DO NOT leave immersion chiller outside!!

[Sonnyjim]

I made myself an immersion chiller 2 years ago. I made a batch about 1 month ago and left the chiller out in my storage shed where I keep the rest of the equipment. When I went to go use it for a batch made last weekend I noticed that the pipes had burst in 2 spots.

It gets down to -20 just about every night here and most nights colder. This is such a newbie mistake. I was tired at the end of the brew and didn't take all the water out.

So if any of you are doing this, please learn from my mistake.

 

[gingerdawg]

You're too late, I had to repair my chiller in two places last year. I thought I was draining it pretty well, and the garage isn't that cold, but that ice can sure split copper!

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

crap, I need to check mine out. I use lung power to blow out as much water as I can but I know I'm not getting it all. **fingers crossed**

 

[Wayne1]

Been there, done that, replaced a fair amount of copper.

I have a single tier brewframe that is kept outside year round.

I cover it with a tarp to keep most of the nasties off. For some reason, it never entered my head I needed to remove the water from my hard piped water line or CFC during winter. Maybe because I brewed with it all summer long with no problem.

Anyway, before the first brew of last spring, I pulled the tarp off and started to test everything to see how it survived the winter. The CFC had at least three punctures in it and the water line from the filter to the valve also expanded to the point of failure.

After having to buy another CFC and replace a section of the water pipe, I thought about what would be the least expensive and easiest way for be to evacuate the lines after brewing. I came up with using my shop vac. I attach a smaller diameter hose to the outlet of the vac. Sears sells some adapters to reduce the diameter even more for cleaning keyboards and the like.

After every brewday, I now bring my shop vac out to my deck and blow air through all of my lines. It takes maybe 5 minutes and it has saved me replacing any more copper.

 

[Brewfat]

I blow it out with my compressor after every use. Keeps it from freezing and prevents burnt feet when you put it in the boil.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

It wasn't the being outside part that ruined your IC.

 

[Sonnyjim]

Well, I brew cheap. Most of my equipment is made from just stuff around the house since I can't afford a big setup, so this is a big hit to the pocketbook. Luckily it's still -20 at night here so the batch cools down quite fast on it's own. Only thing is because the last batch didn't use the IC, I didn't get that clear break that I was getting in my last batches.

As well, it did have some dints and dents in it from over time and it was going to have to eventually be replaced. I wish I had the money for a counterflow wort chiller but it's just not in the book right now.

 

[birvine]

I would think you could fix the holes. Check Home Hardware or Cdn Tire for help and I would think you might not have to totally rebuild the chiller.

B

 

[terrencepickles]

Couldn't you just cut out the burst points and solder it back together with a coupler?

 

[r8rphan]

My CFC is built to gravity drain on it's own, but I clear it anyways.. Was too damned much work to build to let it get ruined...

 

[joety]

You're too late, I had to repair my chiller in two places last year. I thought I was draining it pretty well, and the garage isn't that cold, but that ice can sure split copper!

Ice can crack a cast iron engine block, your IC was child's play.

That said, I don't know why you would need an elaborate setup to blow it out. Can't you just use your lungs?

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Ice can crack a cast iron engine block, your IC was child's play.

That said, I don't know why you would need an elaborate setup to blow it out. Can't you just use your lungs?

That's what I do and apparently it works well enough for my chiller to have survived this crazy-arse winter. Brewed a huge stout yesterday without a hitch!

 

[gingerdawg]

Couldn't you just cut out the burst points and solder it back together with a coupler?

The problem with that is that soft copper is meant to be used with flare fittings or compression fittings. Sweat (solder) type couplers are generally not easy to find that fit soft copper. I don't know if I would trust compression fittings or flare fittings down inside my wort. I know flare fittings are good enough to seal natural gas, but the repeated heating and cooling might loosen them up.

That said, I used compression fittings with brass ferruls, and soldered them for safety.

 

[aggiejay06]

I don't leave mine outside because people will steal copper anything these days!