Red Reaper Counterflow Wort Chiller

Product detailed description

The Red Reaper is the latest counterflow wort chiller designed for home brewers. It uses an inner copper tube for hot wort flow and an outer PEX cooling hose that is precisely swaged and soldered to the copper pipe. This durable construction ensures long life and safety without any risk of hose failure under normal water pressure.

When paired with duotight 9.5 mm quick connectors (not included), you can easily attach hoses or camlock fittings in just a few seconds.

Technical Specifications:

• Length: 5.6 m
• Inlet / Outlet: 9.5 mm (duotight compatible)
• 3× rubber-coated feet
• 1× hinged hook for hanging on BrewZilla handles

Recommended Cleaning:

• StellarClean PBW 1 kg (KL05494)
  Optimal temperature: 80 °C  |  Contact time: min. 5 minutes
  For thorough cleaning, we recommend reversing the flow several times and rinsing with water at the same temperature.

Before each use, we recommend recirculating boiling wort through the Red Reaper for the last 15 minutes of the boil to fully sanitise the unit.

Function Description:

• The Red Reaper A-PEX uses pressure- and heat-resistant PEX tubing, commonly used as a modern alternative to copper due to its flexibility and durability. Hot wort flows through the inner copper tube while cold water passes in the opposite direction through the outer PEX hose. This counterflow design ensures highly efficient heat exchange and allows single-pass cooling from boiling to pitching temperature.
• Compared to plate chillers, the CFC offers a larger flow area, resulting in a lower risk of clogging with hops. The only disadvantage is its slightly larger size.

About PEX:

• PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is a flexible plastic tubing used as a modern replacement for copper or steel pipes. It is highly resistant to pressure, temperature, and corrosion, ensuring long service life.

Important Notes:

• Do not expose to direct sunlight – prolonged exposure can damage PEX tubing.
• Do not store in acidic solutions (e.g. StellarSan) – they may corrode copper components.
• If you want to connect a hose with hot wort directly through duotight fittings (acetal / POM), make sure that the temperature of the wort entering the fitting does not exceed approximately 65 °C (149 °F). At higher temperatures, the material may soften, deform, and begin to release trace amounts of formaldehyde. For higher temperatures (e.g. direct cooling of boiling wort 90–100 °C / 194–212 °F), we recommend using stainless steel compression fittings. At the outlet of the chiller, where the wort has cooled down below approx. 65 °C, the use of plastic duotight fittings is completely safe and fully functional.