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

[JackoNZ]

Dale, nothing wrong with adding the cold water, but I would add to the fermenter first then chuck your wort on top once cooled. Just stick your pot in the kitchen/bathroom sink with cold water, empty it when it gets hot and refill. After 30mins or so start chucking in some ice into the water too, shouldn't take too long to get 15L down to 18c or so.

You can also pre boil your water your adding to the fermenter the night before and get it bottled in the fridge so it's extra cold, should also help bring down the wort temp quicker.

[James P]

I used the ice bath method when brewing in the kitchen. I wouldn't think leaving it overnight would cause too many issues as long as you can reduce the risk of air getting at the wort.

If you boil then cool the water, it should be fine. I never had any issues when doing kits of adding the 15L of cold water, however nowadays I would boil it first.

Look on Trademe for the copper, there is a guy selling 10 or 15 metres of 1/2 inch for $59 occasionally.

[Dale]

I have found on trademe 3/8" soft copper 15m for $40 and 1/2" for $60. I do a 15L boil so do i really need the 1/2" or will 3/8" do me fine

[JoKing]

Do you expect to increase your boil size in the future?

[Dale]

I can't really see myself brewing more than 25L at once and my kettle can't handle more than 15L, only have a couple of 20L kegs and I like to have a few different beers to drink at the same time.

[studio1]

i have the 3/8 and it works fine for batches up to 25l for me.

[Dale]

Thanks when you made it up did you bend it all in one piece or braised copper elbows on the coil to the vertical pipe out of the fermenter?

Do you guys just put into the kettle for the last 15 mins of boil to sterilise and do you get really fussy and put the kettle lid on while it's cooling so no baddies can get into the wort?

[denimglen]

3/8th's is fine. Just when you're building it think of the future brewing equipment you may want to use it with, mainly just the size of the coil when you're making it.

I used 1/2" so had to braise elbows. On my 3/8th's one I used a tube bender to make about a 135deg angle (pointing down and away from the kettle).

And yup, just into the boil for the last 15 mins. I brew outside so definitely use a lid, I would inside too just to be on the safe side. I've cut a notch out of the lid so that the chiller in/out's can stick out, and then just tape the rest of the gap up.

[Dale]

What size wort do you have that needs the 1/2"? Also in summer when the water temp out of the tap is a lot higher than at the mo would you still get the temp down quick enough with the 3/8" with that 15-25L kettle.

[studio1]

here's my 3/8 one. I just roughly coiled it. I usually use a clamp to hold it to the rim of the pot. I just upgraded it for whirlpooling,

[Dale]

Hey denimglen, ended up getting the 12.7mm OD soft copper. You said you put elbows on your exchanger was that 12.7mm? The guy at the plumbing shop said the 1/2" soft copper was I.D and their elbows are 15mm.

Thanks

[denimglen]

Sorry bro, I forgot to mention that. The elbows are made for hard copper which is 1/2" ID and the soft copper is 1/2" OD - like the plumber said, what I did was use some pieces of 1/2" hard copper to step down to be able to use the elbows.

I'm pretty sure you can get tube benders to bend the 1/2" though if you'd rather go that route, but I was using stuff I had lying around.