Ice probe in plastic 15 gallon conical

[SaltyHog]

Hey, I was wondering what you guys think of this ice probe aquarium chiller being installed in a standard usplastics 15 gallon conical fermenter
http://www.novatecproducts.com/iceprobe.htm
Anyone think there could be an issue with it being in direct contact with fermenting wort?

 

[El_Exorcisto]

I bet that would work really slick...

 

[Barc]

Where are you venting the hot air?

 

[SaltyHog]

Where are you venting the hot air?

Good question! I didn't think of that. My closet isn't air tight and I could keep the door cracked or open all the time. In the summer I'd keep it in the basement which is very drafty.

 

[Barc]

So you're putting it in the side? How are you keeping it from leaking?

Edit...

Not trying to be an ass, just wondering.

Also, this thing puts off as much heat as a 60W light bulb, it says. That's a lot in a small area. And I wonder about the longevity of the smallish fan they have attached to it.

 

[arturo7]

Two questions:

What is the cooling capacity of the unit?

What materials will come in direct contact with the wort?

 

[SaltyHog]

So you're putting it in the side? How are you keeping it from leaking?

Edit...

Not trying to be an ass, just wondering.

Also, this thing puts off as much heat as a 60W light bulb, it says. That's a lot in a small area. And I wonder about the longevity of the smallish fan they have attached to it.

No worries, I'm glad to have someone think of the potential problems before I actually buy it.

It shouldn't leak since it's for aquariums, but you never know. I was thinking of putting it on the side above the cone section cause the conical is flat on either side.

Perhaps I'll just have to be the guy to see if it works for us or not.

 

[SaltyHog]

Two questions:

What is the cooling capacity of the unit?

What materials will come in direct contact with the wort?

It says it can cool 10 gallons to 6-8 degrees under ambient. I was most concerned about the materiel that touches wort. id better read through the specs well or shoot an email to the manufacturer to make sure its food safe. ill post again when i get more info
Cheers!

 

[SaltyHog]

So apparently it can be used for cooling a small reservoir of drinking water. I guess that makes it safe for contact with consumables.

 

[samc]

Did you do a search for Iceprobe on HBT? Several threads about it. I looked into it and decided that the temp differential for 10+ gallons would not be a cost effective way to go. I'd also call the company to make sure they are still in business as many of the sites carrying the product told me they could not get them anymore.

 

[SaltyHog]

Did you do a search for Iceprobe on HBT? Several threads about it. I looked into it and decided that the temp differential for 10+ gallons would not be a cost effective way to go. I'd also call the company to make sure they are still in business as many of the sites carrying the product told me they could not get them anymore.

Yes, I did a search. I didn't find anything specific to plastic conicals but Im just getting used to the iPhone app version of the site and may have missed it. If you know a relevant link that I should read please post it.
I don't really need it to drop from high temps as there is always a closet or basement in my place around 65F-70F. I thought it might be useful to maintain a consistent temperature during aggressive fermentation but I am worried about cutting a 1-1/4" hole in my conical for nothing.

 

[brewzombie]

I installed an iceprobe into a 20 gallon cooler to function as a temp-controlled water bath. A ranco controls the temp. No leaks - the iceprobe comes with its own gasket thingee that screws on well. The material of the probe that contacts the wort is aluminum (I think) coated with a foodsafe plastic material. With the insulated walls of the cooler, I can chill 2 x 6 gallon buckets and maybe 6+ gal of surrounding water about 6 degrees below room temp. It's stable at 19 C (room temp about 24-25 C), but I've had issues at 17 C. Not sure if it will work for you though ... depends on how much liquid and how insulated the fermentor is and how hot the surrounding area is. A closet is not ideal.

 

[Barc]

I'd be concerned with the cooling capacity of that, honestly. Even if you can get the airflow around it, the contact patch of that doesn't look to be big enough to do a lot. Maybe I am not taking into account the circulation due to warm beer rising and cold beer falling inside the conical. Or...

We could always just do some thermodynamics!

1W = 860 calories/hr
Heating / Cooling 1g water 1 degree C = 1 calorie
1L water = 1kg water = ~3780g / gallon water (note, beer density is more but we will assume water for sake of sanity)

So...

Assuming a 60W peltier at 100% efficiency.


60W = 51600 calories / hr
10 gallons water (assuming conical is not full) = 37800 g

So, you could theoretically cool 10 gallons with a 60W peltier about 1.4 degrees C per hour IF you didn't have any outside / internal forces acting upon it.

The problem is, you do have outside and inside forces working on it (and I'm using a less dense liquid than beer to do calcs). And, not to belabor the point, the yeast at high krausen are probably creating half that much heat, if not more. Couple the yeast with the environment (remember, the environment strives for equilibrium) and your peltier will probably not keep up.

My 2 cents.

EDIT

Just saw brewzombie's post. Indeed, it will cool, as thermo (hooray!) has proven. But, insulating a conical that's producing heat may well defeat the purpose...

 

[SaltyHog]

Thanks Brewzombie and Barc for your input. I'll guess I'll wait and see how high temps get this summer and decide if it's worth the risk then. Otherwise I coild try the stainless steel coil and pump method If it's too hot. Cheers!

 

[meadowstream]

You probably saw this example of use of this product on what looks like the MoreBeer temperature controlled fermenter: http://www.novatecproducts.com/iceprobe_product_gallery.htm

 

[SaltyHog]

You probably saw this example of use of this product on what looks like the MoreBeer temperature controlled fermenter: http://www.novatecproducts.com/iceprobe_product_gallery.htm

I did not see that! Thanks for pointing it out meadowstream. I guess reading some reviews on the morebeer temp controlled conical will be useful for this decision. Cheers!