Storing Counter Flow Chiller

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HopHead73

HopHead73

Brewmaster at Jbyrd Brewing, Hophead
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So I just used my new Counter Flow Chiller for first time and it was wonderful. Brought my wort from boiling to 74degrees in 10mins.

Now I'm wondering about storing it. I usually only brew once a month or every other month so it will be sitting on the shelf for some time between uses.
The shop I got it from says to store it with iodophor solution in it, but I've heard from other people not to store any sanitizer or PBW in it cause it can cause pitting in the copper tube.
I don't have an air compressor to dry it out either.
I did run hot PBW and then straight hot water through it and drained it the best I could.

What's the best way now to store it now?
 
Just drain it and Get as much water out of it as possible and it should be fine. Just fill it with star San before your next brew and leave it in for 5-10 minutes before flushing it out.
 
JRems said:
Just drain it and Get as much water out of it as possible and it should be fine. Just fill it with star San before your next brew and leave it in for 5-10 minutes before flushing it out.
Click to expand...

+1 to this. I wouldn't store it with sanitizer in it. Just drain all the water out and you'll be fine.
 
I am storing it full of water to prevent copper to oxidize, same for HEX coil.
Before use I drain water and sanitize it.
 
I would definitely store it with some kind of liquid in it to prevent mold growth. I have been using my counterflow chiller for 10+ years and have always stored it full of iodophor. While I think using iodophor is not really that important, I think storing it full of liquid (i.e. no air) is very important. The inside coil will never dry out and will mold eventually. I bought some screw protectors that fit snugly over the ends of the coil and I make sure that all the air is purged out before I cap the ends. As long as there is no air, you won't have any mold growth.
 
I guess it depends how much corroded copper you choose to consume as opposed to flushing any tiny bit of mold that might have started right before you use it. If you're thoroughly CLEANING it, mold doesn't eat copper, so there's no reason for there to be any. If you have mold, you're doing it wrong.
 
I'm about to purchase a therminator, and have been looking at the manual. Blichmann expressly says not to store with any sanitizer inside (emphasis added):

From the manual:
After each use:
Immediately after use, rinse the wort side of the exchanger with hot tap water utilizing a hose/faucet adapter (not included, but available from
Blichmann Engineering as an accessory item) as shown in Fig. 3. Rinse in the opposite direction of normal wort flow first to expel any hop or trub particles that may have entered the exchanger. Then reconnect and rinse in the normal wort flow direction. A couple minutes each way is sufficient.
Remove the adapter fittings if used and scrub with a soft brush, taking care to remove all sealing tape if used. A ½ to 1 hour soak in hot PBW is recommended after this rinsing to remove any stubborn deposits and proteins. Rinse thoroughly, then soak the unit in a sanitizing solution as previously described. Drain and allow to drip-dry. Do not store the unit full of sanitizer due to potential galvanic corrosion issues. An alternate method to sanitize the unit is to immerse it in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, which will completely sterilize it.
Storage:
Store the TherminatorTM as shown in Fig. 3a with the ends open and facing down. This will allow any remaining water to drain to the bottom and evaporate through the openings which will prevent mildew. It is normal for there tobe a bit of trapped water at the fittings,but this will evaporate in a few days.
Caution:
StarSan users – this is an acid based sanitizer, and although it will not harm copper for short periods, it will harm the unit if exposed for extended periods. Prior to storage rinse the unit thoroughly (both wort and cooling water sides) with hot tap water to remove the residual sanitizer from the unit.
Click to expand...
 
Plate chillers are a bit different, however, unless you have all copper attachments on the CF chiller, you will also get the galvanic corrosion.
 

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