Plate exchange wort chiller

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It looks great, however at that price it may be too good to be true...

My only concern is the statement regarding corrosive fluids.

If you buy one, let us know how it works out since he says he has many of them...
 
My only concern is the statement regarding corrosive fluids.
But it says it's made of 316L stainless steel and copper, materials which find plenty of use in homebrewer's arsenals. The comments in the auction seem to be specific to liquids that can corrode stainless steel, and they also seem to be talking about long-term use - under normal brewing use, you will use it for less than an hour and then rinse , drain, and put it away each time.

With that said, I'm no expert on the matter and don't really know for sure what the deal is with these ones, just giving my impression of the auction text.

I'd say these things look like a potentially GREAT deal, provided there are no hidden "gotchas" regarding food-grade use, and wort use in particular.

Edit: I sent a question to the seller asking if the materials are okay for food-grade use, we'll see what they say.
 
I almost bought one of those. The only thing that concerns me is the space between each channel.
 
It says in the description that it can be used for chilling beer. Looks like a good deal.
 
But it says it's made of 316L stainless steel and copper, materials which find plenty of use in homebrewer's arsenals. The comments in the auction seem to be specific to liquids that can corrode stainless steel, and they also seem to be talking about long-term use - under normal brewing use, you will use it for less than an hour and then rinse , drain, and put it away each time.

With that said, I'm no expert on the matter and don't really know for sure what the deal is with these ones, just giving my impression of the auction text.

I'd say these things look like a potentially GREAT deal, provided there are no hidden "gotchas" regarding food-grade use, and wort use in particular.

Edit: I sent a question to the seller asking if the materials are okay for food-grade use, we'll see what they say.

Usually when people make a statement like the seller has, it provides a "loop hole" in the warranty. I agree that 316 stainless is corrosion resistant, however when I buy fittings from aerospace vendors, i don't get a "don't use this item with this fluid" type statement.
 
I think they're fine. I'd go for a 20 or 30 plate model, though. 10 plates may not give you enough thermal transfer.
 
one more question. do you need a pump with these type of chillers or will gravity feed be enough. I'm just starting out so will be doing small batches but when I buy things I like to plan for the future.
 
I'll agree with the others, this looks like a great deal.

I use my shirron plate chiller with a gravity-only setup and it works great for full boils, but for extract brewing the smaller boil volume sometimes didn't provide enough pressure to keep a siphon going. YMMV.

Also, it is important to prevent hops from clogging up this type of chiller by way of a hop strainer or filter mesh of some sort.
 
FYI, if you check his eBay store, in addition to the 10-plate models for $45, he's got 15-plate models for $58 and 20-plate for $69 - plus even bigger models if you've got the $$.

Now I'm trying to find specs on the existing homebrew plate chillers (shirron, therminator) so I can try to compare them apples-to-apples in terms of surface area and flow rate. If the 15- or 20-plate models can compare favorably I might very well be sold on the idea.
From: http://www.hbd.org/hbd/archive/4912.html
According the the above site the therminator has 6.5sq ft total surface area
vs Shirron's 2.4 sq ft.
The ebay chiller claims 0.14 sq ft per plate, so the 20 plate model would have about 2.8 sq ft, a bit more than the shirron. But if this is all true, then the 10- and 15-plate models would probably prove to be too weak... And comparing cost:
The S20 model is $69 plus about $14 shipping (at least for me), so a total of $83.
At NB, the shirron is $85 plus $8 shipping, so a total of $93.
To me, a $10 savings doesn't seem that great considering that A) The shirron has a decent reputation and is made for brewing, whereas the ebay one is an unknown, and B) the shirron has 1/2" NPT and garden hose fittings, the ebay one has 3/4" NPT fittings, which don't seem as ideal.
On the other hand, with twice the plates but half the length, the ebay one should offer much lower flow resistance than the shirron, depending on plate spacing I guess.
 
Now I'm trying to find specs on the existing homebrew plate chillers (shirron, therminator) so I can try to compare them apples-to-apples in terms of surface area and flow rate. If the 15- or 20-plate models can compare favorably I might very well be sold on the idea.

Here ya go. A 40 plate should be equivalent to the Therminator. 15 plates is probably close to the Shirron.

Cheers! :mug:

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I still think a CFC or IC is the way to go. A 50' 1/2" tube chiller has ~6.5 sq. ft. of surface area and if you have some patience you can score the tubing for cheap on ebay or relatively cheap on coppertubingsales.com

I just picked up 50' 1/2" of stainless tubing for $50 on ebay. Then again, plate chillers are awesome. I would go at least with the 20 plate if I were you, and at that point, just get the Shirron.

Good luck finding a chiller!
 
I still think a CFC or IC is the way to go. A 50' 1/2" tube chiller has ~6.5 sq. ft. of surface area and if you have some patience you can score the tubing for cheap on ebay or relatively cheap on coppertubingsales.com

I just picked up 50' 1/2" of stainless tubing for $50 on ebay. Then again, plate chillers are awesome. I would go at least with the 20 plate if I were you, and at that point, just get the Shirron.
Well just for the sake of argument, in my case I boil in a keggle, although I am usually doing 5g batches (though that may change). With the pickup tube, I have trouble even getting my 25'x3/8" IC fully submerged, let alone something as massive as a 50'x1/2" IC. Granted, that would be overkill for 5g batches, but then again I'd like to have just one chiller that can handle any size batch. Plus, it is hard to argue with the great efficiency of a plate or counterflow chiller. And then there's size - brewing in an apartment, I can certainly appreciate the size difference between a nice compact plate chiller and a CFC or big IC.

I'm still on the fence between building a CFC or buying a plate chiller, and if the latter, to go ebay or shirron (though I'd probably lean toward the shirron). You're right about cost, even with today's skyrocketing copper prices, I can still build a 20-25' CFC for $50 pretty easily, and maybe $40 or less if I shop carefully, so it's definitely a tempting option.
 
I would watch Ebay like a hawk if I were you. I saw a therminator go on ebay about a month ago for around $95. Shirrons pop up on there from time to time as well. I'll post in our new ebay section if I find anything good.

Happy hunting! :mug:
 
FWIW, the ebay seller got back to me and assured me that the chillers are entirely copper+SS, so should be perfectly fine for use with wort.
 
The 3/4" fittings on the wort side are a problem that could easily cost you the price savings.
Not to mention, the 3/4" threads are NPT, not to be confused with garden hose threads like on the water fittings of the shirron, so you're going to need adapters of some kind on all your ports.
 
If you are looking for the ultimate chiller at a cheap price check this out, http://item.express.ebay.com/OUTDOO...rmsZalgo=LVI&its=K%2BD&otn=3&pm=A&po=Op2&ps=6
I found it while searching ebay. I have contacted the seller he says its all copper and 316 ss. carries a lifetime manufacturer warranty and wort does not affect the warranty. you can find the factory specs at http://www.aicheatexchangers.com/l-line_brazed_plate.html I am seriously thinking about this one when the stimulus check comes.
at this price a few reducer bushings is no problem.
 
For my use, I'd go 3/4" to 1/2" NPT reducing coupling and then thread in my male 1/2" disconnects. On the coolant side, it would get 3/4" FPT to garden hose adapters.

CFC:
Pros - Slightly cheaper, Easy to DIY if materials are found cheap. Not as finicky about suspended particulates... It will pass a 3/16" glob of hop gunk no problem.
Cons - Bulky, Not as tarnish resistant as SS, Rubber coolant path can get worn over time. Holds more wort captive if not used in a gravity drain situation (potential loss in brewhouse efficiency).

Plate:
Pros- Smaller, less captive of wort.
Con- Slightly more expensive, subject to clogging/blockage over time (cleaning is a pain, backflush and the occassional high temp bake.)
 
For my use, I'd go 3/4" to 1/2" NPT reducing coupling and then thread in my male 1/2" disconnects. On the coolant side, it would get 3/4" FPT to garden hose adapters.

exactly my thoughts and to reduce the cost a little more I think I would try the cheap plastic couplers on the output side. If it didn't work then the mess would be outside in the driveway and it would only cost about $3 for the plastic.
 
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