Cpt_Kirks

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Can regular anti-freeze by used for shank and faucet cooling?

If I put a reservoir into the bottom of my theoretical keezer, put a cheap submersible pump in it, route the anti-freeze through vinyl lines, then pass it through coiled copper tubing, will anything bad happen?

I just want to make sure nothing in anti-freeze will eat up submersible pumps, vinyl tubing or copper tubing before I put any more thought into this idea.

Brewbelly

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water is better. Commercial auto coolant has properties that will keep iit from getting extremely hot. We are talking way above 150-200. Water woulld work just the same from the faucet. So coolant would just be a bad idea, it would be messy, cost more, and provide nothing extra

TheAleMaster

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Also, what's the point of using antifreeze if you are not going below 32*F (which I assume your keezer will not be)?

BadgerBrewer

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What about Glycol?

mrfocus

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The only reason anti-freeze is used nowadays (other than the rusting), from what I know, is that it stays liquid enough so that when a car in the extreme parts of the world, thus cold winter temps, have no problems with the anti-freeze being frozen when they start their car.

In terms of heat transfer, water is quite good (see this wikipedia article), but anti-freeze boils at a higher temperature and freezes at colder temperature.

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8link

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If you use water keep contamination in mind. I've seen some PC water cooled systems grow some pretty nasty micobes when tap water was used. Use distilled water and maybe add a little starsan to keep the funk out.

Bret86944

Recipes 

The main purpose of anti-freeze is to keep the water from freezing. Anti-freeze hurts the heat transfer abilities of water. It does however, usually have anti-corrosive crap in it. I'm sure it's safe for copper since that is what your radiator is made out it.

Bret86944

Recipes 

Antifreeze is made using Glycol.

Schnitzengiggle

Recipes 

FWIW, as mrfocus states, water alone has better heat transfer properties than antifreeze/coolant alone. There is a reason here in the warmer climates we dilute it at least 50/50.

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Nitrousbob

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Glycol is fine too. Its what i put in commercial accounts that have beer in back and taps up front.

The thing with refrigeration, thats what your doing with cooling and heating the liquid, is make sure it stays long enough in the cold to pull the heat out and long enough in the handle area to pull the cool out. so to speak

I also imagine just getting the cold air up to the taps would work good too if they are not remote.

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