I've used a counterflow and a plate chiller and wanted to try out the recirculating IC design just to round out my chiller experience. I wanted something adaptable for 5 or 10 gallons but leave some room to grow for up to 20 gallons if I went that way.
This is coiled around a pinlock keg and therefore the outside diameter of the coil is about 11", just right for getting into my keggle opening. It would have been one coil taller but I hacked off 3' of tubing for my wort return piece which isn't built yet.
Of course, I ordered the copper from coppertubingsales.com and it was $60 plus 20 shipping. I went with the 5/8" because it was only $15 more than 1/2". I was surprised I was actually able to coil it without any help. The key was using a clamp to hold the top of the coil to the corny and I let the rest of the coil just sit on a piece of carpet. The keg sits in the loose center of the coil and you just wort it around.
Just like in my video tutorial on the IC build, I used 90 degree elbow connectors to get the uprights and horizontal in/out bends nice a tight. The main upright is also tack soldered to one of the coils about half way up and the two uprights are also tacked for stability.
The garden hose in/out connectors are brass GH male to 1/2" NPT and GH female to 1/2" NPT. It just worked out that the ID of 1/2" threaded fittings is 5/8". Nice press fit and then some solder.
This is coiled around a pinlock keg and therefore the outside diameter of the coil is about 11", just right for getting into my keggle opening. It would have been one coil taller but I hacked off 3' of tubing for my wort return piece which isn't built yet.
Of course, I ordered the copper from coppertubingsales.com and it was $60 plus 20 shipping. I went with the 5/8" because it was only $15 more than 1/2". I was surprised I was actually able to coil it without any help. The key was using a clamp to hold the top of the coil to the corny and I let the rest of the coil just sit on a piece of carpet. The keg sits in the loose center of the coil and you just wort it around.
Just like in my video tutorial on the IC build, I used 90 degree elbow connectors to get the uprights and horizontal in/out bends nice a tight. The main upright is also tack soldered to one of the coils about half way up and the two uprights are also tacked for stability.
The garden hose in/out connectors are brass GH male to 1/2" NPT and GH female to 1/2" NPT. It just worked out that the ID of 1/2" threaded fittings is 5/8". Nice press fit and then some solder.