So yesterday, for the first time, I got to try out my pump to whirlpool my wort to cool it. I bent a piece of copper tubing to create an arm at about the angle of the inside of the kettle. First of all the whirlpool didn’t seem to move a whole lot. It was definitely moving but not nearly as much as stirring it manually. Is this expected or was I doing something wrong?
Something a little more concerning was the froth that was generated. I didn’t use a paint strainer bag for my hops because i ran out and didn’t notice till it was too late. I’m wondering if this was due to all the hop material recirculating. Below is a picture of the froth. It was about an inch thick when I turned off the pump and finished it off stirring manually. Has anyone else experienced this and is this anything to worry about?
And I run it with a Steelhead pump from our host. Works like a dream, creates a strong whirlpool, and I was blown away by how fast it chilled a 10G. batch down.
Did you make your recirculation arm 1/2" ? I could see 3/8 maybe being too restrictive. Did you pinch the tubing a little bit? Sounds, and looks like you’re not moving enough wort.
Maybe fiddle around with the angle of the bend on the end.
And I run it with a Steelhead pump from our host. Works like a dream, creates a strong whirlpool, and I was blown away by how fast it chilled a 10G. batch down.
Did you make your recirculation arm 1/2" ? I could see 3/8 maybe being too restrictive. Did you pinch the tubing a little bit? Sounds, and looks like you’re not moving enough wort.
Maybe fiddle around with the angle of the bend on the end.
Cheers, and Good luck.[/quote]
Yikes that is an expensive chiller! Costs as much as my pump.
Yeah there’s a couple very slight crimps in it. It’s really hard to bend it by hand without crimping it. I actually made the recirculation arm while I was brewing during the boil so it was a pretty ugly attempt. The copper tube is 1/2" OD.
I may try to make something similar to the one you linked and just zip-tie it to the immersion chiller.
Anyone have any suggestion on making sharp 90 degree bends in copper tubing without crimping it?
I think the froth is definitely something you don’t want, might be OK once you are under 100F or so. Hot side aeration. You say this is the first time you used this but this would lead to the exact problem in the other thread!
I don’t think HSA is a myth per se, it’s just rare and the effects are overstated. I think you’re fine. Now, if you woulda ran that a half hour and it was a light lager you actually might have experienced HSA.
I am anti pump. Hand stirring is just as fast and KISS. That said, if you’re gung ho, I would solder (lead free) a 90 or 45 on there and that should do it or ask a plumber and have him use a tubing bender. They have springs for this at the BORGs if you have future plans bending. http://www.lowes.com/pd_331957-943-6160 … Id=3234681
I too tried this out for the first time last weekend. I picked up This[/url] whirlpool arm in 1/2" SS and used it with the SS chiller I got from our host last time it was on sale with my Steelhead. I had some issues with it as it was my first attempt but I didn’t get any foam like that on top. Unfortunately the chiller isn’t long enough to sit flat on the bottom of my 10 gal Blichmann so I had to hold it in place for both hop stands with the Off the Topper recipe. I will have to come up with some kind of lid modification going forward then it may sit nicer. Once I got everything situated and the output angle right, it made a decent whirlpool. From reading through the writeup over at [url=http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php]Mr. Malty
on this, it seems you want to shoot for between 35-40 degree angle off the side of the kettle for optimum whirlpool performance.
I think next time I try it, I will let the beer settle more before transferring to hopefully keep more hop material out of the primary. I let things settle for about 5 minutes before pumping it over. There was definitely a cone left but a lot still got into the fermenter along with a ton of the break material. I ended up transferring off of most of it into another carboy after letting it sit for 2 hours before pitching my yeast.
And I run it with a Steelhead pump from our host. Works like a dream, creates a strong whirlpool, and I was blown away by how fast it chilled a 10G. batch down.
Did you make your recirculation arm 1/2" ? I could see 3/8 maybe being too restrictive. Did you pinch the tubing a little bit? Sounds, and looks like you’re not moving enough wort.
Maybe fiddle around with the angle of the bend on the end.
Cheers, and Good luck.[/quote]
Yikes that is an expensive chiller! Costs as much as my pump.
Yeah there’s a couple very slight crimps in it. It’s really hard to bend it by hand without crimping it. I actually made the recirculation arm while I was brewing during the boil so it was a pretty ugly attempt. The copper tube is 1/2" OD.
I may try to make something similar to the one you linked and just zip-tie it to the immersion chiller.
Anyone have any suggestion on making sharp 90 degree bends in copper tubing without crimping it?[/quote]
I was uber lucky and found one at our local brew shop’s monthly flee market sale with busted solder, just rebraised everything back together…good as new. I wouldn’t think that you’d need a perfect 90 degree angle on the turn. hhhhmmmm…don’t let this little bump deter you, I’m a fan of the recirculation arms, and have had great results.
