Beer Forum

I've only been brewing for the last year, so I'm assuming this has probably been thought of, but I'll run it by you guys for some feedback.

Instead of running cold water through my immersion chiller, how about I put the chiller in an ice bath in the sink and run hot wart through that? The run off could go directly into my primary.

Thoughts? Logistics?

Thanks

I don't have no warts so I guess I will have to check my LHBS to see if he has any in stock.

Gary

It is safer to run cold water through the cooler, than wrestle with the sanitation issue of running what is called wort through the chiller. It is much easier to sanitize the outside of an immersion cooler than the inside. Sanitation around cool wort is mandatory!

Are you familiar with counterflow chillers? You run wort through a copper coil that's jacketed by a larger tube/hose with cool water running in the opposite direction.

What you are suggesting is similar to a counterflow (minus the flow I guess... and the counter... ) in that the hot wort is passing through a copper tube surrounded by cold water. Problems with doing it as you suggested... need to either pump, or put your hot wort higher than your sink in order to get flow... would need valve on kettle if you don't already.... since the ice bath is still, you'd need to stir it to keep flow of heat going away from immersion chiller...