Anti-Freeze for Cooling?

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.

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

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

What about Glycol?

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.

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.

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.

BadgerBrewer said:

What about Glycol?

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Antifreeze is made using Glycol.

mrfocus said:

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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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.

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.

Bret86944 said:

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.

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I've never seen copper radiators, brass yes and now aluminum with plastic tanks cutting material costs and weight. Between the bean counters and weight savings with these new disposable vehicles. This with over 50 years hanging around my family friends radiator business.

What kind of glycol is used in those systems? Ethylene glycol in automotive antifreeze is pretty toxic stuff if ingested. I'd want to be very sure everything was really tight on both the coolant and the beer sides before I took a drink from a keezer that had that in it. A water filled system will probably eventually have one fungus or another growing in it. The fungus is pretty unlikely to be toxic if your immune system is competent. It is a whole lot less likely to be dangerous. Remember, the yeast that makes our wort into beer is a fungus.

In a really tight and well maintained system well protected from idiots you might do fine with antifreeze. However, the stuff is toxic enough that I would suggest not letting it get anywhere near your beer. One failed hose connection could really ruin your system. I also respect that corollary to Murphy's law that says to never underestimate the ingenuity of fools. A couple of pints in him, your attention is elsewhere, and some idiot is coming to your "aid" with a screwdriver, and suddenly you have a toxic mess instead of beer in a keezer.

propylene glycol.

https://morebeer.com/view_product/5920

diothelyne glycol is what i believe is used.

Nitrousbob said:

propylene glycol.

https://morebeer.com/view_product/5920

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+1 on this. Antifreeze use to winterize RV water systems (commonly referred to as RV antifreeze) is also propylene glycol and would be a cheaper alternative.

Nitrousbob said:

propylene glycol.

https://morebeer.com/view_product/5920

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Want2Brew said:

+1 on this. Antifreeze use to winterize RV water systems (commonly referred to as RV antifreeze) is also propylene glycol and would be a cheaper alternative.

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Why would anyone spend 40 $ for it when you can buy it at 3 to 4$ a gallon at HD Lowes or Wallmart

actually, antifreeze doesn't actually raise the boiling point. the fact that an automotive cooling system is pressurized, is what raises the temp.coolant is super toxic and i would want it absolutely no where near my beer, for fear of an accidental leak.
btw, there is totally copper in radiators. pull an old one apart and see for yourself.

For the type of system you are considering it isn't necessary to use antifreeze/glycol. If you had a chiller that utilized dx refrigeration and a chller heat exchanger that took the liquid close to 32F then the chances of slushing/freezing the water as it passes through the heat exchanger increase and the need for glycol is required. Polypropelene glycol like Dowfrost is one of the more common food safe glycols, but rv or automotive is acceptable. Most glycol solutions also contain inhibitors to prevent copper/steel corrosion and also prevent bacterial growth in the solutions, but if your system is all poly then that wouldn't be a requirement. Another thing to consider is that if you get much below 32F you risk frezing the beer in your lines as well if they sit idle long enough.

Just pipe it right and leak test befrore you fill it with the glycol and you should have no worries no matter the type of coolant you use.

IMHO keep it simple with the water and spend your $$ on more beer or brewery upgrades.

http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterat...rans/pdfs/noreg/180-01314.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc

Just throwing this out there, what about alcohol (EtOH)?

water + Water Wetter is what i would do.