BayerischBier
Well-Known Member
So here is a thought for food uhm brews.
I have done years of fermentation temp control with fridges, pink foam boxes and dorm fridge, 5 cuft freezers etc.... pending on life stages, housing, and the state. And used i.e. that setup for both, fermentation and then kegging. Getting back to brewing (7yrs off) I am thinking of reframing that temp control setup.
Being in Florida and having this in a very warm garage, am considering let's say one fermenter plus i.e. 2-3 beers in corny kegs (5gal batches). We probably have to switch from good old carboys to glycol coils accepting vessels (let's just say a bucket plus coil for starters, drop a coil into kegs too)
Thoughts about the chiller: As in setup and efficiency meets feasibility (and cost)
a) I could patch up an AC unit and a cooler and build a chiller like so many here. And then run cooling lines to the cornies and fermenter (maybe put them is some insulated housing so garage heat won't get to them too much) [think old cabinet with pink foam] I am in the early stages of thinking about this.
b) use the 5 cuft freezer to cool the glycol and the other vessels. What about dropping an i.e. stainless steel tank (metal for better temp transfer) [ something like this Stainless Steel Airtight Canister -- Illustration not a promotion] Put pumps in it and run through the bucket's lid and freezer top.
c) use the idea of b but only with one glycol pump in the tank and run a glycol loop with an added pressure regulator for flow and pump circulation. And then stack some STC-1000/ solenoid combos for each channel and individual cooling needs? For example, a fermenter and two kegs. etc. [if heat transfer in freezer is efficient enough, there might be crash cooling or lagering as option] [I also have a Particle photon and relays board sitting here; for more temp logging if needed]
For b and c, would a freezer on the typical 0-5F be too cold for this glycol setup? It freezes like -37F but I was wondering about viscosity and "getting too thick" (vodka in freezer comes to mind, but that has water in it)
Or actually, would the heat transfer of the glycol tank and freezer be sufficient?
Just a bunch of cool ideas. your thoughts?
tom
I have done years of fermentation temp control with fridges, pink foam boxes and dorm fridge, 5 cuft freezers etc.... pending on life stages, housing, and the state. And used i.e. that setup for both, fermentation and then kegging. Getting back to brewing (7yrs off) I am thinking of reframing that temp control setup.
Being in Florida and having this in a very warm garage, am considering let's say one fermenter plus i.e. 2-3 beers in corny kegs (5gal batches). We probably have to switch from good old carboys to glycol coils accepting vessels (let's just say a bucket plus coil for starters, drop a coil into kegs too)
Thoughts about the chiller: As in setup and efficiency meets feasibility (and cost)
a) I could patch up an AC unit and a cooler and build a chiller like so many here. And then run cooling lines to the cornies and fermenter (maybe put them is some insulated housing so garage heat won't get to them too much) [think old cabinet with pink foam] I am in the early stages of thinking about this.
b) use the 5 cuft freezer to cool the glycol and the other vessels. What about dropping an i.e. stainless steel tank (metal for better temp transfer) [ something like this Stainless Steel Airtight Canister -- Illustration not a promotion] Put pumps in it and run through the bucket's lid and freezer top.
c) use the idea of b but only with one glycol pump in the tank and run a glycol loop with an added pressure regulator for flow and pump circulation. And then stack some STC-1000/ solenoid combos for each channel and individual cooling needs? For example, a fermenter and two kegs. etc. [if heat transfer in freezer is efficient enough, there might be crash cooling or lagering as option] [I also have a Particle photon and relays board sitting here; for more temp logging if needed]
For b and c, would a freezer on the typical 0-5F be too cold for this glycol setup? It freezes like -37F but I was wondering about viscosity and "getting too thick" (vodka in freezer comes to mind, but that has water in it)
Or actually, would the heat transfer of the glycol tank and freezer be sufficient?
Just a bunch of cool ideas. your thoughts?
tom
