Anyone using salt water (brine) for chilling?

[1fastsedan]

I've been looking at what fluid to run in my conical chillers. I currently use plain water that is chilled in an old kegerator fridge. I'm planning on moving the bucket/chilling system to a chest freezer and I'd like to get the fluid colder. I've read all about the different glycols, but food grade glycol is pricey and salt is cheap.

I'm thinking of using a salt water solution for chilling. A 10% salt solution (by weight), should have a freezing point around 20 degrees F. By my math, that's 5 lbs of salt per 6 gallons of water.

Has anyone done this? I figure a leak will ruin the beer, but I wouldn't really want to drink glycol beer either, food grade or otherwise.

 

[TheHappyHopper]

Seems legit to me - I don't see why you couldn't try it and then change to glycol later if for some reason it didn't work for you.

 

[WilliamWS]

I think you'd run the risk of damaging your stainless. I believe that prolonged exposure to salt water below boiling will cause most types of stainless to pit.
I could be mistaken but it's something you might want to look into.

 

[elerten]

Salt eats stainless. That being said it takes years for it to happen. We have a tank that we use specifically for salt slurry. It's stainless and about 20 years old. It's starting to weep out of the welds. It should be getting replaced this year with a fiberglass tank. Salt also leaks out of everything. Even fittings/connections that you think are tight, the salt sublimates out of fittings and makes a mess. I would think RV antifreeze would get you want you want. It's non toxic..

 

[EJay]

Cheap Vodka might do the trick too - we used to use it for freeze-protecting some boat plumbing.

 

[spittybug]

Cheap Vodka might do the trick too - we used to use it for freeze-protecting some boat plumbing.

Sinner!

 

[user 40839]

Dunno what vodka YOU'RE drinking, but never seen it cheaper than $4 a gallon, which is what the RV antifreeze runs!

 

[EJay]

I didn't claim it was cheaper. But I'd rather accidentally ingest vodka than antifreeze. And I think i might be nicer to the piping than the salt brine solution.

 

[Curtis2010]

As posted, saltwater is evil stuff which will eventually eat stainless...even 316...what grade stainless are your chillers...and all their fittings? Any dissimilar metals in your chiller set up? Google "Galvanic Corrosion"...the bane of saltwater boat owners.

If you are concerned about ingesting it, which should not happen, then get food grade propylene glycol (used to winterize boat & RV water systems). Available in a range of freezing temps and is actually good for your plumbing.


....and what did you pay for chilled conicals? Is it really worth trying to save literally a few dollars?

 

[1fastsedan]

Thank you everyone for all of the replies. There are no dissimilar metals in the chilling system, it's all 304 stainless. I think I will go with RV anti-freeze. I talked to a friend who is using it and he is very happy with it. Plus, I had the wrong concentration in mind, which would have meant 10 gallons of glycol. I really only need 3, making it much more reasonable.

 

[Terek]

Cheap Vodka might do the trick too - we used to use it for freeze-protecting some boat plumbing.

that would be the only reason for me to even buy vodka.

 

[Curtis2010]

Thank you everyone for all of the replies. There are no dissimilar metals in the chilling system, it's all 304 stainless. I think I will go with RV anti-freeze. I talked to a friend who is using it and he is very happy with it. Plus, I had the wrong concentration in mind, which would have meant 10 gallons of glycol. I really only need 3, making it much more reasonable.

Good call. 304 would probably not hold up well in saltwater. At least in seawater anything less than 316 turns to a rusty pile of goo, usually in a matter of months.