Has anyone used this to chill beer wort using a 50" X 3/8" copper wort chiller, in the summer time using ice?
1572005
No, but I've used it with a 25' x 3/8, and it works like a champ. I suppose it has enough head pressure that it will work fine with a 50' chiller as well. The one recommendation I have is to get a garden hose flow control valve (basically an in-line ball valve) so you can adjust the flow to the chiller. I've found that reducing the flow will sometimes help it cool faster than leaving it wide open.
1572006
Well, I just bought this so I can drop it into the deep end of my swimming pool, pump cold water through a wort chiller then back into the shallow end. The drought is killing us in CA so I have to find a way to conserve water while brewing beer. I'll let you know how it works in a few days.
1572007
Linda,Looking to use this for the same pupose. Can you let me know if you bought it and how it worked. From all my research I believe it'll be fine. Thanks,pete
290777
Jason, I will have to go out in the daylight and get a measurement or imprint off of the tube. I am using the Midwest Brewing basic CO2 set up for it. The gas line is 3/8tha and the beer line is 5/16ths but I cannot remember the length you need to keep the brew from foaming to death.Wheelchair Bob
1533689
Yes, I have. I let the water run until I know its cold enough. Its been 2 yrs. since I have had mine. Knock on wood, mine is doing good, no problems or issues with it. It has paid for itself, since I don't have a ice maker on my apt. refrigerator. Forget ice cube trays, they don't make enough, take too long to freeze. I make around 3-4 gallon size freezer bags full of ice. This can take all day and into the evening to get nice full bags of ice. You can leave the ice maker if you have to leave to do something. I have, and when I get back its waiting for me to empty the ice and/or add water. Doesn't overheat either, as it shuts down automatically.
2038937
I don't think so. I can't see where it does, there is just one temp knob on the whole unit. I haven't had any real ice accumulation at all though
503967
That Should be fine. You don't want your wort to come up to a vigorous boil too quickly. So the amount of heat should be ok.
433088
I believe you would get some insulating value from doing that. I'm just not sure how much. We use it to line the inside of our coolers and were amazed at how much longer the ice inside would last.
2226001
I agree with jsto's comments....I never thought to put ice in their with the water. I'll will try that. I bought that unit for my enclosed patio because I didn't want to have a hole in my patio for draining.
1728991
It does make super fine ice. It's really nice. My only complaint is the water drainage is a little lacking but if you prop up the internal tray just a bit it drains well. Hope this helps!
1913456
The Temp Prob sticks out into the pot about 2 1/2" only. So there should be ample room for a chiller.Hope this helps.
1478363
I'm using mine on a patio as a slide in under an outdoor kitchen cabinet. Make sure you have about 4 inches around for air flow. This unit has the condenser built in the left and right sides and dissipats the heat unlike a fan blowing air across the condenser on your home frig. What I did do is take the 1/2 inch shipping foam that was in the box and duct tape it to the back and top to help insulate the box a little. Just dont cover any part of the outside that feels warm after it's plugged in. Here is something I want to warn you about but is no big deal. When the box is cold and say you go to get a drink out of it. After you close the door it forms a tight vacuum and makes the door almost impossible to open unless you wait 3 or 4 min. I do HVAC repair and have have seen this same thing happen on walk-in coolers trapping people. You need to make a way for the vacuum to be relieved. What I did was take a 2 inch piece of thermostat wire (this wire is about 1/2 the size of a cloths hanger) tapped it the top and bent it over to go between the refrigerator box and the door gasket. This little wire will allow the vacuum inside to equalize and you can open the door within 15 to 20 seconds and it wont bother the temperature. Buy the way this frig can freeze a bottle of pop if you set it to cold. My control is setting around 5 O'clock and running around 32 degrees. I leave it outside but unplug it in the winter. Good Luck
1764887
Sorry I can't be more specific. I have it at my office which is kept at normal temp. The setting is at 70% on the way to max cold and it keeps beer very cold. I don't think it could freeze however even at max cold.
1469319
Never measured the temperature; I just put a keg inside and it cools the beer perfectly. Are you measuring with a keg in or out? It's designed to work with a keg in it, and the keg itself will help retain the cold because it's metal...
1271781
Yes, I have used it for brewing and it works really well. It's good especially for the mash tun. You can set a custom set point so it alarms if you want. The graph feature is nice too as it shows how fast the temp is changing. There is a built in timer also if you need. If you have two probes, you can monitor your liquor tun too.
2045713
I've used it without issues on the ice (thickness up to 18" or so). I expect that the thicker the ice the more likely you are to have issues.
1752258
No and why would you want it to. Even if all the ice melts at least your drinks would still be in cold water. Also, after having this at the lake for a couple of long hot summer days, the best thing to do is to set a regular cooler inside of it. Ice stays much longer. What ever size cooler you can fit in there, it will hold it. We have a 56 quart cooler with wheels and it fits in there just fine. Hope this helps. This thing is super though and if you plan to spend all day floating, this is a must.
634003
Yes, however, you should keep the ice contained as to not damage the fan. I like to freeze water bottles.
404079
I converted a freezer to a beer fermentation cooler with it. I don't see why you couldn't.