Attaching vinyl tubing to an immersion chiller

Pro Tip: Tighten your hose clamps when the vinyl tubing is warm. Hot water will soften the vinyl tubing and you will be able to get a tight, leak free seal. 

Vinyl Tubing

COLDBREAK® immersion wort chillers come supplied 1/16 inch wall vinyl tubing.  We use this type of vinyl because it creates a tighter, more reliable seal on the inlet and outlet than thicker tubing. The downside is that the thinner tubing will have a tendency to kink and retain a memory.

Hose Clamps

Our chillers are supplied with strong stainless steel worm drive hose clamps. We have tested several brands over the years and we have found that Gold-Seal or Ideal-Tridon clamps have been the most reliable. However, they are not indestructible. All hose clamps tend to loosen over time and will need to be checked each time you brew.

Warning!  Be careful not to over tighten. Check them regularly and replace when necessary.  A well prepared home brewer will always have a few extra hose clamps in stock.

Pictured above: an over tightened hose clamp.  Notice the stainless teeth collapse if put under too much stress.