Hey Fellas do I need $$50 feet$$ of copper to make a chiller? I cried at Lowe’s counter yesterday as I shelled out $55 for the precious metal. I’m hoping the majority of you brew tinkerers use only 25 feet. I’m currently brewing in a very cylindrical 7 gallon turkey fry pot. Your input is much appreciated.
Lots of guys on the forum have reported that 25’ of 3/8" copper is adequate for a 5 gal batch. You might save a few minutes with 1/2" OD or 50’, but 25’ will work. I’ve always used 50’ of 1/2" so I don’t have any direct experience with anything shorter.
Thanks. A return of 50’ for 25’ = $25 for grain 
If I were to build mine again, I’d go with 25 feet of 1/2". The length was great for a 5 gallon batch in my 10 gallon pot, but 1/2" would’ve been more sturdy and a little more efficient.
You’re costing me more money and less savings pal 
you will regret returning it.
The longer the coil, the more surface area. It will totally be worth the extra $25 over the long run. It if saves you ten/fifteen minutes every time you brew.
I brew 23 beers last year.
23*15/60=5.75 hours
$25/5.75hr = $4.35 an hour
I think my time is worth more than $4.35 an hour. Plus that is just year one. I plan to brew just as many if not more this year. So cut that in half. $2.17 an hour.
Ah ha, pulling the logic card :cheers:
Just so I’m clear here, 25’ of 1/2"?
Thanks btw.
Ahahha my goodness I know that feeling when i bought my 1st copper coil for my IC 20’ of 3/8" for $20 including tax. It was a POS took me about 45 mins to cool down 5 gallons of wort and i was using water that is 68F year round.
I recently turned it into a CFC and it only cost me and $3 because i did not have the 1/2" reducer to 3/8". It works like a champ cools down my wort from 212F to 72F as long as it takes to siphon 5 gallon of wort (~12 minutes no more than 20 minutes). Also now i do not have to worry about anything falling into my BK during cooling. Now i can do my cooling and transfer to carboy in one single step. You should consider a CFC.
Ahahha my goodness I know that feeling when i bought my 1st copper coil for my IC 20’ of 3/8" for $20 including tax. It was a POS took me about 45 mins to cool down 5 gallons of wort and i was using water that is 68F year round.
I recently turned it into a CFC and it only cost me and $3 because i did not have the 1/2" reducer to 3/8". It works like a champ cools down my wort from 212F to 72F as long as it takes to siphon 5 gallon of wort (~12 minutes no more than 20 minutes). Also now i do not have to worry about anything falling into my BK during cooling. Now i can do my cooling and transfer to carboy in one single step. You should consider a CFC.
25’ of 3/8" here. Only takes a couple of minutes to get down below 100 degrees on a partial boil.
25’ of 1/2" will be fine. Just remember that turning the faucet on faster doesn’t chill the wort faster. You need to give the water flowing through the chiller time to absorb the heat.
As the temp of my wort comes down I find I have to reduce the flow out of the faucet to keep the outlet water feeling warm. Warm outlet water is the heat from the wort.
