Trying to improve/improvise on a budget.
If you're not going to stir or recirculate the wort, is there any point in recirculating the cooling water?
Currently I run the garden hose to a coil in an ice bath, then to an immersion chiller, then out another garden hose into the yard. Best results are getting down to about 80F in about 30 minutes. At that point I'd decant to a carboy, cover it and put the sucker in the basement for an hour or so (maybe down to 76-77), then pitch. I want to get it lower and do it faster. I was thinking if I _HAD_ to get a pump, I could recirculate an icewater solution as this would allow for a less expensive pump. I really don't feel like manually stiring the wort during the chilling process, so I was wondering what kind of gain I'd get by just recirculating icewater through the immersion chiller.
Also, if I made a brine for my icewater solution, will the salt react with the copper? Bad idea?
-gk-