I use the pump to whirlpool around the immersion chiller. It really speeds up the cool down. Then a Home Depot inline pump to move ice water through the chiller once the temp drops below 100 degrees. Here in Texas I always have to use ice water through the chiller.
Try to get tied in with your local homebrew store. We have a club banner on his wall and literature with a club application by the counter. They sell to the local homebrewers and can mention your club as a source of information and camaraderie about brewing.
I wash with oxiclean and put them into the dishwasher the night before bottling. Set to sanitize but no soap. Don't open the door until you are ready to bottle and work right out of the dishwasher. If you put the bottling bucket on the counter above the dishwasher the open door will catch any...
According to the AHA Beer Fault List possible solutions are "Check water for metallic ions. Reduce water salts. Check equipment condition for rust. Make sure stainless steel equipment is properly passivated. Fully rinse sanitizer. Try using RO water and add salts as needed." Maybe one of...
Welcome to a great hobby.
The challenge here in Houston is not what temperature to brew but how to keep the temperature correct for proper fermentation. You need to plan ahead to make sure that you can control you temperature once you get your brew into the primary. I use a 7 cu ft freezer...