Immersion Chiller shopping list

[hootbah]

Hello all,

I know that there are many threads on immersion chillers on the boards. But due to my total lack of knowledge of plumbing and plumbing speak I am having problems putting together a shopping list of the things I need to build my own immersion chiller.

I am planning on building a chiller similar to that in this You Tube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8EolKTDZUQ as I found in a previous post. It means cutting and soldering on some elbows to make the 90 degree corners neater. All the measurements are given out imperial and I think that we buy plumbing supplies in metric.

My shopping list so far is:

• 10m 10mm softcoil copper tube
  4 elbows -- no idea what size
  2 fittings to convert from 10mm tube to something to attach a hose to?
  A pipe cutter
  Acid paste flux and brush
  Lead free solder
  Propane torch -- I have a cooks blowtorch will that do?
  wire wool

I have a whole lot of questions that need help with.

I guess I'm going to solder the elbows. What size do I need to fit on the 10mm pipe? Could I use compression fittings instead?

I will need some converter thingy on the 10mm pipe to allow me to connect a hose to. Does anyone know what size and what the name of the fitting is? A straight fitting reducer maybe?

Once I get all the parts and start building I'll put together a real dummies guide to immersion chiller building and with my new found plumbing skills maybe start planning on that solar water heating project I've been meaning to do.

Thanks for reading and helping me prepare to join the dark side of all grain brewing,

Hootbah

[Totem]

When I done mine I used just for copper glue, which made an air/water tight seal. The elbow/T's you want are the 3/8 inch. For the hose connector i went to my local plumbing shop blurted out everything I could think of and they went and got what i wanted.

On the output i just used some 10mm soft plastic tube that i had to heat to get it over the copper pipe and its long enough to get to the sink.

I ended up using 25m of 10mm copper pipe for mine and run the first few coils round my cornie (so the coil would sit between the two elements and my hop strainer in the boiler) then round a 25lt FV for bigger coils - using up less space with max surface area.

[hootbah]

I didn't know such things as copper glue existed. If it works out cheaper than solder and acid paste flux, then it'll go on my list. Also thanks for the idea of just using soft plastic tube for the waste/outlet water, as that would mean one less joint.

I'll wander over to my local hardware store tomorrow to try and get the parts together.

[ChrisG]

You could just buy one from Hop and Grape for £27 plus shipping.

I'm thinking of doing that as I don't fancy trying to build one myself.

[youreds91]

Hello all,

I know that there are many threads on immersion chillers on the boards. But due to my total lack of knowledge of plumbing and plumbing speak I am having problems putting together a shopping list of the things I need to build my own immersion chiller.

You can see the inlet & outlets of my homemade chiller here:



The hose connectors are from Poundland, I soldered 10>15mm Yorkshire fittings on the ends of the 10mm, the hose adaptors push on & are tightened by the jubilee clips. The Poundland kits include the hose adaptors which aren't pictured

[hootbah]

The pictures always help. I'll have a look in the pound shop near by to see if I can find some of those hose fittings.

I guess my only choice to mull over now is soldered, compression or glued joints.

[youreds91]

The pictures always help. I'll have a look in the pound shop near by to see if I can find some of those hose fittings.

I guess my only choice to mull over now is soldered, compression or glued joints.

You say you have no plumbing knowledge, to use compression fittings you'd also need some short lengths of 15mm copper & 2 of these, which will be pricey, £3.79 each at screwfix:



If you want to solder then you'll have the outlay of a blowtorch, wire wool & flux, you could use Yorkshire fittings which have solder in them.

Do you have a friendly plumber nearby who could solder the fittings in exchange for some homebrew?

CD

[confused]

there are some wonderfully made immersion chillers shown on this site, but remember that in essence an IC is simply a length of 10mm copper tube, coiled, with a means of running cold water thru it. You don't need any plumbing knowledge or special tools, you don't need any connectors, solder, flux, glue etc etc etc.

Simply form your copper tube to the correct shape using a suitable cylinder around which to bend it - a corny or demi john are suitable. I've heard of fire extinguishers being used. Remember to shape the ends so that they hook over the top of your boiler and allow the coil to hang down into the hot wort.

Place an inch of 3/8 pvc tubing over the inlet end of the IC, then push a standard hose pipe over this and secure it all with a hose clip - run the other end to the tap. add a meter or two of the same pvc tube to the outflow to allow you to drain the hot water which will issue from it.

It can be as simple as that, and your IC will still be totally effective.

[hootbah]

For soldering joints: I have a cooks blowtorch that apparent heats between 1300C - 2400C, I hope that's hot enough. I have some wire wool and wire brushes lying around. I think I just need acid flux and solder. Unless of course the solder I use for electronics is the same. Hopefully I'll not have to buy too much new equipment. The compression fittings look a little too expensive.

I do like the suggestion of trading homebrew for help from a neighbourly plumber. However, practising plumbing on an IC may help me with more daring projects later on.

[youreds91]

For soldering joints: I have a cooks blowtorch that apparent heats between 1300C - 2400C, I hope that's hot enough. I have some wire wool and wire brushes lying around. I think I just need acid flux and solder. Unless of course the solder I use for electronics is the same. Hopefully I'll not have to buy too much new equipment. The compression fittings look a little too expensive.

Ah, I didn't read your cooks blowtorch bit. If you use Yorkshire fittings, these have solder in already. Just clean the ends of the pipe & inside the fitting with wire wool, put some flux around the cleaned end & some inside the fitting, not too much as it will make the solder run down the pipe, heat the whole assembly up until you see solder appear in the joint & remove the heat, it's easy. Electronics solder may have lead in, I have a reel of this & it says Pb on the label.

Here's the connector you need...


The Poundland connector is a snug fit over the 15mm end. As confused says, you don't need to go to these lengths if you don't want to, if you have spare plastic tube, all you'll need is some jubilee clips.

CD

[youreds91]

Whilst we're on the subject of ICs, what's the best flow rate for the swiftest cooling? I tried varying it on my last brew, it ended up taking over 30 minutes.

[Aleman]

what's the best flow rate for the swiftest cooling? I tried varying it on my last brew, it ended up taking over 30 minutes.

Start with a high flow rate, as the wort cools slow the coolant flow down.

To improve cooling rates consider moving the IC around the boiler gently as this prevents a cool spot forming around the IC. I can chill 40L in about 25 minutes using an 10mm by 8mm IC

[sstanier]

I have recently built an IC from 10m of 10mm copper pipe. I bent it around a fire extinguisher and then soldered a few bits up to allow it to cennect to 15mm hosepipe. Basically all you need is:

10m of 10mm copper pipe.
A cylindrical object to wrap it around.
2 x 10 to 15 mm presoldered copper pipe adaptors (as shown above).
Some Hosepipe and some jubileer clips.
Some way of connecting it to a tap or similar.

On top of this (but completely optional) i used some spare 15mm copper pipe and 90 degree elbows to make the IC sit over the side of the bolier as seen here:

viewtopic.php?t=15779

Have fun!

[Chiltern Brewer]

I would just second what Confused said regarding not having to solder together an IC in case that puts anybody off making one. Also despite what the guy says in the video you can with care (and a pipe bender) get quite tight bends in 10mm copper tube. Here's my effort:



As you can see, Zebedee is made from an old washing machine hose, a jubilee clip, some 3/4" BSP & HozeLock fittings and cable ties!

[hootbah]

I've been shopping around for the past two days. It seemed quite hard to get a hold of 10m of 10mm tubing. My local hardware store did not stock 10mm. I had to drive over to a B&Q to find it.

I think I am going to go the no elbows route as the price of the 10mm elbows is £1.68 each and a pipe bender was £3.48. I will still have to solder the reducer. I'll have a look round a hardware store near work tomorrow as I still need to connect the hoses to the ends and they may have some cheaper elbows.

Just for my own curiosity, Chiltern Brewer how much 10mm tubing did you use for Zebedee? 10m or 20m? It looks quite a large IC.