Improvised Glycol line chiller?

[mavrick1903]

Trying to help a friend. He's remodeling his kitchen, and his wife is supporting putting a three tap tower in the new space. The tower will require the supply be located either a floor below, or a floor below and several rooms away (25' or so horizontal). Dont want to go with a commercial glycol cooler due to the cost and footprint.

My thoughts/plan
Run the insulated supply line that has the glycol feed/return lines. fill with glycol or saline, pump with a pond pump, or an aquarium pump of some kind. Need one that will overcome the vertical.

Thoughts?

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Unless pushing with beer gas, you run the risk of overcarbing to get a decent flow at the taps or taking 5 minutes to fill a pint glass...

What would your saline/glycol lines be made of? What diameter? Would worry about getting a pump that could handle that length run for a sustained period of time...

 

[iijakii]

I dont see mention of how the glycol is being cooled?

There are definitely submersibles you can find to do a one story lift, that's not a problem.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

These are cheap and small but work nicely. http://www.kegerator.com/kalinka-glycol-chiller-horizontal-1-6hp-totton-pump-25-foot-run/KG-16T.html

And either make trunk line with 3/8" or buy it. Might as well go with bev seal ultra so it doesn't need to be replaced too often. And spend the money now on line cleaning equipment. If the total cost of remote lines, glycol and cleaning are out of the budget then don't do it. It will just become a burden.

 

[day_trippr]

Impressive specs for the pump used inside that chiller.
Almost as impressive as the price...

Cheers!

 

[NeoBrew]

I would think he is going to have issues with maintenance of both the lines and the beer in them. Unless you are drinking tons of beer out of every line every day, I think you will end up with carb problems (and possibly staling effects) as it sits in the lines. I've never worked in a bar, but I think when they have long lines they need to toss a bit of beer at the beginning of every day to "freshen up" the lines.

If you still want to go through with this you might consider an advanced air cooled system rather than glycol. Run a pipe as a duct (maybe 4"?)with the lines in it. Then create a two way flow by running a smaller pipe along side or within that pipe to pump cold air from the kegerator up to the taps and then let it flow back down to get cooled again. You might have an easier time finding a forced air fan than a glycol pump too.

I've no experience with this. Just shooting from the hip. I could be completely full of crap.

 

[TrickyDick]

I wholeheartedly agree. For low volume home dispense, you want the SHORTEST possible source to glass that you can get.

Neobrew nailed it. I have an outdoor aircooled tower in my home (Florida), but freezing is not an issue.

I'm not saying it can't be done as described using glycol and different floors/long runs etc, but maintenance and flat beer in the lines will be a definite issue that must be dealt with if there isn't a way to keep cold kegs and lines closer the taps. Dumping several oz of beer per pour may or may not be acceptable. Custom and costly CO2/N2 beer gas mixing/blending devices might ultimately be needed if remote kegs and insulated glycol chilled lines are needed to deliver consistent pours and dissolved volumes of CO2 in the beer with appropriate line pressure to dispense and serve over distance and possibly height.

GOod Luck!

TD

Something to keep in mind.

 

[day_trippr]

I think you guys need to talk to the OP's Spousal Unit, because it seemed clear his options are bad (somewhat straight down) and worse (down and over a long ways). I didn't see a third, shorter, option, so his beer is going to take the hit regardless.

Anyway, while the short, near-vertical run might be doable using a cold-air circulating plenum system, the latter surely won't be...

Cheers!

 

[milldoggy]

I have taps in my dining room and the kegerator in the basement. I run a 27fr 1/4 barrier tubing trunk line. My vertical is 8ish ft. 12 psi is a perfect pour. Beer never taste stale in the lines.

For glycol, I first used a mini fridge with 5 gallons of rv antifreeze in a corny. I used a 24 v 7m head pond pump, eBay DC 2470 I think. I works great, just need to prime the system. The prob was the fridge would only get the glycol to 48. Used it for 2 year's.

I just swaped out to a glycol chiller made from a dehumidifier. Amazing. Now I pour at 2c.

Let me know if you have any questions. My system has been running for 3 years, no real issues

 

[milldoggy]

Pump http://m.ebay.com/itm/24V-1A-Brushl...p-DC40-2470-/121709476307?txnId=1602416953002

 

[milldoggy]

Chiller https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=540939