Sterilizing / Sanitizing immersion chillers

[GPNewBrew]

OK - Santa brought me an immersion chiller, and I’m planning to use it this weekend. But I have a question when it comes to sterilizing it.

Normally, for full volume extract boils, the standard instructions say to add the chiller to the wort boil about 10 minutes before flameout, and the boiling wort will take care of any bugs. I’m going to do a partial volume boil with a late extract addition. Immediately at flameout, I’ll add the late extract (and some hops), and let the steep before I start cooling down the batch.

The question is, when do I add the chiller to the wort boil - immerse as normal and pull out and set aside before I add late extract and hops, or wait until the extract has had time to steep and then immerse the chiller and let it sit in hot wort for awhile. I imagine the wort will be probably be somewhere between 160-180 degrees if I do the latter, but it may still be hot enough?

Ideas / Your experience?

Thanks, Gary

 

[RPh_Guy]

You should be able do you your late additions with the chiller still in the kettle.

Other tips:
Make sure the hoses are clamped on tightly.
Be careful with the water flowing out. It'll be hot.

Cheers

 

[rabbitburger]

I clean and sanitize my chiller just like anything else.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I used to sanitize my chiller in my bucket of StarSan solution, then tried adding it to the boiling wort, and have switched back to using the StarSan. The main reasons for me are 1) the chiller in boiling liquid gets very hot and deforms my connected hoses and 2) having the chiller in the kettle mucks up recording an accurate post boil volume.

Both work, so use whatever works for you...seems like using a sanitizer would work better for your process.

 

[juggabrew]

I add my chiller 15 min before flameout. It will cool the wort a bit and take a few minutes to get back to boil. I do dunk it into starsan before adding to boil tho. Like cascades mentioned it does mess up getting an accurate post boil vol. I don’t connect hoses until after boil. I keep the chiller poointed away from me and kettle so the water inside could spurts out away from harm.

 

[LittleRiver]

OK - Santa brought me an immersion chiller, and I’m planning to use it this weekend. ...

Don't forget to clean and rinse it thoroughly before you use it for the first time, to clean away any oils and contaminants from manufacturing.

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

As @RPh_Guy mentioned above, you can do late hop additions with the chiller in there. Thats what I do and haven't noticed any difference since I started using it. Also, he wasn't joking. The water coming out will be HOT! That got me the first time I used it so just be careful, especially if you have kids or a dog that likes to sniff everything like I do (I'm glad it burned me and not her!)

 

[hilts]

I would boil in water once to clean off all of the manufacturing residue. Doesn't hurt to sanitize before dropping into boiling wort, but doesn't help either.

 

[Calder]

I do partial mash/partial boil. My normal boil volume is 4 gallons.

I used to add the IC at 15 mins to go, wait 5+ minutes to get back to the boil, and then add the 15 minute hops. I did this for a while, but figured it wasted time in the boil, and do I count the time or not?

What I do now is, at flame-out I remove the pot from the stove, and then put in the IC. A few seconds at temps above 160 is enough to sanitize/pasteurize (kill anything bad).

If adding whirlpool (flame-out hops), after putting in the IC, I add water to bring temp down to 175 F, and then add the hops (I used to cool it with the IC, but it is less effort to add cold water and has not caused a problem). I leave the IC in the wort when adding the hops. If not adding flame-out hops, I leave for a minute or so and then start cooling.

When I remove the IC, I clean it and then hang it in the garage. No additional cleaning required before next use.

 

[NGD]

I tend to sanitize both ways. Either I’ll give it a dip in a bucket of starsan or drop in with 5-10 min left. If I’m doing a large amount of late addition fermentables then I’ll add them first, stir like crazy and them add the IC and let it sit for 10 min. The water is still usually above 180f by this point.

One word of warming for those with copper ICs. Don’t let it sit in starsan for extended periods. There are some brewers that have experienced pinhole leaks after awhile..the theory being the Starsan eats away at the copper.
Congrats on your new chiller.

 

[balrog]

+1 on clean it first.
Oil. Store where tubing was bought mice muck. Etc.

If you rinse well after using (my outflow fills buckets for cleaning and dunking chiller into), then store it where you don't collect nasties on it, just put it in the last few minutes the wort is hot.

I personally take kettle off boil, set on table, take final volume measurement, put in chiller, start hooking up hose and preparing recirculation ice cooler and outflow buckets, to be used, then start it up.

 

[logdrum]

I rinse mine well after brew day, then spray w StarSan prior to dropping in the kettle at flame out. Used to do the 15 min routine, but read on here that it was unnecessary, so one brew I bit the bullet & just put it in at flameout. I haven't gone back to the 15 min rule, and haven't had a single issue either. Prior to the first use, I did boil it in some PBW & then soaked for a bit in StarSan to remove any manufacturing residue.