Scored a glycol chiller. What to do with it?

One of my wife's bookkeeping clients just gave me a 1 HP glycol chiller. I have no idea who the manufacturer is, but it's got a Tecumseh compressor/condenser and what looks like about a 10-15 gallon glycol reservoir. I think the unit is about 10 years old, but it seems to work just fine. When I went to go look at it, the guy had water in the reservoir, and ice had formed on the copper evaporator coil in the reservoir.

I have visions of chilled glycol flowing around my brewery here, there, and everywhere, but not enough HVAC knowledge to wrap my head around the real capacity of a 1 HP compressor. This afternoon's arrival of the unit has prompted more questions than answers. Can someone here help? It this unit enough to:
1) Chill 2-3 6-gallon carboy fermenters and
2) Cool hot wort via a plate chiller faster than my current counterflow rig, and
3) Cool a lumber-and-foam panel fermentation chamber?

What's the most cost-effective and thermally efficient way to move the chilled glycol around the brewery?

Is it practical and cost-effective to build my own air handler for a fermentation chamber? (I built one that uses an old fridge that has since crapped out. It's about 5' x 3' x 3').

I'm ok with designing and building a thermostatic control system for whatever I do. I just need some advice on things like flow rates, tubing materials, insulation methods, etc.

Finally...how does one mitigate the risk of a leaking fitting contaminating the product? What is the most secure fitting for glycol plumbing?

Sooo many questions! I sure hope I can use this thing to solve some of my South Florida garage brewery headaches. Thanks for any advice offered...

Just going off the title here, but I'd say you should probably chill use it to either chill your wort or to hold the fermentation at a constant temperature.

Congrats!
I use one to keep all 4 of my conical fermenters at the different set temps... with some cheap stc 1000 temp controllers and $3 solenoid valves and pvc pipe to can build a manifold with temp controled valves to allow ech carboy to be at its own temp setpoint... the foil faced double bubble wrap like found on ebay works well to insulate .. thats what I use. you can use cool zone jackets for the carboys for easy removal and cleaning of the carboy. with conicals there are more permanent but cheaper solutions like discharge hose wrapped around them.

Where do you even get one of these bad boys? What is the cost? And how much does glycol even cost? Thanks

brandonlovesbeer said:

Where do you even get one of these bad boys? What is the cost? And how much does glycol even cost? Thanks

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depends on what the chiller is for , aquariums and beer liune cooling systems use them. the food grade glycol is $20 a gallon and I use only a gallon to keep nastiest from growing in my cooling water.

brandonlovesbeer said:

Where do you even get one of these bad boys? What is the cost? And how much does glycol even cost? Thanks

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I had my eye on this before a larger unit fell into my lap:

http://rapidswholesale.com/beer-sup...ng-systems/3-gal-glycol-unit-1-3-hp-120v.html

shark bites and PEX. I don't know exactly how you plan to circulate around a carboy and return but curious project.
Could pass glycol through copper pipe with a fan blowing across in a ferm-chamber.

EazyMcBreazy said:

shark bites and PEX. I don't know exactly how you plan to circulate around a carboy and return but curious project.
Could pass glycol through copper pipe with a fan blowing across in a ferm-chamber.

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These would be a more effective solution... I use one on a 12.5 gallon conical and it works well.

http://www.gotta-brew.com/products/cool-zone-cooling-jacket.html