Free Pre-Chiller

[knewshound]

Like many of you, I have warmer water during the summer which has made chilling Wort a difficult task.

I found an inexpensive solution for those who are interested.

Go to your local car or truck dealer and ask the service shop manager for a heater core that was removed. I got mine in trade for a 22oz of Brown Ale.

Take it home, clean it up and add some hose fittings.

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Once it is complete, you need only to add it in line to your regular chiller and add ice to its container once your wort has dropped to 140 or so. By gently rocking it in the ice bath, or as I have done and put a small pump into the ice bath, you can drop the incoming water to your chiller buy as many as 25 degrees.

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Total cost;

1 - 22oz Homebrew.

2 - hose clamps

1 - trashed hose I had lying around.

Being able to drop my wort temps that last 70 degrees in 15 minutes...

Priceless.


Cheers,

knewshound

 

[chillHayze]

Cool, thanks for the tip.

Wouldn't a removed heater core be likely to have a leak?

 

[Bobby_M]

Yes, it would likely have a leak but the only danger is a little tap water leaking into your ice bath. Neither of these masses of water will ever touch your wort unless you immersion chiller is leaking. The strangest thing is that I was just thinking about using a heater core as a prechiller 5 minutes before I saw knewshound's post.

 

[JimiGibbs]

Nice idea... Great post.

 

[knewshound]

What can I say, I'm really a cheapskate and hate paying for what I can get free.

Cheers,

knewshound

 

[Bobby_M]

Here's a thought though, if you're already running a pump in your ice batch to break up the heat zones near the pre-chiller, why not just pump the ice water into the immersion chiller in the first place and forgo the prechiller altogether?

 

[knewshound]

Here's a thought though, if you're already running a pump in your ice batch to break up the heat zones near the pre-chiller, why not just pump the ice water into the immersion chiller in the first place and forgo the prechiller altogether?

I would likly pump the entire contents of that ice bath in about....90 seconds, maybe 120.

I sincerely doubt it would chill much in that time.

I suppose if there were 25 or 30 gallons of ice water it would work well.

But not the 3 gallons I use.

Interesting thought however.


Cheers,

knewshound

 

[Desert_Sky]

Here's a thought though, if you're already running a pump in your ice batch to break up the heat zones near the pre-chiller, why not just pump the ice water into the immersion chiller in the first place and forgo the prechiller altogether?

prechillers are fantastic, especially out here in AZ. It takes me about 20 minutes to chill now, and that would be a really big reservoir to have to have on the side. My chiller for 5 gallon batches fits perfectly into a 5 gallon cooler. It saves me a good 15-20 minutes by prechilling


Great idea btw using the heater core.

 

[Bobby_M]

I guess I wasn't really as clear as I could have been. My plan for summer (since my tap is way cold enough already) is to fill a big rubbermaid tub with huge chunks of ice made from LME buckets and such.

Run regular tap through the immersion chiller until I hit that plateau, usually around 120dF, where the temp differential between the tap and wort slows the cooling. At that point, attach my pump to the input side of the immersion chiller and chuck it in the rubbermaid ice tub and put the hose in there as well. That way, the tap is always trying to refill the ice water while it's being pumped out into the chiller. I'd imagine once the output water of the chiller reaches about 80-90 degrees, you could even recirculate it over the ice to save water. I wouldn't bother.

So I do agree with prechilling when necessary, but there are a couple ways to do it.

Tap under pressure --> Coil immersed in icewater ---> into actual chiller either CFC or IC.

Tap under pressure dumping into a container of ice ---> Pump cold water into actual chiller. This method should cool even faster because there's one less barrier to heat transfer.

 

[Reverend JC]

After reading your post i went to my service Dept. about a week ago, and today guess what showed up for me!!!!

I was diagnosed with a low flow rate, they said they just replaced it under warranty and they told me to take a screw driver and knock out this little tab deal on the inside of one of the tubes as it is not supposed to be there and then the flow rate will be normal. Basically then it will be a brand new one with no hole in it and good enough for a pre chiller!!!!

 

[runhard]

Great idea, do you think having two in series would be of greater benefit simply by increasing the surface area or has your experience so far with a single been sufficient.
I'm heading to a service department tomorrow and leave my name and #; I'm sure the guys in the shop can be brided with beer.
When I was a kid my father would say that nothing motivates you to solve a problem like poverty and he would really appreciate the frugal approach to the pre-chiller; heck, he probably has one out in his barn since he saves everything, I mean everything.
Jeffrey

 

[knewshound]

I'm sure 2 in series would be helpful.

In my testing, I found that it would drop the temps by 15 to 25 degrees, depending on flow rate.

Having 2 in series would logically drop it more, but likely not a comparative amount.

As Delta T is approached (the temperature differential) less heat is transferred. I would suspect that you could easily get another 10 degrees out of it however.

Let us know if you try this.

Cheers,

knewshound

 

[bummerkit]

could you use a heater core as an immersion chiller if you cleaned and sanitized it?

 

[knewshound]

could you use a heater core as an immersion chiller if you cleaned and sanitized it?

I wouldnt. It has a number of things aginst it.

1 - Not food grade, at ALL.

2 - Iffy construction, likely uses lead solder. Not good.

3 - Mine is aluminum or something simular, I wouldnt put it in MY boil.

Nice thought though.

Cheers,

knewshound

 

[olllllo]

could you use a heater core as an immersion chiller if you cleaned and sanitized it?

My beers tastes sweet, has a greenish hue and I pass out after a couple of swigs. Also my liver failed.

YMMV

 

[Jester]

I'm going to try this one...

 

[Bobby_M]

I just wanted to follup on a few posts I've made in this thread. Since suggesting to pump the icewater directly into the IC, I've actually tried this. I ran my IC with 60dF tap water for exactly 5 minutes. This took 5gals of wort to 90dF. I then converted over to a 2 gal bucket of icewater and very small pump (temporarily removed from my tile wet saw). It took exactly 2 minutes to empty the water from the bucket. I thought that I could top up this icewater bucket with tap water and do it again or just keep it trickling in to keep the level above the pump. Guess what? No need. The wort was 72dF.

Note: Prior to starting my brew, I emptied my icemaker hopper into a 2 gal bucket (only filled it half way), topped it off with tap water, and put the whole thing in my fridge.

The IC is 40' of 3/8" OD copper and I whirlpooled the kettle twice, once before starting the tap flow and once before running the pump.

Of course, if you already scored a free prechiller and don't have a pump, running tap pressure through your prechiller is most cost effective. However, if you're thinking about buying a copper IC for a prechiller, best spend it on a $30 pump instead.

 

[JnJ]

I just wanted to follup on a few posts I've made in this thread. Since suggesting to pump the icewater directly into the IC, I've actually tried this. I ran my IC with 60dF tap water for exactly 5 minutes. This took 5gals of wort to 90dF. I then converted over to a 2 gal bucket of icewater and very small pump (temporarily removed from my tile wet saw). It took exactly 2 minutes to empty the water from the bucket. I thought that I could top up this icewater bucket with tap water and do it again or just keep it trickling in to keep the level above the pump. Guess what? No need. The wort was 72dF.

Note: Prior to starting my brew, I emptied my icemaker hopper into a 2 gal bucket (only filled it half way), topped it off with tap water, and put the whole thing in my fridge.

The IC is 40' of 3/8" OD copper and I whirlpooled the kettle twice, once before starting the tap flow and once before running the pump.

Of course, if you already scored a free prechiller and don't have a pump, running tap pressure through your prechiller is most cost effective. However, if you're thinking about buying a copper IC for a prechiller, best spend it on a $30 pump instead.

Great info, thanks!

 

[CollinsBrew]

This is a video that I found on YouTube that has a guy circulating ice-water in and out of a cooler through his immersion chiller via a Marsh 301 pump. I bet he gets great chill times with that system.

 

[cweston]

I have a 20 foot copper coil that I use as a pre-chiller (same concept). Works great.

 

[CollinsBrew]

I'm planning on buying a pond pump to put directly inside a cooler of ice water to circulate through the immersion chiller. Does anyone know what size pump would pump water at a reasonable rate? The pumps I am currently looking at are 60 GPH, 80 GPH, and 140 GPH. I guess I could just go big and put a ball valve on the output to control flow into the chiller but I don't want to spend more money than I have to....the build bill is gradually getting bigger and bigger with every new gadget that I see and want.

 

[Blender]

I'm planning on buying a pond pump to put directly inside a cooler of ice water to circulate through the immersion chiller. Does anyone know what size pump would pump water at a reasonable rate? The pumps I am currently looking at are 60 GPH, 80 GPH, and 140 GPH. I guess I could just go big and put a ball valve on the output to control flow into the chiller but I don't want to spend more money than I have to....the build bill is gradually getting bigger and bigger with every new gadget that I see and want.

I hook up a small pump to my chiller and recirculate ice water through it once the ground water stops performing very well. Works great for the last 30° or so. I bought a small pump at the harware store that is made to pump water in case of a flood in the house. It's not that big. I would guess the 80GPM would be fine.

 

[Reidman]

I hook up a small pump to my chiller and recirculate ice water through it once the ground water stops performing very well. Works great for the last 30° or so. I bought a small pump at the harware store that is made to pump water in case of a flood in the house. It's not that big. I would guess the 80GPM would be fine.

Wow! Talk about a huge water bill...

j/k, I knew what you meant..

 

[Blender]

Wow! Talk about a huge water bill...

j/k, I knew what you meant..

Yeah overshot the volume a bit .......but I only use 5 gallons of ice water because it recirculates back into the bucket.

 

[CollinsBrew]

The reason I asked about the water volume/speed is because at 80GPH that means wide open only about 1.33 gallons of water per minute are making it through the chiller. Is this sufficient to get wort temperatures to a desirable level in a reasonable amount of time?

 

[Bobby_M]

I believe these pond pumps are highly overrated in their GPH and if not, it's at zero head (meaning pumping on a perfect horizontal plane). Even one foot of rise will reduce pumping flow so if you have your icewater bucket on foot level and pump up to your pot say 4 feet high, the flow will be less than half the rated GPH.

I'd stick with a pump that has at least a 1/2" output and rated for 300GPH like the Mag 300.

I do agree with using the tap water directly into the chiller until you get to about 110F because the temp differential is very high initially. Then pump the icewater to get to 70F.

 

[CollinsBrew]

I was planning on actually pumping down into my pot but I did find the Mag 300 on reefcreator.com for $39.95. That's pretty cheap for a submersible pump with that efficiency.

 

[Bobby_M]

I used a Mag 500 on an aquarium and it lasted 5 years and was still going strong and that was 24/7 running. It think it's worth it.

 

[casebrew]

I wouldnt. It has a number of things aginst it.

1 - Not food grade, at ALL.

2 - Iffy construction, likely uses lead solder. Not good.

3 - Mine is aluminum or something simular, I wouldnt put it in MY boil.

Nice thought though.

Cheers,

knewshound

So find an aluminum heater. It won't be soldered with lead, and aluminum is harmless.

 

[HYTEK-REDNEK]

Not being up to speed on what exactly you do with a prechiller, I'm a rooky
But I'm also a Master Auto Tech, I can tell you a heater core is pretty nasty
by the time it is removed. The ethylene glycol (coolant) from the engine
Ain't good for you trace amounts can make you sick, so don't let beer touch it
inside or out.
All I can tell you for sure is a heater core (new or used) is for dang sure not food grade.

 

[Fingers]

You could also pick up a transmission cooler. They might be cheaper because some are sold generically rather than for a specific vehicle. You install them yourself and they are basically the same thing as a heater core. I picked one up at a yard sale brand new for $5 once. I still wouldn't use it as a submersion chiller though.

 

[brewman !]

Most of the high quality A/C condenser units are 100% copper. I got a brand new one, about 2 feet by 3 feet for a commercial truck from surplus for $25.

I am going to put it in front of one of those big box fans and circulate my wort through it before hitting it with water from my CFC. It should really cut down on the amount of water one needs to chill a batch of steaming wort.

I'll write it up when I build and use it.

 

[budbo]

When I got my CFC I had really good luck just freezing 2 1 gallon jugs and putting them in a 7 gallon (old plastic primary) bucket of water on top of my old immersion chiller (Snow worked great in winter in Nebraska). that makes a great pre-chiller. If the wort isn't cool enough after going into the Fermenter, putting it in a rubbermaid tray and adding the pre-chiller water is usually enough to have it chilled from boil to pitch temps in 20 min.

 

[KSMICT]

Most of the high quality A/C condenser units are 100% copper. I got a brand new one, about 2 feet by 3 feet for a commercial truck from surplus for $25.

I am going to put it in front of one of those big box fans and circulate my wort through it before hitting it with water from my CFC. It should really cut down on the amount of water one needs to chill a batch of steaming wort.

I'll write it up when I build and use it.

I would not recommend this approach; It may be 100% copper, but the solder used is not 'food grade' or lead free. Trace ammounts of lead don't sound like fun.

I could be wrong here, but I would certainly advise caution

 

[Philip1993]

80GPH that means wide open only about 1.33 gallons of water per minute

For comparison, the typical garden hose flow is 5-10gpm. Typical faucet flow (with aerator/screen installed) is 2-2.5gpm.

I believe these pond pumps are highly overrated in their GPH and if not, it's at zero head (meaning pumping on a perfect horizontal plane).

You're correct, and most boxes indicate that on the package. Generally pumps that are non-commercial are rated at zero head. Those that are for deep submersion (like a well pump) are sometimes rated at a nominal install depth (50ft). For our purposes, it means zero-head.

 

[Philip1993]

Most of the high quality A/C condenser units are 100% copper. ... I am going to put it in front of one of those big box fans and circulate my wort through it

Brewman, don't do this unless want to get really sick.

"The use of automobile radiators containing lead-soldered parts in the illicit distillation of alcohol is an important source of lead poisoning <snip> the lead contents of specimens of moonshine confiscated from two radiator-containing stills in the county in 1991 were 7400 ug/L and 9700 ug/L, compared with nondetectable amounts (less than 1.0 ug/L) in municipal water from the county. <snip> Seven patients required hospitalization for 48 hours or longer (range: 2-18 days). <snip> Manifestations included generalized tonic-clonic seizures (six), microcytic anemia (five), encephalopathy (two) ..." - Source CDC.gov

Read More about Elevated blood lead levels associated with the use of automobile radiators in the illicit distillation of alcohol