What did you get delivered today

[RoadRoach]

Duotight have the grip ring and two orings, whereas say John Guest fittings have a single oring.

They all seem very similar to Shark Bite fittings. I like the Shark Bite fittings because they’re just as easy to take off as they are to install(with a tool, of course). They also work equally well with copper, PVC, or PEX. The normal PEX crimp fittings are a bit less expensive, but one use is all you get. Better do it right the first time. I’m looking into some permanent plumbing for the hot side process and deciding what I think is gonna be best for ease of use and maintenance. I should be able to circulate boiling water and sanitizer(not boiling) to keep critters at bay when I get done. I’d use tri-clamp, but that stuff gets pricey fast. I have to keep reminding myself this is not something I ever plan to do for distribution when I start buying goodies.

 

[Megary]

They all seem very similar to Shark Bite fittings. I like the Shark Bite fittings because they’re just as easy to take off as they are to install(with a tool, of course). They also work equally well with copper, PVC, or PEX. The normal PEX crimp fittings are a bit less expensive, but one use is all you get. Better do it right the first time. I’m looking into some permanent plumbing for the hot side process and deciding what I think is gonna be best for ease of use and maintenance. I should be able to circulate boiling water and sanitizer(not boiling) to keep critters at bay when I get done. I’d use tri-clamp, but that stuff gets pricey fast. I have to keep reminding myself this is not something I ever plan to do for distribution when I start buying goodies.

Shark bite fittings can be a lifesaver in a pinch, that’s for sure. But any fitting that seals on an o-ring is going to fail sooner rather than later. I guess what I’m saying is…I'd never bury one in a wall, that’s for sure. Just my opinion, though.

 

[Minbari]

Shark bite fittings can be a lifesaver in a pinch, that’s for sure. But any fitting that seals on an o-ring is going to fail sooner rather than later. I guess what I’m saying is…I'd never bury one in a wall, that’s for sure. Just my opinion, though.

Plumbers do whole houses with press fit these days. Just oring and crimp for those

 

[Megary]

Plumbers do whole houses with press fit these days. Just oring and crimp for those

Of course they do. It’s easy and quick and they make a nice bank. I don’t blame them one bit. They deserve it.
But if it were my house, I’d insist on solder joints. *shrug*

 

[Minbari]

Of course they do. It’s easy and quick and they make a nice bank. I don’t blame them one bit. They deserve it.
But if it were my house, I’d insist on solder joints. *shrug*

Definitely will see how they hold up long term. Sweating joints has stood the test of time for sure

 

[Donoroto]

Duotight have the grip ring and two orings, whereas say John Guest fittings have a single oring.

Hence the "duo" name.

 

[RoadRoach]

Shark bite fittings can be a lifesaver in a pinch, that’s for sure. But any fitting that seals on an o-ring is going to fail sooner rather than later. I guess what I’m saying is…I'd never bury one in a wall, that’s for sure. Just my opinion, though.

I've had 'em on my water heater going on 15+ years now, both hot and cold lines. Nary a drip. I worry a lot more about aging solder joints coming apart in this house than I do shark bites simply because of the water chemistry. I've lost count of the leaking sweated fittings and valves that I've had to repair. Probably crappy installation to begin with I'm sure, but the high water pH doesn't help matters and the plumbing is 50 years old. Shark Bite guarantees them for life. Can't say the same for the Chinesium copper fittings and lead-free solder these days. Most that run PEX here use crimp rings on barbed fittings, not unlike a screw-clamp on a hose. I trust a Shark Bite more in that case. However, since PEX is so much more flexible, it can be run with a lot less fittings, ergo, a lot less failure points and a lot less stress on the fittings that do have to be used.

 

[Sunfire96]

Received some doodads to help chill wort, a submersible pump and an in-line thermometer

 

[RoadRoach]

Received some doodads to help chill wort, a submersible pump and an in-line thermometerView attachment 29044

You building a glycol system?

 

[Sunfire96]

You building a glycol system?

I'm planning on running ice water through my immersion chiller instead of "cold" tap water

 

[RoadRoach]

I'm planning on running ice water through my immersion chiller instead of "cold" tap water

I had a less than stellar improvement when I tried that, but probably because I ran out of ice. It's pretty amazing how quickly I went through 20 pounds of ice. I found that if I just slowed the water flow down I got the best heat transfer. I used a little immersion pump too, but quite possibly didn't have near enough volume to absorb the heat in 6 gallons of wort. Then, I still had to do something with all that water (including the melted ice).

Good luck with it and keep us posted on your success with it.

 

[Minbari]

I had a less than stellar improvement when I tried that, but probably because I ran out of ice. It's pretty amazing how quickly I went through 20 pounds of ice. I found that if I just slowed the water flow down I got the best heat transfer. I used a little immersion pump too, but quite possibly didn't have near enough volume to absorb the heat in 6 gallons of wort. Then, I still had to do something with all that water (including the melted ice).

Good luck with it and keep us posted on your success with it.

Same here. 20lbs of ice plus enough water to cover it in a 6 gal pot. 50ft of 3/8" stainless tubing. Ice would be melted in 10 minutes. Not worth the $7 in ice to drop 50° in temp.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

with my counterflow I just add freezer ice water in a baggie in the center, works good

 

[Sunfire96]

My plan is to run tap water until the wort is ~10-15 degrees from the target, then add ice to finish. During the summer our tap water isn't cold enough to chill the wort to pitching temps

 

[Josh Hughes]

My plan is to run tap water until the wort is ~10-15 degrees from the target, then add ice to finish. During the summer our tap water isn't cold enough to chill the wort to pitching temps

I did something similar with a smaller “prechiller” I had it in a cooler with ice. It got me to pitch about 10 minutes quicker so that was win. I stopped using it when it sprung a leak and I realized it NEVER could get sanitize. I like your way better. I did get a different chiller from jaded and that helped shave the same amount of time.

 

[Craigerrr]

I'm planning on running ice water through my immersion chiller instead of "cold" tap water

Not to discourage you, but I read somewhere that the temperature of the cooling water has less of an effect on cooling (to a point of course) than increasing surface area by adding more tubing. I tried the same thing, and was disappointed with the results. After that I made a new immersion chiller with double the tubing length, and two flow paths. I was astounded by the results!

 

[RoadRoach]

My plan is to run tap water until the wort is ~10-15 degrees from the target, then add ice to finish. During the summer our tap water isn't cold enough to chill the wort to pitching temps

Yup, same problem with summer time water temps, if not worse. Gets pretty warm down here in the sunny south. Sometimes I'll dilute with ice if I need make-up to get back up to volume, which chills it right down. Otherwise, I try to avoid the more sensitive yeasts during the summer. Once I get down to about 80F, it takes FOREVER to get any cooler unless I do a bath chill or top with ice. So, I normally boil off a bit more, chill, then add some ice. Knock on wood, no spoilage yet. But after talking to Ben, I've left a couple batches sitting in the fermenting fridgadeezer overnight to cool down before pitch. Worked like a champ, but I think I would rather have had an aeration stone in it during that time.

Right now, I'm targeting the other end of the mash/boil cycle. Looking at a RIMS tube to control my mash temps better. Got one picked out, just gotta pull the trigger.

 

[RoadRoach]

Not to discourage you, but I read somewhere that the temperature of the cooling water has less of an effect on cooling (to a point of course) than increasing surface area by adding more tubing. I tried the same thing, and was disappointed with the results. After that I made a new immersion chiller with double the tubing length, and two flow paths. I was astounded by the results!

What Craig said. I started with bath chilling the kettle in small batches. That took FOREVER. Then I borrowed a small IC that was around 25 ish feet for a couple batches. I liked it enough that I made one with a 50 foot roll of copper and haven't looked back. It's a bit flow restrictive because it's only 3/8" diameter, but that doesn't matter if I'm cutting water flow back anyway. Gotta give the water in the tubes time to absorb the heat on the tube. But I can still see using the ice water technique in summer when you need that extra 10 - 15 degrees after initial cooling. It's all about surface area and best heat transfer media. It just seems a lot harder to get from 80F down to 65F than it should be. I still do the ice water technique myself sometimes when it's stoopid hot outside and the water temp is well above 75F.

 

[RoadRoach]

I did something similar with a smaller “prechiller” I had it in a cooler with ice. It got me to pitch about 10 minutes quicker so that was win. I stopped using it when it sprung a leak and I realized it NEVER could get sanitize. I like your way better. I did get a different chiller from jaded and that helped shave the same amount of time.

You switched to a plate chiller, didn't you?

 

[Craigerrr]

It just seems a lot harder to get from 80F down to 65F than it should be.

@Sunfire96
Maybe what would be most effective would be to reserve the ice until you get down to 80F, and add it to help with the last 15 degrees.
I could see it making more of a difference then.

You may recall the Frankenchiller I made a few years ago, I gave it to a friend as I couldn't use it any more.
(I switched to a CF chiller as I am boiling with a steam condenser)

Another option for quicker chilling would be this type of chiller
https://jadedbrewing.com/products/the-hydra

FRNAKENCHILLER
Two flow paths, so cool water flowing through two separate coils of tubing.
I would prefill it with tap hot water before putting it in the kettle so the boil would come back quicker.