Counterflow Wort Chiller

[Jymbo]

I've been thinking of getting a counterflow wort chiller to try and speed up my brewday. They seem quite expensive - mostly around the £100 mark, and yet they look remarkably similar to an industrial heat exchanger - something like this which is half the price. Has anyone used one of these as a wort chiller? I'm just wondering if its exactly the same thing with a large premium slapped on by the HBS.

Any help or useful links appreciated.

[Goosey]

That example is a 44kw one so priced accordingly I reckon. Here's a 125kw version: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Ste ... 7071&rt=nc

And priced similarly too, as a 'homebrew' one.

[setmash]

These guys have some nice chillers..... http://www.dudadiesel.com/heat_exchangers.php

[Evanvine]

Why not make your own?



24 litres, boiling to pitching in 11 mins

[Jymbo]

Why not make your own?

I thought about that but I don't get a lot of time this weather - I made my own boiler a few years ago and it's a great job.

What sort of tubing /connectors do the plate counterflow chillers take - does the plastic tubing just slot on or do I need some sort of screw on connectors? My current immersion chiller just has the rubber tubing slotting over the copper pipe, but it does tend to leak a fair bit of water - do heat exchangers suffer from leaking round the conections?

[paulg]

I have a duda deisil plate chiller and it has 1\2" screw threads on the wort side and 3/4" on the water so standard hoselock fittings on water and either camlock or cheaper hose tails on the wort and no leaking
see mr lards site here for uk supplied ones

http://www.homebrewbuilder.co.uk/cooling.html