How to chill faster with immersion chiller?

1

I just read some reviews and post a about how fast an immersion chiller works…
I have the basic immersion chiller, copper. I hook up to my St Paul tap water, cold this time of year.
It takes forever to cool! Often takes 45 minutes to get below 80!
How are some chilling faster?

Thanks for any tips

2

I use a utility pump (not aquarium) to recirculate water from a home-depot bucket filled with ice and water. I start with the tap running, and no ice, until it gets to the mid 100’s then add the ice and turn off the tap. I chill 3-gallon batches to 60 degrees in under 20 minutes this way. Recirculating wastes less water too.

3

Thanks for tip.
Could I use the pump that comes with the Marks keg and carboy washer?

4

I do the same as @jmck when I use my IC (usually use a CFC). Your marks pump may be powerful enough. The key to quick chilling at is also to stir the wort frequently while chilling.

5

+1 to loopie and Jmck

6

IC in the kettle, water brought to me by the ground water up here, pump recirc to a port in me kettle with an elbow fitted with a 3/8" barbed nipple. boil to 68* about 20 minutes. Sneezles61

7

I’ve used one of those cheap drill pumps, worked fine.

8

I think that the colder the water and whirl pool either by hand and spoon , or mechanically, much faster than sitting’ watching fer it to cool… Sneezles61

9

+1 on the stirring. I can cool 5.5 gallons of wort with my IC in less than 15 minutes because I stir the IC in the wort while the cold water is running through it. Next time, do this experiment. Keep a hand on the IC inlet and outlet tubes (on the copper would be better than the hoses). Don’t stir it for a minute. What I find is that even though the wort is still hot, the outlet tube is only luke warm. Then stir that IC in the wort, and almost instantly, the outlet tube will get so hot that you can barely hold on to it. What is actually happening when the IC is left in one place is that the wort directly in contact with the IC copper cools and then creates an insulating layer effectively keeping the hot wort away from the IC. Stirring constantly breaks down that insulating layer. It would take a long time to cool wort if the IC was never moved. Anyone here a Myth Busters fan? In one episode, they were able to briefly dunk their bare fingers in molten lead with no harm to their skin because they first dipped their fingers in water. The water created an insulating layer keeping the lead’s heat away from their skin. If water can keep 900 plus degrees at bay, it surely can keep 212 degrees from reaching your IC, right? So stir that baby!!

1 Like