prefab 25' chiller, so I figured it was worth the effort.

If you're going through the trouble of getting a new chiller, you might as well make one from scratch, unless you (like so many homebrewers) want something that's super-shiny and perfectly constructed and soldered together properly.

On the other hand, if the IC coil is currently immersed in your wort, it's fine the way it is. All you really need is for the coil to be in the wort. There's likely some constriction of circulation at the place where it interfaces with the side of the kettle, but regular coils sit on the kettle bottom and it sounds like yours doesn't, so it's probably a wash. If it's not cooling fast enough for you (and you can't make your input water any colder), then I'd suggest going up to a bigger length or diameter as you contemplate your upgrade.

[TheDarkSide]

And if you get a new one, this old one couple be used as a pre-chiller in a bucket of ice.

[stadelman]

Should have mentioned, I am looking for something with garden hose connections. Actually, I don't really want garden hose connections, I want the 1/2" NPT Compression fittings that most of these use to connect to a garden hose adapter so that I can use Pro-flow Cam Locks.

I'm going through a system re-design and I do want it to look good. So, that would take my skills out of the mix.

If I had to order something right now it would probably be-
http://morebeer.com/view_product/19521/ ... s_Fittings

I'd rather this be a bit shorter (maybe start the full coils of copper sooner), but right now it looks like the best option.

I had thought about using my existing chiller as a pre-chiller, although I'm hoping that this isn't necessary with the whirlpool. If I don't need a pre-chiller, I'll just sell it.

[Bruce G]

I have a Boilermaker 10 gal, and the Morebeer chiller in the previous post. The Boilermaker has a pickup tube on the inside, and the chiller is too wide to sit beside the pickup tube. So you have the chiller sitting at an angle on top of the pickup tube or leave the pickup tube off and lose some volume below the pickup. That compromise aside, the chiller / pot combo works great. I have nice cool groundwater but I am usually into the 70's inside of 20 minutes, and mid 50's in 30 - 40 min.

Bruce g

[Whitebeard_Brewer]

Could you just e-mail the MoreBeer guys and ask them if they could make you one there??? Give them the exact dimensions you are looking for. Might cost a few extra $$$ but what's the worse they can say....no?

[krizwit]

You can always bend the copper a little to compact or expand the IC. When I do a 6g batch, I still use my 50' 1/2" IC even though some of the coils are above the liquid level. When I was considering making my own IC(around 4 years ago), I found that it was cheaper through morebeer. Use a pond pump or sump pump in a cooler of ice water after the intial cooling with ground water and you will be able to get your wort to your ideal pitching temp.