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Questions [Completed] Stainless steel wort chiller in mini fridge

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I live in a hot, humid area, and it’s dead middle of summer. I have had problems with root rot unless I chill my water somehow. I have a big mini fridge that gets so cold it freezes water completely. I was thinking about making a stainless steel wort chiller, dropping the coils in a metal stockpot of water, and running it through the mini fridge from and back to my reservoir to cool my RDWC nutrient solution. I was thinking about 25 feet of 3/8 tubing, but I’m not sure what size water pump. Would this be effective for 15-20 gallons of nutrients? My reservoir and containers my plants go in are insulated with great stuff foam, and covered with Mylar (no Mylar on reservoir it’s outside grow area). Anyone tried this or have any suggestions?
I was thinking the nutes would cool quickly because of the metal transferring temperature, and the water around the tubing would be frozen in a day or two. So, I hope it would be effective in keeping my root temps down.

*I have had success using frozen milk jugs, but got tired of switching and cleaning them. I had used about 30 foot of polyethylene tubing coiled in a plastic container and then put inside a mini fridge before, and it worked pretty well. But last time I had hell with the water pump pushing it through the coils and back into my reservoir. I think it was kinked somewhere I couldn’t see.

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4 Answers
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Hey @Hustlynnshaw, how's it going? So you want to delay the purchase of a water chiller. I completely understand, little suckers ain't cheap. I don't have any experience with trying this but I've thought about it. I do have a chiller that I use on my RDWC and a stainless steel Wort coil is part of the equation.

So my opinion would be this. If your going to try the mini frig get the biggest Metal container that fits in the frig. Now instead of buying a 30 ft of plastic hose, spend $60 on a stainless steel wort coil. Put the coil in the container in the frig and run a low volume pump, 180 gph or less. The slower the better. You can use an Inkbird temp controller to turn the pump on and off as needed. You should also try to stir your nutrients in your rez some how. You can put a submersible pump in the rez but it will produce heat. If you can install a bulk head fitting in the side or bottom (sides better) and pull water out of the system, and then push it back into the system via a water fall, that would be the Cats Ass.

So that's the Wort coil. The tubing would be the same just a lot bigger or more of it.

So your looking at buying a Inkbird controller, a lower volume water pump and a stainless steel Wort coil.   Or 30 feet of plastic tubing, a low volume water pump and an Inkbird controller.  So both are the same except for the tubing vs wort coil. It will be harder to push water through 30ft of tubing, and the heat transference is shity with the tubing.   

I understand your dilemma, and you have to do what you do. Just think about what to do with 30ft of tubing if it doesn't work. Best of luck my friend, you can holler at me if you want to chat.            peace 

Hustlynnshaw Hustlynnshaw Topic starter July 10, 2021 5:57 pm

I already used the tubing and it worked until I spilled the damn metal container, this is when it quit working and I couldn’t get water to pump through it. I thought the hose was kinked, but couldn’t tell for sure. I wouldn’t be worried about it with stainless steel. And yes the heat transfer was shitty. That’s why I used so much hose. I was thinking of using 25 ft of stainless steel tubing and a 80 gph pump.

WoodI2 WoodI2 July 11, 2021 2:10 am

So you want to use the stainless, that's cool. But your going to have to get the wort coil to do that, right? Unless your able to whined the coil yourself? My coil cost 60 usd and most cost more but there's this one site that legit. You can message me if you need details. I don't think I can post it. Anyway, the 80 gph pump will work.

But if the tubing was working, maybe salvage it for now. I don't know what your time schedule is. Hope this helped.  Wink  

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If you want to wind your own coil, fill pipe with dry sand first 😉

Stootie Stootie July 11, 2021 10:40 am

Is the sand to stop the pipe squashing flat when your bending it?

Zombie Nation July 11, 2021 12:53 pm

@Stootie Yes mate

Stootie Stootie July 11, 2021 1:58 pm

Iv never heard of doing that before, thats genius!!! I can think of a few time that knowledge would been handy.haha That is a shit hot idea tho, and so simple when you see it written down, cant believe iv never heard of that before, cheers bro

WoodI2 WoodI2 July 11, 2021 2:08 pm

Yes that is one point that I wasn't going to get into, plus the point of where and how do you find, get, and bring home SS tubing. Is it a 25' lengths?? If not what lengths are available, and how to connect. $60 coil starting to sound better.

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Welcome to Percys man, have you considered getting and aquarium cooler? 

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Topic starter

I had one, but it didn’t last long. Plus I’m on a budget, and am trying to use things I already have.


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