Valve for 3/8 CFC?

[stratslinger]

Not sure if this belongs in DIY or Equipment, but I'm trying DIY...

I just received a new CFC (this one) as a birthday gift from SWMBO.

Sadly, I hadn't really thought through all the logistics... The kettle I've been borrowing has a 1/2" barb fitting, and I've been using 1/2" ID hose, AND all the fittings on my X-Mas list for the keggles I plan to convert in the New Year are all based on 1/2" hose and barb fittings.

I went to the local Home Depot yesterday, and I did find a couple fittings I could use to put a 1/2" barb onto the inflow side of my chiller - so I think I'm good on that count. For now, they're just a brass tension fitting and barb - sooner or later I'll solder a copper fitting and maybe thread in a stainless barb...

However, I'd like to put a valve on the outflow side of the chiller - this will make it simpler to store the chiller full of sanitizer and to control the flow rate through the chiller to improve its performance if necessary. But that's where I'm running into trouble!

I found a tension fitting Needle Valve, but I think it's got two things going against it: 1) It's a 3/8 compression fitting on both ends, so I'd need another length of 3/8 tube to attach to the valve in order to hook any kind of hose onto it. 2) I haven't checked it yet, but judging by the opening in the valve, I think that it might be too restrictive, even wide open!

So, what other solutions have folks come up with for fitting a valve onto the outflow end of a CFC using 3/8 tubing?

 

[kklowell]

Never tried it, but I would think you could use a compression to pipe thread adapter on either side of a brass ball valve. Or, one adapter, the valve and a threaded barb.

 

[broadbill]

I'm not following why you need a valve in the first place. Your flow will be restricted because you are going from 1/2" to 3/8" either way....it can only flow as fast as it can through the smallest diameter tube you have in the system.

 

[stratslinger]

kklowell - that's kind of what I'm thinking now - but so far the only thing I've found is 3/8" compression to 1/2" FPT. I'm thinking maybe do that, a short 1/2" MPT nipple, then a 1/2" FPT ball valve behind that?

broadbill - The valve would serve two purposes.
1) When sanitizing (or storing for that matter), I can just run sanitizer into the inflow side, then once it starts filling the whole coil, close the valve and let stand, full of sanitizer.
2) When cooling, I get that the flow rate will already be slowed by the 1/2" to 3/8" reducer - but depending on the temperature of the cooling water I'm running through the thing, I may need to reduce the flow even more to allow more contact time and thus more chilling. At least, that's what I'm thinking - I definitel allow that I could be _over_ thinking on that count though.

 

[broadbill]

broadbill - The valve would serve two purposes.
1) When sanitizing (or storing for that matter), I can just run sanitizer into the inflow side, then once it starts filling the whole coil, close the valve and let stand, full of sanitizer.

One of the nice things about a CFC is that you can sanitize it but running boiling hot wort through it. At flameout, I usually drain about 2 quarts of hot wort through my CFC with the water OFF. I return that hot wort back to the kettle, turn on the water, then start the drain again.

I wouldn't recommend storing sanitizer in it for a few reasons: First, its not necessary (it doesn't get any more sanitized sitting in a coil than running some sanitizer through it). Second, you probably won't be entirely convinced that sanitizer sitting in the coil will keep in sanitized, and will probably run a fresh batch of sanitizer through anyway; and Third, you don't know how the sanitizer will react with the copper over time.

2) When cooling, I get that the flow rate will already be slowed by the 1/2" to 3/8" reducer - but depending on the temperature of the cooling water I'm running through the thing, I may need to reduce the flow even more to allow more contact time and thus more chilling. At least, that's what I'm thinking - I definitel allow that I could be _over_ thinking on that count though.

In my experience, the flow rate through 3/8 copper is sufficiently slow for cooling, (almost too slow if you have to stand there baby-sitting it!). Also, the cooling depends more on the initial water temp as there is sufficient surface area in the CFC that you get maximal heat exchange (assuming you have a 20-25ft CFC).

 

[kklowell]

I'd think that (if you could find them) plastic caps on both ends of the copper tubing would be nice to keep dust and crap out, but that the valve is overkill and a whole lot more money.

 

[stratslinger]

Holy cow... Just used mine for the first time, and you weren't kidding about the flow rate! I had to play with things a lot in order to get things actually flowing. In the end, I wound up chilling the wort about 10 degrees too cool!

If I were to add a pump to my set up, would that help the flow rate, or is the 3/8 tube really just that restricting?