Penquin Glycol Chiller vs MoreBeer's Icemaster 100 Glycol Chiller with Stainless Bulkheads

[CodeSection]

Which would you choose and why? MoreBeer is having a 15% sale discount on their website and their unit is reduced by $120 to $679.99.

It appears MoreBeer's unit had some leaking issues around the drain.

 

[Bryggeri]

I had the same question last year after my converted freezer gave up. I went with Penguin, mostly due to the reviews. and the smaller size helped also. Penguin has worked perfectly and would do it again. used spikes line insulation for the lines and quick disconnects, and only use 1 coil through the wall on my SSbrewtech 1st generation 15 gal fermenter with FST controller and SSbrewtech neoprene jacket(and heater). My only regret is not doing this sooner.

 

[CodeSection]

I had the same question last year after my converted freezer gave up. I went with Penguin, mostly due to the reviews. and the smaller size helped also. Penguin has worked perfectly and would do it again. used spikes line insulation for the lines and quick disconnects, and only use 1 coil through the wall on my SSbrewtech 1st generation 15 gal fermenter with FST controller and SSbrewtech neoprene jacket(and heater). My only regret is not doing this sooner.

Currently, I would only be using a chiller on one Spike CF10. Hopefully, later in the year year I will have another CF10. With that said, the MoreBeer's model has a 10 gallon reservoir and the Penguin model only has a two gallon reservoir. On the surface, one would give an advantage to the MoreBeer unit. Do you agree?

 

[Bent-Brewer]

The larger reservoir size just means the compressor will kick on less frequently, but it also means you're replacing ~5 gallons of glycol every year or two instead of just 1 (Penguin). That alone will outstrip the cost savings from the flash sale.

It's a tradeoff between compressor life and upkeep costs. I'd personally go for the Penguin since I do smaller batches every couple months- I'd be paying more for glycol than for the beer, and either unit would last years since I wouldn't be using it frequently (which is why I'm still using ice jugs in a cooler).

Realistically both are good options that will meet your needs.

 

[augiedoggy]

you dont really need a 1/2 gycol 1/2 water mix...I have 2 gallons of glycol in my 10 gallon reservior. I believe a 25% glycol solution cools better than 50% anyway if I remember correctly.
I keep my chiller at 30-31 degrees and while I dont cold crash with it I have my 1/3hp micromatic chiller holding 2 beers at 50 degrees right now and one at 65 with zero issues I have brought them down to 42 but theres too much condensation for my liking and we use brights to cold crash and carbonate... and I use it to control 4 3bbl conicals at once. as long as your not trying to bring multiple beers from like 70 to 50 at once it doesnt struggle at all.

at home my 1/3 hp chiller has a small 3 gallon sump.. zero problems there with 4 7-12gallon conicals either. I think whatever you decide with be plenty for 10 gallon batches.

 

[mongoose33]

Which would you choose and why? MoreBeer is having a 15% sale discount on their website and their unit is reduced by $120 to $679.99.

It appears MoreBeer's unit had some leaking issues around the drain.

Here's my read on this:

I bought a Penguin last summer, the 1/2 HP model. Here are the two things that caused me to choose the Penguin over the Icemaster:

1. Smaller reservoir. I'm not sure why they need an 8-gallon reservoir, and that struck me as too large, esp. if I went to a 50/50 glycol/water mix. Of course, you don't have to go to that level, but I still couldn't see why that large a reservoir.

2. It's on wheels and has a more vertical form factor, as opposed to the Penguin which is more horizontal. The Penguin fit my space better (pic below showing where I had to put it).

Now, that said--if you'd presented me with the Icemaster at $680 versus the Penguin at $900 (1/3 hp) or $1000 (1/2 hp), AND I had a place to put it...I would have selected the Icemaster.

I'm not unhappy with my Penguin, not at all. It fits where I had to put it, and man, it cools well. But the Icemaster appears to be as good in terms of BTUs, so....

 

[eric19312]

1. Smaller reservoir. I'm not sure why they need an 8-gallon reservoir, and that struck me as too large, esp. if I went to a 50/50 glycol/water mix. Of course, you don't have to go to that level, but I still couldn't see why that large a reservoir.View attachment 631750

I am thinking the larger reservoir would make it faster to chill warm wort to pitching temperatures. In the summer I'd like to be able to chill to 85, transfer to the fermentor. Start the glycol, and be able to pitch yeast as soon as possible. 20F to drop, 55F differential between glycol solution and the hot wort...With a 10 gallon reservoir I could chill the fermentor in theory by just dumping all the heat from my a half barrel fermenter into the reservoir. With a smaller reservoir this would not be possible but of course in real world the chiller does start up, and pulls the heat transferred from the fermentor into the reservoir out into the air. The speed of chilling the wort in the fermentor to pitching temps will depend on the differential between the glycol and wort and the efficiency of the heat exchanger - which might be increased by for example mixing the wort while chilling.

The question I would have for penguin owners is how long does it take you to drop a CF15 from say 85 to 65F, and during this time what is the maximum temperature your glycol reservoir reaches. If the maximum temperature of the glycol is only a few degrees above your glycol set temperature the size of the reservoir is probably moot. The compressor is able to keep up with the heat exchanger and pulling the heat out of the reservoir almost as fast as the heat exchanger can pump it in. If however you are seeing your glycol go from a set point of 28 to 40 during this process you would likely be able to chill that tank faster if you had a larger reservoir.

I don't think it would make any difference for holding temperatures or for cold crashing at a moderate pace...say over 24 hours. In either of these situations my guess is the compressor keeps up with the job just fine and the glycol temp barely moves.

 

[mongoose33]

I am thinking the larger reservoir would make it faster to chill warm wort to pitching temperatures. In the summer I'd like to be able to chill to 85, transfer to the fermentor. Start the glycol, and be able to pitch yeast as soon as possible. 20F to drop, 55F differential between glycol solution and the hot wort...With a 10 gallon reservoir I could chill the fermentor in theory by just dumping all the heat from my a half barrel fermenter into the reservoir. With a smaller reservoir this would not be possible but of course in real world the chiller does start up, and pulls the heat transferred from the fermentor into the reservoir out into the air. The speed of chilling the wort in the fermentor to pitching temps will depend on the differential between the glycol and wort and the efficiency of the heat exchanger - which might be increased by for example mixing the wort while chilling.

The question I would have for penguin owners is how long does it take you to drop a CF15 from say 85 to 65F, and during this time what is the maximum temperature your glycol reservoir reaches. If the maximum temperature of the glycol is only a few degrees above your glycol set temperature the size of the reservoir is probably moot. The compressor is able to keep up with the heat exchanger and pulling the heat out of the reservoir almost as fast as the heat exchanger can pump it in. If however you are seeing your glycol go from a set point of 28 to 40 during this process you would likely be able to chill that tank faster if you had a larger reservoir.

I don't think it would make any difference for holding temperatures or for cold crashing at a moderate pace...say over 24 hours. In either of these situations my guess is the compressor keeps up with the job just fine and the glycol temp barely moves.

The thing about the Penguin I have is that it recovers so fast that a larger reservoir would make virtually no difference. If I have it set to 28 degrees and start chilling a warm fermenter, about the highest the temp of the reservoir ever gets is...maybe 33 degrees, but 31 is more typical once it's running continuously. It literally starts moving the temp back down in seconds. It's a beast.

The thing about the larger reservoir is that initially it has more thermal mass, but then once it's warmer, it takes longer to bring it back down to where you want it. Ultimately it's the difference in temps that matter, i.e., between the coil and the beer.

I don't honestly think you're going to find a lot of difference in performance here. I don't have a CF15, just a CF10, but the speed with which it drops the fermenter when it's warm is impressive; as you note above, it's the temp delta that does that.

 

[eric19312]

The thing about the Penguin I have is that it recovers so fast that a larger reservoir would make virtually no difference. If I have it set to 28 degrees and start chilling a warm fermenter, about the highest the temp of the reservoir ever gets is...maybe 33 degrees, but 31 is more typical once it's running continuously. It literally starts moving the temp back down in seconds. It's a beast.

The thing about the larger reservoir is that initially it has more thermal mass, but then once it's warmer, it takes longer to bring it back down to where you want it. Ultimately it's the difference in temps that matter, i.e., between the coil and the beer.

I don't honestly think you're going to find a lot of difference in performance here. I don't have a CF15, just a CF10, but the speed with which it drops the fermenter when it's warm is impressive; as you note above, it's the temp delta that does that.

Thats the 1/2 HP penguin right. Anyone able to comment on the 1/3 HP model?

 

[CodeSection]

...(which is why I'm still using ice jugs in a cooler)...

I am currently using frozen bottles in a cooler as well. I have a tri-level house and I'm tired of carrying the frozen bottles downstairs to my brewery/game room and then carrying the replaced bottles back upstairs to the kitchen. There is a small builtin refrigerator in the brewery/game room, however, it cannot handle nor is large enough to freeze the bottles. I do not have room for another freezer in the brewery/game room.

My wife wants some of the freezer back.....

...2. It's on wheels and has a more vertical form factor, as opposed to the Penguin which is more horizontal. The Penguin fit my space better ...

As you pointed out, the Icemaster is taller and would be easier to move around. If I went the Peguin route, I was planning on buying a 18" x 12" hardwood dolly at Harbor Freight to be able to move around. It still would be lower than the Icemaster.

I'm leaning toward the Icemaster. I just want to buy a chiller that will last and has no manufacturing flaws and will last...

 

[mongoose33]

I am currently using frozen bottles in a cooler as well. I have a tri-level house and I'm tired of carrying the frozen bottles downstairs to my brewery/game room and then carrying the replaced bottles back upstairs to the kitchen. There is a small builtin refrigerator in the brewery/game room, however, it cannot handle nor is large enough to freeze the bottles. I do not have room for another freezer in the brewery/game room.

My wife wants some of the freezer back.....

View attachment 631770


As you pointed out, the Icemaster is taller and would be easier to move around. If I went the Peguin route, I was planning on buying a 18" x 12" hardwood dolly at Harbor Freight to be able to move around. It still would be lower than the Icemaster.

I'm leaning toward the Icemaster. I just want to buy a chiller that will last and has no manufacturing flaws and will last...

Whose television-commercial freezer is that? Nobody has a freezer that neat and clean.....

 

[mongoose33]

I am currently using frozen bottles in a cooler as well. I have a tri-level house and I'm tired of carrying the frozen bottles downstairs to my brewery/game room and then carrying the replaced bottles back upstairs to the kitchen. There is a small builtin refrigerator in the brewery/game room, however, it cannot handle nor is large enough to freeze the bottles. I do not have room for another freezer in the brewery/game room.

My wife wants some of the freezer back.....

View attachment 631770


As you pointed out, the Icemaster is taller and would be easier to move around. If I went the Peguin route, I was planning on buying a 18" x 12" hardwood dolly at Harbor Freight to be able to move around. It still would be lower than the Icemaster.

I'm leaning toward the Icemaster. I just want to buy a chiller that will last and has no manufacturing flaws and will last...

You have to do what works in your context. I'm very space-limited in my setup, so the Penguin worked better. I looked long and hard at the Icemaster last year, just couldn't fit it in.

But I don't think you can go wrong either way. The price difference sure is significant. Doesn't Morebeer have a money-back guarantee? If I remember that correctly, and assuming they do, then to me the answer is easy: try the icemaster.

 

[beernutz]

I am currently using frozen bottles in a cooler as well. I have a tri-level house and I'm tired of carrying the frozen bottles downstairs to my brewery/game room and then carrying the replaced bottles back upstairs to the kitchen. There is a small builtin refrigerator in the brewery/game room, however, it cannot handle nor is large enough to freeze the bottles. I do not have room for another freezer in the brewery/game room.

My wife wants some of the freezer back.....

View attachment 631770


As you pointed out, the Icemaster is taller and would be easier to move around. If I went the Peguin route, I was planning on buying a 18" x 12" hardwood dolly at Harbor Freight to be able to move around. It still would be lower than the Icemaster.

I'm leaning toward the Icemaster. I just want to buy a chiller that will last and has no manufacturing flaws and will last...

White Castle, coconut and popcorn shrimp, spicy wings, pizza, steak--I would like to be at the power outage party at your house.

 

[CodeSection]

You have to do what works in your context. I'm very space-limited in my setup, so the Penguin worked better. I looked long and hard at the Icemaster last year, just couldn't fit it in.

But I don't think you can go wrong either way. The price difference sure is significant. Doesn't Morebeer have a money-back guarantee? If I remember that correctly, and assuming they do, then to me the answer is easy: try the icemaster.

It is currently sitting in my cart. Do you use any plastic quick connects with Spike's coil or lines?

 

[CodeSection]

White Castle, coconut and popcorn shrimp, spicy wings, pizza, steak--I would like to be at the power outage party at your house.

Don't forget the Costco Vodka Martini Popsicles!

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

I pulled the trigger on the Morebeer chiller but I am a DIYer so I will check this thing over when I get it. At that price point it made sense.

One other reason I chose the Icemaster is the Freon it uses. Penguin uses 410a which is harder to source if it springs a leak. I know because I had to fix a cheap dehumidifier with 410a and it was much tougher to find. 134a is readily available if something went wrong. That alone makes a huge difference.

If it has some lose bolts and leaks a bit, I will probably give lower rating on it but by now you would think they resolved those issues. Maybe not but we will see. I will post back after I get the thing running.

After the warranty is up I will replace the stc with an Inkbird controller and not have to deal with Celsius conversion.

I also like the fittings are stainless.

 

[CodeSection]

I pulled the trigger on the Morebeer chiller but I am a DIYer so I will check this thing over when I get it. At that price point it made sense.

One other reason I chose the Icemaster is the Freon it uses. Penguin uses 410a which is harder to source if it springs a leak. I know because I had to fix a cheap dehumidifier with 410a and it was much tougher to find. 134a is readily available if something went wrong. That alone makes a huge difference.

If it has some lose bolts and leaks a bit, I will probably give lower rating on it but by now you would think they resolved those issues. Maybe not but we will see. I will post back after I get the thing running.

After the warranty is up I will replace the stc with an Inkbird controller and not have to deal with Celsius conversion.

I also like the fittings are stainless.

Did you buy the glycol from them as well? Did you buy any accessories for it?

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

Did you buy the glycol from them as well? Did you buy any accessories for it?

I just bought this for now. I think I can source the glycol cheaper local even with the 15%. I will also eventually order the connectors probably from US Plastics. They are a little more expensive but they look sturdier.

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=129804&catid=743
https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=129810&catid=743

If the flow is good enough through them I might be able to get away with the 3/8 version.

Hope that helps.

 

[CodeSection]

@LuckyBeagleBrewing, thanks for the links. I just placed my order with Morebeer as well. I ended up buying their glycol since it was 15% off and free shipping. It will save me some time trying to find it local or online. Good idea about the Inkbird controller!

Since I'm going to CO next week, I will not be able to try the chiller until the middle of July. Please keep me posted on the condition you received your unit from Morebeer and how it performs. I'll do the same.

 

[CodeSection]

White Castle, coconut and popcorn shrimp, spicy wings, pizza, steak--I would like to be at the power outage party at your house.

Feel free to stop by anytime!

 

[augiedoggy]

Here's my read on this:

I bought a Penguin last summer, the 1/2 HP model. Here are the two things that caused me to choose the Penguin over the Icemaster:

1. Smaller reservoir. I'm not sure why they need an 8-gallon reservoir, and that struck me as too large, esp. if I went to a 50/50 glycol/water mix. Of course, you don't have to go to that level, but I still couldn't see why that large a reservoir.

2. It's on wheels and has a more vertical form factor, as opposed to the Penguin which is more horizontal. The Penguin fit my space better (pic below showing where I had to put it).

Now, that said--if you'd presented me with the Icemaster at $680 versus the Penguin at $900 (1/3 hp) or $1000 (1/2 hp), AND I had a place to put it...I would have selected the Icemaster.

I'm not unhappy with my Penguin, not at all. It fits where I had to put it, and man, it cools well. But the Icemaster appears to be as good in terms of BTUs, so....

View attachment 631750

mongoose, its hard to tell from the pic but what kind of space do you have for the condenser in the back as far as airflow and ventilation,

when I spoke to LG about the units I use for my coolbots in my walkin coolers they were adamant about the units needing a full 2ft of space around the vents at the sides and the rear. They said anything less would cause it to run hot and diminish performance as well as shorten compressor life.

If im not mistaken, most chiller compressor units are set up in reverse from a window ac unit, meaning the ambient air is normally pulled into the condensor from outside and blows across the compressor and through or out the sides. But due to the design implementation of a window ac unit thats not the way its done., the air is instead pulled in from the sides across the compressor where its warmed a bit and then through the condenser and thus is already warmer, which is why the condensers are bigger on a window ac unit vs most similarly sized refrigeration or chiller units...
I dont know whether penquin changed the fan direction or not when they converted the cooling unit?

 

[augiedoggy]

Thats the 1/2 HP penguin right. Anyone able to comment on the 1/3 HP model?

From what I can find the 1/3hp model still uses a 5000btu ac unit as its base vs a normal 1/3hp chiller compressor only being less than 2300btus... It cools with the power of 2200 btu at 28 degrees I'm not sure where the design change is to make the difference but going by that is seems a lot less efficient? the 1/2hp model uses the same modified 5,000 btu window ac compressor but only cools with the power of 2850 btu at 28 degrees. I imagine the difference in power is due to the cooling pipe design in the sump being different. question is do they both use the same amount of electricity to provide thier respected outputs? it seems that way.

 

[eric19312]

mongoose, its hard to tell from the pic but what kind of space do you have for the condenser in the back as far as airflow and ventilation,

when I spoke to LG about the units I use for my coolbots in my walkin coolers they were adamant about the units needing a full 2ft of space around the vents at the sides and the rear. They said anything less would cause it to run hot and diminish performance as well as shorten compressor life.

If im not mistaken, most chiller compressor units are set up in reverse from a window ac unit, meaning the ambient air is normally pulled into the condensor from outside and blows across the compressor and through or out the sides. But due to the design implementation of a window ac unit thats not the way its done., the air is instead pulled in from the sides across the compressor where its warmed a bit and then through the condenser and thus is already warmer, which is why the condensers are bigger on a window ac unit vs most similarly sized refrigeration or chiller units...
I dont know whether penquin changed the fan direction or not when they converted the cooling unit?

Good point @augiedoggy according to the penguin user manual
"Locating the chiller: All chillers work on the principal of removing heat from the water and transferring it to the air. The chiller needs ventilation. If the chiller is located in an overly hot or unventilated area, it can not dissipate heat efficiently and lowers the chiller's ability to cool. Enclosed small spaces like cabinets typically do not provide enough ventilation unless modified to do so. Ideal spacing is 6 inches on the sides and top of chiller and 12 inches on the back of the chiller where it exhausts air. Improper ventilation may overwork the chiller and can lead to premature failure."

 

[augiedoggy]

Good point @augiedoggy according to the penguin user manual
"Locating the chiller: All chillers work on the principal of removing heat from the water and transferring it to the air. The chiller needs ventilation. If the chiller is located in an overly hot or unventilated area, it can not dissipate heat efficiently and lowers the chiller's ability to cool. Enclosed small spaces like cabinets typically do not provide enough ventilation unless modified to do so. Ideal spacing is 6 inches on the sides and top of chiller and 12 inches on the back of the chiller where it exhausts air. Improper ventilation may overwork the chiller and can lead to premature failure."

So it does retain the reverse ventilation system of the window ac unit its based off... I guess take LG's advice with a grain of salt then but they told me over the phone when I spoke to thier engineering dept that anything less than 2ft was bad... so much so that it would void the warranty (I have no idea how they could prove it though).
in any case I imagine in mongooses case much of the warm air exiting the back is bouncing off the wall and being pulled rigfht back into the side intake vents which would hinder performance although as he already pointed out the size of the unit is already such overkill for the task it doesnt seem to matter. still I would consider turning the unit 180 degrees.

penquin does have a nice BTU chart touching on what is recommended for cooling what as far as fermenters. its at the bottom of this page.

https://www.penguinchillers.com/product/1-3-hp-glycol-chiller/

 

[eric19312]

So it does retain the reverse ventilation system of the window ac unit its based off... I guess take LG's advice with a grain of salt then but they told me over the phone when I spoke to thier engineering dept that anything less than 2ft was bad... so much so that it would void the warranty (I have no idea how they could prove it though).
in any case I imagine in mongooses case much of the warm air exiting the back is bouncing off the wall and being pulled rigfht back into the side intake vents which would hinder performance although as he already pointed out the size of the unit is already such overkill for the task it doesnt seem to matter. still I would consider turning the unit 180 degrees.

penquin does have a nice BTU chart touching on what is recommended for cooling what as far as fermenters. its at the bottom of this page.

https://www.penguinchillers.com/product/1-3-hp-glycol-chiller/

I've looked at that chart quite a few times and it is clear that the 1/3 HP chiller would be way more chilling capacity than I will ever need at the homebrewing scale. It is also the chart that had me thinking about a 1/10 HP or 1/4 HP aquarium chiller. The aquarium chiller clearly has the BTU/hr needed for my brewing but I hear the concerns with cold crashing. I can cold crash to about 36F now in my speidel tank in my refrigerator I don't want to be worse than that on an expensive fermentor "upgrade".

I looked for clearance instructions on the Icemaster document but no information provided. Did notice it comes with casters so that larger size might be more manageable.

 

[cfrazier77]

Did you buy the glycol from them as well? Did you buy any accessories for it?

I just bought this for now. I think I can source the glycol cheaper local even with the 15%. I will also eventually order the connectors probably from US Plastics. They are a little more expensive but they look sturdier.

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=129804&catid=743
https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=129810&catid=743

If the flow is good enough through them I might be able to get away with the 3/8 version.

Hope that helps.

You don't need to use glycol depending on how much you want to drop temps in your fermentor. I have an old micromatic and an old brewhemoth. Strait water at 33 degrees will get 15 gallons below 40 when I cold crash. Glycol would be nice, but not worth the expense or hassle right now.

 

[augiedoggy]

You don't need to use glycol depending on how much you want to drop temps in your fermentor. I have an old micromatic and an old brewhemoth. Strait water at 33 degrees will get 15 gallons below 40 when I cold crash. Glycol would be nice, but not worth the expense or hassle right now.

Your right but the $30 gallon of glycol also inhibits nasties from growing in the water.

 

[Vale71]

Your right but the $30 gallon of glycol also inhibits nasties from growing in the water.

Actually, there are nasties that can just feed on the glycol, but being able to keep the temperature below freezing all the time will certainly slow down their proliferation much like it does with frozen food.

 

[cfrazier77]

Your right but the $30 gallon of glycol also inhibits nasties from growing in the water.

I just change out the water every so often.

Actually, there are nasties that can just feed on the glycol, but being able to keep the temperature below freezing all the time will certainly slow down their proliferation much like it does with frozen food.

I keep my chiller around 50 for fermenting at ale temps. Doing it in the 30s was causing overshoots for me.

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

I just change out the water every so often.

I think this is the most important thing. And make sure you use softened and not distilled water.
I seen cfrazier77s setup and it is really nice and compact. Besides that, he has produced some award winning beer.

I just got the icemaster unboxed and so far everything is tight except the drain plug. I will work on that before I fill to ensure no leaks.

It is definitely taller than I thought, but it looks good after I got the coil separator put back together. That and I have to vacuum it out piece if insulation. First run will be with water. Pure water.

 

[mcl]

Why not distilled water?

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

Why not distilled water?

Distilled water will deteriorate the copper tubing. That is why my R/O-DI piping is all stainless and plastic. DI is close to distilled and it will leech everything it can to replace missing minerals.

 

[Vale71]

RO or distilled water will not affect copper tubing. You must be thinking of softened water that still has all the CO2 it had originally dissolved in it and it's the dissolved CO2 that will act as a weak acid and affect certain metals. RO or distilled water has had the CO2 removed as well and is not corrosive. It also has no "memory" and does not need to replace any minerals it previously had.

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

RO or distilled water will not affect copper tubing. You must be thinking of softened water that still has all the CO2 it had originally dissolved in it and it's the dissolved CO2 that will act as a weak acid and affect certain metals. RO or distilled water has had the CO2 removed as well and is not corrosive. It also has no "memory" and does not need to replace any minerals it previously had.

I was told not to use RO/DI or distilled water with copper tubing and I will leave it at that. All the research I did said the same thing.

Salt softened water is what I am using for the chiller and that is not void of minerals.

Besides that there has to be validity to what I have read because the Icemaster instruction states the following in its instruction sheet.

If you choose to use water only - it is best to use tap water as RO/distilled/deionized water on its own may damage the heat exchanger

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

One thing I have found that I am not crazy about on the Icemaster is the little hole they put in the glycol chamber cover to run all the tubing and pump wires. I will probably leave the top front cover loose and run it all under that.

 

[Vale71]

Salt softened water is not void of minerals but has had Ca and Mg replaced with sodium or potassium and this causes an imbalance in the water chemistry, making the dissolved CO2 aggressive. Softened water will, for example, dissolve carbonate deposits in old piping and with time make them squeaky clean again. At which point it will start corroding the underlying metal.
I really don't know where Icemaster got the idea from. All the chiller instructions I've read explicitly recommend distilled water as this slows down bacterial proliferation (bacteria just as yeast need minerals as nutrients.)

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

Here is a pic of what I was talking about on the glycol cover for those interested in the IceMaster 100.

For reference, this is one hose through the access hose. Needs a redesign or leave a cover off.

 

[augiedoggy]

distilled water is what you are supposed to use with automotive radiators and coolant as well. to slow corrosion down.

 

[cfrazier77]

I was told not to use RO/DI or distilled water with copper tubing and I will leave it at that. All the research I did said the same thing.

Salt softened water is what I am using for the chiller and that is not void of minerals.

Besides that there has to be validity to what I have read because the Icemaster instruction states the following in its instruction sheet.

If you choose to use water only - it is best to use tap water as RO/distilled/deionized water on its own may damage the heat exchanger

A friend of mine who has a commercial RO business, primarily for non residential customers, puts in all stainless fittings or PEX, for the same reason. Water wants to be at equilibrium with environment around it. This is why you have hard or soft water. Water that is not carrying any dissolved solids, like metals, will strip it to be where it wants to be. This is why water is a solvent and we can use it to extract flavors from food.

Alton Brown's Good Eats episodes on water are really good at explaining the science behind this.

 

[eric19312]

Here is a pic of what I was talking about on the glycol cover for those interested in the IceMaster 100.

For reference, this is one hose through the access hose. Needs a redesign or leave a cover off.

View attachment 632447

That hole does look small but wouldn’t a smaller hole reduce evaporation of your glycol/water mixture? Is it about right size for 1 or 2 hoses but needs to be enlarged for more?