Blichmann Glycol Chiller

[Kazama]

I gave the Blichmann Glycol Chiller a try and I am very disappointed. After having to cut bolts to get the wheels to rotate, I let it sit again and then powered it on... only to find out that it is DOA. The controller indicates that everything is normal but it does not run longer than three seconds before going quiet. It has been three hours since I turned it on and it has actually increased in temperature by one degree Fahrenheit, due to ambient temperature rising.

Fit and finish is decent but not great. The front panel bows out a bit because the screw holes weren't drilled to good tolerances, this might be a nitpick that I would have ignored if not for other issues. The controller is not secured to the chassis, nor does it have a water proofing seal. I have had to push it back in a couple of times and the bare circuit board could easily be exposed to liquid splashing. I do like the way the unit looks overall but it is not as well build as I expected from Blichmann.

If I had to rate it now it would get 0/5 stars for being DOA and requiring the end user to take a cutoff wheel to the bottom bolts to fix a manufacturing mistake. Blichmann is aware of the bolts being too long on some units and recommended that I cut them myself. Brew day is now cancelled and I have to deal with a warranty repair or return. I'll post an update after Blichmann responds.

 

[Jag75]

That sucks man . Sorry to hear your experience was a bad one. No reason a customer should have to cut the bolts themselves. Sounds like they may have rushed these into the market. That's pretty bad for a company with their well known reputation. I have a DIY chiller , works really good but isnt the best looking. They are just so expensive.

 

[Kazama]

My case might have been a one off, I don't know. I figured out what the problem is and I'm waiting for support to respond. The fan is seizing on the radiator, it looks like the fan bracket is bent forward. The radiator is a little banged up. They do use metal fan blades, which is nice. A more robust fan motor mount, with three mount points would have kept it in place. It doesn't look like a flimsy mount but it's definitely not straight. I get the feeling the design is decent but they are trying to maximize profits by cheaping out on the manufacturing.

 

[Kazama]

Update: The bending fan bracket is an issue that is affecting others as well. They say it is bending in shipping and they are working on a new bracket design. They will send a replacement unit with additional packing material to secure the fan. I don't know if they already shipped it out or when they will. Support is frustratingly slow but they are taking care of it.

 

[CodeSection]

Update: The bending fan bracket is an issue that is affecting others as well. They say it is bending in shipping and they are working on a new bracket design. They will send a replacement unit with additional packing material to secure the fan. I don't know if they already shipped it out or when they will. Support is frustratingly slow but they are taking care of it.

I know you are disappointed and frustrated, but this is good news. Too bad other manufacturers don't follow Blichmann's lead and do the same!

 

[Kazama]

I am a little frustrated and disappointed that it didn't just work. I've had to hold off on brewing for another month during a time when I am home and able to brew. I'm not really disappointed in Blichmann because I can understand the slower response time when they are forced to work remotely during a pandemic. It does look like I will probably get the replacement this week.

I was planning on doing a review of the unit because there was very little unsponsored information out there but I don't know if I'll have the time now. I may just update this thread with some results later.

 

[Kazama]

Update: I have still not received the replacement.

 

[Jag75]

Update: I have still not received the replacement.

That's just wrong man . I'd get your money back and build your own . I spent 300 bucks on mine and it gets the job done

 

[CodeSection]

Update: I have still not received the replacement.

Well, you could always ask for a return label to return the unit and get a refund. That might be your best option at this point since they have not indicated when they will have manufactured a new bracket design.

There are other chillers out there. Do your research for actual user's comments. I have an Icemaster 100 and easily crash to 28F. While other manufacturers typically have a 38-40F reported lower limits on cold crashing, you will not find any posts or threads about the Icemaster 100 limitations.

Good luck. If you stay with Blichmann, hopefully you will receive a working unit before summer is over.....

 

[Kazama]

Update:

I received the replacement and was able to test it on a 10 gallon batch. I am fermenting in my garage which is not insulated and fairly hot. Using a Spike Brewing CF10 with only the neoprene jacket, I can maintain a 38F-39F cold crash. If I want to get lower temps, I will need to insulate better but I don't believe the glycol chiller will be a limiting factor. The unit doesn't seem to have any issues maintaining the glycol reservoir temperature. I set it to maintain temperature within 2 degrees so it cycles more often that it probably needs to, while maintaining cold crash temps.

The controller on the replacement stays in place, the first one might have just gotten too banged up in shipping. I took off the side panel to inspect the unit and I saw that the controller is actually wrapped in plastic to protect it. I'm glad I opened it up because there was a frame support piece that was missing a bolt, it was sitting at the bottom of the unit so I put it back in no problem.

This batch went so smoothly that I may move the fermenter into the house for the next batch. The top of the chiller will make a great place to set a stir plate. I pressure fermented and bottled a case straight from the fermenter using the chiller as a table to set bottles on while capping. It's nice to have the extra work surface.

 

[Jag75]

Glad to see your up & running man