Using Pyrex Graham condenser as counterflow chiller?

So for the few months that my wife I have been brewing, we've been using the sink/icebath method of cooling our wort. This is mostly because of our erratic brewing schedule. Every cost, no matter how small, takes months to be "worth it" meaning we're not going to be buying a chiller anytime soon.

We do have a lot of laboratory glassware in our basement however, and among those more esoteric pieces, is a 300mm Graham condenser. Despite not being designed for it, I'm finding a hard time seeing any reason why I couldn't place the condenser over the primary, and siphon our hot wort through it, while running cold water (our groundwater is COLD) through the jacket.

I did some tests earlier today (boiling water), and got a ~70degree drop depending on my flow rates. This makes me think that I should be able to siphon through the condenser into an icebath, and have drastically reduced cooling times.

Okay, so now please tell me what I'm missing, because if I'm not missing anything, I'm gonna do this with our next brew on Tuesday.

EDIT: gramamr ;)

Topic wort-chiller diy chilling homebrew

Category Mac

1
answered at

Seems like a good idea, especially if you tested it with boiling water it and it worked, and you sanitize it well. You would also want to make sure your siphon and tubing are all good for hot liquids. The only potential problem I can think of is that borosilicate glass (which I'm assuming is what your condenser is made out of) is very resistant to temperature shock, but it's not copper or stainless steel. I'm not a materials scientist, but it's still glass - I would think that after repeated use under the stress of extreme rapid heating and cooling, it could eventually start to crack.

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