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Author Topic: Anyone using a propane burner or turkey fryer setup AND ice bath to chill wort?  (Read 3031 times)

Offline flbrewer

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Trying to wrap my head around how I want to boil the wort while using ice to chill. Using my gas stove inside is out of the question. Please let me know your setup. I see you can buy just a propane burner and stand, or a full set sold under the guise of a turkey fryer. Someone suggested a plastic tub to chill afterwards, but wouldn't a red hot pot burn melt the plastic?  ???

Offline Jimmy K

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An immersion chiller is the easiest way to chill ~5 gallons of wort.  Putting the pot in a tub full of ice could work, but it would be slow and require a LOT of ice.
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Offline HoosierBrew

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+1.  It wouldn't be too many batches before the $$ you spend on ice would've paid for an immersion chiller (or at least a good start on one). You'll save ALOT of time as well.
Jon H.

Offline duboman

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If you are somewhat handy you can make an Immersion Chiller with a 50' coil of copper tubing for about $25-30.00 which translates to about 5-7 batches of beer if you were to buy ice, and yes, many people get a turkey fryer set up to begin with as you can usually pick them up for less than $100.00 and some even come with a SS pot now at that price!
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Offline klickitat jim

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I brew on a camp chef explorer double burner stove. I could have went with a single but invested in the future.

You can think" what is least I need right now"  and save money for now. Or you can think" what will I need later" and invest in that.

A new turkey frier is about 100 bucks and used will be 10 bucks at a garage sale

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Offline blatz

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he's in florida, so groundwater temp is going to be an issue.

immersion chiller is going to be your best bet, and then get a cheap sump pump and a bucket to recirculate icewater through the chiller once you've gotten to <100df with hosewater.
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Offline klickitat jim

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How about a coil of plastic line in ice bath for incoming water to wort chiller ?

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Offline gymrat

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Just a note on safety. Lifting and moving a pot of boiling hot liquid is not wise. Buy or build a chiller to get the wort down to 100F or less before immersing in the ice bath. That way you don't risk 2nd and 3rd degree burns.
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Offline blatz

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How about a coil of plastic line in ice bath for incoming water to wort chiller ?

"Freedom is temporary unless you are also Brave!" - Patriot

copper would be a better heat exchanger than plastic.  but in my experience (and being in florida i've tried about every configuration conceivable) they don't work too well, and you waste ice.  for a while I used a 50' coil in an ice bath as a prechiller and it didn't work nearly as well as Jamil Z's immersion chiller method as I described above.

I use 2 counterflow chillers now, but the general idea is the same - knock down first with hose water, then use recirculating ice water.

by the way - you can add your motto/quote to the signature line of your profile in "Account Settings" so you don't have to type it every time.  ;)
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Offline brewmichigan

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I used to do exactly what the OP does. It worked for me for about a year until I decided to build a counterflow chiller. Of course in Michigan the water temp coming out of the ground rarely gets above 60 and in the winter is low 40s high 30s sometimes. As long as you keep the water moving on the outside of the pot, it will work relatively quick.
Mike --- Flint, Michigan

Offline klickitat jim

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by the way - you can add your motto/quote to the signature line of your profile in "Account Settings" so you don't have to type it every time.  ;)
[/quote]

My phone does it automatically.  I am due to change it though

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Offline Jimmy K

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Just a note on safety. Lifting and moving a pot of boiling hot liquid is not wise. Buy or build a chiller to get the wort down to 100F or less before immersing in the ice bath. That way you don't risk 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

Definately -- ~40 lbs of water plus the pot that you'd need to hold up and AWAY from your body.
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Offline flbrewer

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Wow, I feel a bit overwhelmed on this. Being in Florida sounds as if it's going to be a challenge around cooling the wort. Aside from the ice water bath in a big plastic tub, I'm thinking I may have to rig something with the spigot beside the garage.

Offline euge

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Baby steps...

BTW I use sanitized frozen water bottles to drop my wort from about 100F to fermentation temps. Just starting brewing out I'd do concentrated boils and drop the temp quick in the tub or sink and then add the frozen bottles after topping up the wort with cold water. If they were needed I mean...
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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