Beat to death: Copper good for brew process?

Let me start by saying that I plan on whirlpooling with a fixed coil whether its stainless or copper. I also plan on CIP.

This has nothing to do with money, so what is your take on stainless verses copper beyond conductivity? And if I CIP what will be the affects of something like PBW on the copper?

You're going to have a permanently fixed coil in your BK?

That's gonna be a pain to clean. Hope you have a pressure washer.

I was planning on using a CIP spray ball.. Should I change routs and go CFC?

In chilling 20 gal batches, and I dont want a plate chiller.

go stainless for easy cleaning
heat conductivity is academic and doesn't seem to have much is any real world effect for our scale.
a premade stainless coil is only a few dollars more (my new stainless IC was actually cheaper than sourcing copper tubing )
the cost is in the fitting not the coil.
bulkheads with camlocks on the outside of the pot will also give you the ability to use the fixed coil as a HERMS coil for mashing.

kickflip_mj said:

I was planning on using a CIP spray ball.. Should I change routs and go CFC?

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Yes, I'd definitely go the CFC route.

Copper or stainless ?

kickflip_mj said:

Copper or stainless ?

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I made one myself with copper and a garden hose. I'm very satisfied with it. Copper is naturally anti-bacterial, which is a plus.

On brew days, I run boiling hot wort through it for a minute or two to sterilize the inside, then I turn on the water and chill the wort as it runs into carboys. After use, I flush it with water forwards and backwards and then store it away.