DIY : Adding A Whirlpool Return To An Immersion Chiller

What better to do over the winter when it's just too damn cold to brew outside than build some shit to make brewing this summer better?

I inherited an immersion chiller at the beginning of last summer and loved the step out to it from my ghetto-built homemade version. It's pretty effective at dropping the wort from boil to about 140 in a pretty short period of time.

However, after reading about Jamil's whirlflow immersion chiller and the impact it has on both late hop character and DMS reduction, I decided to go for it. (The fact that the fiance and her mom gave me a Northern Brewer gift card to cover a march pump definitely helped...)

The design of the whirlpool arm is actually simple. It's all 1/2" copper with a 1/2" hose barb for the output from the march pump and a curved return section which runs along the inside of the coils.

Parts List:

• ~ 5' of 1/2" type L copper tubing
• 2x 90 degree 1/2" elbows
• 1x 45 degree 1/2" elbow
• 1x 1/2" tubing to 1/2" NPT female adaptor
• 1x 1/2" NPT to 1/2" barb

Assembly:

1. Use a standard conduit bender to create the gentle 90 degree curve which roughly matches the inside of the existing coils. Putting a 3/8" spring inside of it while bending helped to prevent kinks
2. Cut the rest of the pipe to size and dry fit everything together. Following the direction of water flow: 1/2" tubing to 1/2" NPT female adaptor <=> ~2" of pipe <=> 45 degree elbow <=> ~4" of pipe <=> 90 degree elbow <=> ~30" of pipe <=> 90 degree elbox <=> curved return
3. Test fit it in the existing chiller
4. Solder it all up
5. (TBD) Test it with the pump to ensure there aren't any leaks
6. (TBD) Solder it all together (or use hose clamps)
7. Make better beer!

The (almost) finished product is pictured here. The tape is just holding it all together until I can test it next week with my new pump...

The whole unit

The top of the return and the bend profile inside.

Inlet / Outlet detail