Heat Exchanger

[Dale]

Hey,

Got a set of bar taps off trademe. When I pulled apart to clean found attached copper piping.

Do you guys recon this would work ok for a heat exchange for my wort? If so I'll get a mate to re-solder it to get it out then would I just clean up with steelo pad and then boil in hot water before using? Would that make it clean enough to put in the wort?

Thanks

[Jann Poffet]

Sincerly I don't think that will work! To complexe to clean and you don't have enought "contact" with the wort. For me re-sold and buy something better.

[David Wood]

Probably wouldn't be very efficient with that amount.

[denimglen]

Yeah, sorry mate, not enough surface area to be effective.

[Dale]

Thanks guys. is there a place to buy exchangers or should I go down to mico metals and buy a length of their heat exchange tubing and make a bigger version up myself?

[denimglen]

Usually there's good deals on a roll of copper on trademe, go 1/2"/12mm and use the whole roll.

[Tom Ashton]

Do you know how easy it is to make the copper pipes into a nice coil shape?

[Horace]

Soft tube not rigid pipe. Fairly easy, just roll it round a tube - like a keg just work slowly in small sections

[Dale]

I watched this video last night on making it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8EolKTDZUQ&feature=PlayList&...

[James P]

BobbyM is great, I watched (and downloaded) all his videos when I first started into AG. I wound my IC using his video!

[Dale]

Was a great video. Do you recon making one of these are worth the money or do I stick to putting the kettle in ice water for 45 mins?

[James P]

What size kettle do you have? Where do you brew, in the kitchen or outside on gas? Can you easily carry the kettle? Do you pay for water use?

I went with an IC as I brew in the garage in a 50L kettle, and carrying that around is not easy! If you have the capacity to freeze the water for ice (2L containers etc) then it's a case of cost to freeze the water vs cost of copper and water.

I like beer bling too, so made one for nix thanks to brother in law etc...

[Dale]

My kettle is only 15L of wort, brew in the kitchen.

I do pay for water but went down to find copper prices yesterday and a 15m roll of 12mm was $100. Bit hard to justify that at the mo to save 30min in cooling time.

Another question is there any harm when I have finished my boiling to just put the lid on my kettle and leave on the stove overnight to cool down then add to my fermenter in the morning? Or adding cold water directly to the wort in the kettle while it is still up in that 90C as I normally have to add 5 odd litres to make up my 19L batch