Building Homebrew Equipment by Karl F. Lutzen Page B

build two chillers and use the double-coil chiller method that we describe on page 8.
    Note:
Before you begin, you should know that you can easily crimp your copper tubing and ruin that section of it. Once it’s crimped, cut out the crimped section and attach a coupler by soldering (lead-free, please). If you don’t have a spring tubing bender, buy one when you buy your copper tubing. It will help make the 90-degree bends without crimping the tubing.
    One other point: You should plan to leave enough copper tubing on the ends so that they stick out over the sides of the pot (see illustration on page 7). Once in a while you may get leaks from loose hose clamps; if the tubing–hose connection is outside the pot and it does leak, the water will not drip into the wort.
Directions
    1. Turn the copper tubing into a coil. If the copper tubing came in a coil, you can wind it into a tighter coil by hand. This is done by holding one end and turning the coils into ever-smaller coils. You can coil the copper tubing for your immersion chiller by wrapping it carefully around a soda keg if you have a soda keg handy. The final diameter must be small enough that there is at least 2” between the interior sides of the brewpot and the coil. Leave about 18” to 24” on one end.
    2. Bend the short end of the tube at the top of the coil 90 degrees out from the coil.
    3. Bend the longer end 90 degrees so that the length of the tube goes back up toward the top of the coil.
    4. Bend the top part of the long length out from the coil.
    5. Cut the garden hose so that each length is at least 5’ or 6’ long.
    6. Slide a clamp over each cut end of the hose.
    7. Slip one hose length over one end of the coil. Repeat with the other hose at the other end of the coil.
    8. Tighten the clamps to hold the hose lengths firmly to the coil.

    Use a soda keg to bend your tubing.
    That’s it! Your immersion chiller is ready to use, and it should have cost you less than $25.
    We recommend testing the chiller before brewing a batch of beer, just to convince yourself that everything works and to satisfy yourself that there will be no surprises when the time comes to use the chiller. We tested our chiller by boiling a brewpot full of water, to which we had added ½ gallon of white vinegar, and seeing how long it would take to cool it. The vinegar is important because it will clean the outside of the chiller and prepare it for use in the wort.
    In addition to the chiller, you will need a hose that’s long enough to run from your faucet to the chiller. If you’re using the chiller in your kitchen, as most people do, you may need to twist off the end of your faucet to reveal the threads. These threads should accept a standard hose fitting, but many kitchen faucets need a threadedadapter to accept a hose connection. These are available at most hardware stores for $1 to $2. Some homebrew supply shops also sell the adapters. If you can’t get the end of your faucet off, or if you just don’t want to mess with it, you can buy a rubber adapter that will fit over the end of the faucet, avoiding the need to unscrew the faucet sprayer.

    When you are ready to use your immersion chiller, sanitize it by putting it into the boil for 15 to 20 minutes. When the boil is done, attach the hoses — and chill out.
    When you’re ready to use the chiller, sanitize it by setting it down into your brewpot 15 to 20 minutes before the end of the boil. The heat will destroy any bacteria and other microorganisms on its surfaces. Then when the boil is done, simply attach the hose to your faucet, set the other end of the hose in the sink, and turn on the faucet. Five gallons of wort should cool from boiling to below 80?F in about 15 to 20 minutes. The time will depend on the flow rate and temperature of the water.
Double-Coil Immersion Chiller
    If you had no choice but to buy a 50’ or 60’ length of copper tubing, or if you are worried about wasting water, want faster cooling times, or