15 Gallon Conical Fermenter Cooling System

[18DPA]

Ship it home...hmmmm Not so much.

The type C are fine. With the hose I bought at Home Depot its a snug fit but I was able to pull them apart. I'm afraid with the barb/Larger Diameter it wouldn't happen. Flow seems to be fine as well.

For the brewing side I'm glad I did go with the larger bore ones. My office and work bench are such a mess of boxes and packaging right now and a lot of it says "stainless brewing" all over it. Thanks!

 

[modobrew]

Here it is on a test run.

Im trying to cool 5 gallons of water. Usually I'll brew 12 gallon batches but I want to test it at minimum capacity first. The bottom of the thermowell and the coil sit at about 2.5 gallons.

So far no leaks and it runs fine.

Pond Pump in stollen 5 gallon RO water jug. That cord into Ranco.

Ranco temp controller probe goes into brewers hardware's longest unthreaded thermowell (really well made).

Water is 80 degrees right now and fridge isn't cool either I'm going to wait to run the pump until its cooled off.

Also I am planning on a racking port but that is down the road a bit. All my fittings are in a box and I can't remember which are for the upcoming electric brewery.

Questions: What was the consensus on the airlocks on this? Needed not needed? I know you have to seal the lid etc etc. Spotty Dog I think you go without right?

Let us know how your test went with cooling with the dorm fridge. Looks great btw! Nice job.

Also interested in how well your yeast catcher works.

 

[18DPA]

Ooops. I'm about 3 sheets to the wind so bear with me. My dorm fridge is the typical at barracks fridge. I'll post details later.... If I run the ranco it won't bring the temp of the circulating water down. So if I run just the fridge it for about 8 hours then turn the system on it wlll drop the conical down about 5 points. Goinf back and forth I've got it cycling at 65 degrees. Going to brew an ale tomorrow so I'll see how it does with the exo thermic yeast.

 

[18DPA]

Sorry its been a little while since I posted. I've been building my electric brewery. Cutting holes in brand new Blichmanns and building temp probes. Not to mention I got the wrong locknuts and spent the evening destroying a 1" stainless nipple!! That was fun!

OK This project rocks!!! All I have to say is temperature control temperature control temperature control!!! Dumped the trub at 1 week and sampled the beer and it tasted ready to drink although I'm going to give it a couple more weeks to attenuate a little more.

So the cheap dorm fridge has been able to hold the 65 degrees. I had to move it to a different room in the house though because my office gets about 85 degrees mid day when we aren't home. Now that its in the right room the pump doesn't' cycle that often and it even went down to 64 one evening.

I also figured out that if I seal up the reservoir it doesn't evaporate onto the cooling panel inside the fridge and build up ice.

Question for you all. Glycol? Does it evaporate? I was thinking RV antifreeze just 50/50 or maybe even less.

All said and done I would do this exact thing over again. I may end up building a second and see if the dorm fridge can keep enough water cool to run two.

If I had money to burn I would buy the Morebeer set up but I'm still around $500 for the whole thing.

 

[vinper]

Nice engineering ,I really like those cam locks just ordered mine

 

[JLo]

I've got a similar setup on my v-vessel, right now I'm just running filtered water with some StarSan

 

[vinper]

I bought the 1/2" cam locks . the male side looks like the inside diameter reduces down to like 3/8" and could restrict a lager gpm pump

 

[drkwoods]

Great Build 18 LOVE IT!! I was thinking exact same set up except I want to run glycol/water mix from a corney keg in my Keezer? would that work?
Also: question can you get this conical with a male threaded drain to avoid internal tank threads? or am I overthinking this? thanxxx in advance!

 

[18DPA]

I think that might even work better. I would open the little pressure release valve on the corny so you don't ahve to mess with it being a closed system. I put glycol mix in mine last night. I kept having problems with the water in it evaporating off and freezing around the little coil in dorm fridge. Once I figure out how to close the system more besides plastic wrap over the water jug I cut the top off I'll post pics.

Plus the dorm fridge has had a hard time keeping up during the first couple days of fermentation and that is on 5 gallon batches. I will be curious to see how it handles a 12 gallon batch of something with a vigorous fermentation like a hefe or a big belgian.

But yes I think your plan will work well. Just make sure you get a pond pump with enough ass to push the water high enough. Like the Original poster was talking about.

Yeast catcher rocks. The first batch through was crystal clear! its a bit big for 5 gallon batch but when I go back to 12 gallon I think it will be better. I just did an IPA monday so I'll see how much trub I get out of it. As for the threads on the conical I don't think they make it the other way. Yes over thinking it. With the big 1.5" valve threaded almost all the way in there is only 1 or 2 threads exposed. It cleaned out really easy with just garden hose. I didn't even use PBW just star san and I'm normaly a nazi with cleaning.

 

[chrisdb]

subsribe

 

[chrisdb]

reviving an old thread with some questions about pumps and cooling options. I am looking to add a stainless cooling coil to a roto-mold 14 gallon plastic conical. I have a few refrigerator options- little 'cube' style dorm fridge, slightly larger 'office' fridge, or space in a chest freezer.
I am pretty set on using a submersible pump. This get's pretty good reviews
http://www.harborfreight.com/submersible-waterfall-pump-68418.html
is it too powerful for 10' of 1/2" tubing going to a 25' 3/8" SS coil with about a 5' lift?
I have a spare 'ebay' stc1000 controller, but haven't ordered the stainless tubing, fittings and haven't bought a pump yet, so I can upsize or downsize any part of the chilling system if it would improve the performance or reliability.
I generally brew in 11 gallon batches, and while partial to ales, would like to be able to do a lager and, more importantly, cold crash in the fermenter.

 

[18DPA]

save your money on that pump. This is the one i've been using with almost pure glycol and no problems. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPIQ1Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It runs even when the water mix I had froze almost solid in the dorm fridge. (thats why I mix heavy on the RV Antifreeze side.)

Also you'll want whatever you use as a reservoir to be almost sealed so it doesn't evaporate onto the cooling element inside the fridge. Then in between batches thaw out the fridge. I used one of my old 6 gallon fermenting buckets with holes the same diameter as the hose drilled in the lid. It takes some force to push the hose through em but it almost seals air tight. You don't want to make a sealed system because you'll have to mess with pressure release valves and bleeding it etc.

I've done 15 batches through it and love it. Simple, easy to clean, light and easy to move.

 

[modobrew]

So glad to see this thread is still inspiring others to use these budget conscious conicals as fermenters. We've encountered absolutely zero issues with our initial design, probably 7 ten gallon brews completed in it. We've actually added a 150 W ceramic bulb heater on the heat side to maintain temps during these cold winter months. Was down in the teens the past 2 nights and this little lamp kept the temp humming right along. Would love to hear others success stories using a similar system.

We were actually featured in the AHA Pimp My System section for this rig. I'll try to get a link up to it here shortly. Cheers!

 

[18DPA]

Must be nice to have cold temps!! Been riding my motorcycle to work this week. Central Tx.

Yea I'm a success as well. Love it and even thinking of buying a second. Then alternate batches on the cooling system. Leave it on the fridge for primary fermentation and then switch for the next batch. Im not an expert but since the yeast does the bulk of its work, is most stressed during primary fermentation i would think thats when temp control is the most important. Then being able to just leave it in a conical with the trub dumped for a couple more weeks or months would be nice.

 

[chrisdb]

save your money on that pump. This is the one i've been using with almost pure glycol and no problems. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPIQ1Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It runs even when the water mix I had froze almost solid in the dorm fridge. (thats why I mix heavy on the RV Antifreeze side.)

Also you'll want whatever you use as a reservoir to be almost sealed so it doesn't evaporate onto the cooling element inside the fridge. Then in between batches thaw out the fridge. I used one of my old 6 gallon fermenting buckets with holes the same diameter as the hose drilled in the lid. It takes some force to push the hose through em but it almost seals air tight. You don't want to make a sealed system because you'll have to mess with pressure release valves and bleeding it etc.

I've done 15 batches through it and love it. Simple, easy to clean, light and easy to move.

Thanks for the tip- I ordered 2 of those pumps today (2 conicals) and have 2 SS coils and fittings enroute from stainlessbrewing.com- hopefully I'll get some pix up in a week or so.
I was also thinking of a sealed 7G bucket and lid as reservoir for the glycol mix. Originally I was thinking pumping from a chest freezer, but now I'm thinking it would be better to use a dedicated 'dorm' fridge for cooling as I can raise it up to reduce the head pressure, as well as turn it off when not in use.
just curious... are you putting your temp probe in a thermowell, or attaching to the outside of the conical?

 

[18DPA]

Thanks for the tip- I ordered 2 of those pumps today (2 conicals) and have 2 SS coils and fittings enroute from stainlessbrewing.com- hopefully I'll get some pix up in a week or so.
I was also thinking of a sealed 7G bucket and lid as reservoir for the glycol mix. Originally I was thinking pumping from a chest freezer, but now I'm thinking it would be better to use a dedicated 'dorm' fridge for cooling as I can raise it up to reduce the head pressure, as well as turn it off when not in use.
just curious... are you putting your temp probe in a thermowell, or attaching to the outside of the conical?

Thats exactly what I use. It was virgin lid I sacrificed with 2 holes the exact diameter as the hose so its a super tight fit but not sealed. Dorm fridge is kicking ass. I went as cheap, small and maint free as possible. The thermowell is right in the center of the conical lid running down into the middle of the coil towards the bottom. 21" I think I got it from Bobby m off this forum. Also Stainlessbrewing is great!! Zach is super easy to work with and quick shipping.

 

[modobrew]

Ours is the exact same way, thermowell running straight down the center with the probe stuck down in it. Loving the system and building a second one now.

 

[chrisdb]

I have a pretty good seal on my lids using two food grade silicone O rings around the outside perimeter of the lid, which being fairly airtight- requires me to use a blow off tube that is going through the center that I drilled to accept a 1" stopper with a 3/8" blow off tube. I tried doing an open (unsealed) fermentation and ended up with a couple interesting but quite sour brews. Nothing wrong with that but, but It's not something I want to drink everyday.
So my plan is to insulate the fermenter with the probe to the controller on the outside wall of the fermenter under the insulation, and place a digital thermometer into the fermenter ( bobby M thermo bulkhead and CDN quick-read) so I can spot check the wort temp.

 

[thelorax121]

Off topic, but where in Raleigh are you Modo? I work at Raleigh Brewing Co/Atlantic Brew Supply on Hillsborough and would love to chat with you about your system.

 

[chrisdb]

save your money on that pump. This is the one i've been using with almost pure glycol and no problems. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPIQ1Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It runs even when the water mix I had froze almost solid in the dorm fridge. (thats why I mix heavy on the RV Antifreeze side.)

Also you'll want whatever you use as a reservoir to be almost sealed so it doesn't evaporate onto the cooling element inside the fridge. Then in between batches thaw out the fridge. I used one of my old 6 gallon fermenting buckets with holes the same diameter as the hose drilled in the lid. It takes some force to push the hose through em but it almost seals air tight. You don't want to make a sealed system because you'll have to mess with pressure release valves and bleeding it etc.

I've done 15 batches through it and love it. Simple, easy to clean, light and easy to move.

Submersible pumps are definitely the way to ... no issues with losing prime. I need something with more power to pump than these however. My setup is 10' of 1/2 I.D. on both inlet and outlet with a 25' coil of 3/8" stainless tubing in the middle. Pumping water it flows, but the extra viscosity of the 50/50 glycol-water mix just slows it down to zero once I put a 4 foot head pressure on it. I'm glad it works with your setup, but i guess just too much resistance in mine.

 

[Dolomieu]

Thanks for this thread. I have a buddy trying to figure out how to cool his 27gal conicals for lagering and i think i have him talked into this route. He can't get the proper size freezers in his basement and building a walk in cooler seems way more expensive.

Anyway i know this is an older thread. Any updates on the use of the dorm fridge?

 

[kenglish427]

its not the origonal post, but a similar design, and to answer the dorm fridge question, I dont know yet. i got the fridge last night and plugged in about 10pm. when I get home I will check to see how the temps are doing. I think I may add a Copper coil in line on the water system in the fridge to help heat transfer. Testing it for now on 11 gallons of water in the conical.
I'll update when I find out if it works or not.

 

[Dolomieu]

Very cool! Thank you

 

[kenglish427]

so I tried everything as pictured above, and it dropped my temp about 2 degrees. it was bad, but then I got creative. the mini fridge i used had the small freezer section that cooled the whole thing, so I gutted the fridge, and routed the freezer section into a small cooler of water. results.... I was able to get my fermenter down to 49 degrees before i decided to shut it off (a 30-35 degree difference from ambient in my garage). I was happy with my test and decided to call it good. The thing is uninsulated,so if i wrapped the fermenter, i feel that even laugering in Florida will be pretty easy.
I am going to wire the chilled water system into my spare PT1000 and set it at around 50 so it is not running all the time, and can adjust if i need it to run cooler.
I will post some pictures when I get a chance.

 

[Dolomieu]

Thanks for the update. I was curious how it would go as i see that the pump is in the bath. I use Danner pumps for a handful of applications at work and they can generate some heat even in 150 liters of water. Of course that is with it running 24/7. i'm actually thinking of a closed loop with a copper coil inside a bath. I would have to bleed it but that wouldn't be that hard. leave the pump outside the bath. hopping that it would transfer heat efficiently yet possibly avoid over shooting temp. I've been on the road so much that i have had no chance to even get started on this endeavor but my buddy has an engineer friend that may have access to glycol chillers, so his issues may get solved soon. I don't have his bank roll so i'm still looking at this kind of set up.

Thanks again for the update

 

[kenglish427]

Here's what i was talking about saying that i put the components into a cooler.
The pump is just a $10 harbor freight setup. Garden hose fittings on top of conical, its 1/2" stainless tubing coiled inside, Id say roughly 20' it has (6) 9" coils below the waterline. I will be installing the second temp controller into the cooler to regulate it, mostly to keep the thing from just freezing solid.

as far as expenses go, i would say the stainless tubing, and the spray ball in the middle of the fermenter are probably the biggest cost. I got the mini fridge for free from a roommate.

 

[Dolomieu]

Nice! Please let me know how this works out for you.

 

[Islandboy85]

That's pretty cool. I've thought about using an empty cornet in my keezer as a 5 gallon reservoir, put bulkhead fittings for the water pump in the wood collar of the keezer, and then run it out to my kegmenter. I'm going to have a 6" TC welded to it to make cleaning easier. I should be able to get something that small bent. 5 gallons of 38 F water hopefully will be able to control 12 gallons of lager. I've never brewed one, but want to try. It should really help with my ales at least.

 

[kenglish427]

I am going to brew a Black IPA Saturday to fill this thing. I will keep yall updated.
I would think the 5 gallon tank would work, my only concern would be that the heat exchange from the cold air in the keezer may not cool the recirculating water enough. Maybe try a metal stock pot or something like that for your tank to help the transfer.

 

[Islandboy85]

I am going to brew a Black IPA Saturday to fill this thing. I will keep yall updated.

I would think the 5 gallon tank would work, my only concern would be that the heat exchange from the cold air in the keezer may not cool the recirculating water enough. Maybe try a metal stock pot or something like that for your tank to help the transfer.

I was thinking that for the initial temp crash, since Texas water is so hot, I could start it all of with mostly ice in the reservoir. For getting it down closer to lager temps it might help as well. I don't understand why a pot would be better than the keg. I know the system isn't really ideal, but if I insulate the kegmenter it is way better than what I've got now. The only other solution, which I don't have room for, is to get a dorm fridge the kegmenter could fit into. I know lots of people have had success with old 5000 BTU window units cooling down either the air in a fermentation chamber or a coolant reservoir, but that would come up agains SWMBO's limit of patience. I've already got the keezer, so it wouldn't be any extra gear hanging around the apartment.