I am planning on adding a glycol cooling system to stainless conical. For those who have a cooling coil inside do you find it hard to keep clean and sanitize? Would wrapping the coil around the outside be a better option? I know it won't be as efficient but it would not involve cleaning and sanitizing. Opinions appreciated. Thanks.
Cooling conical from inside or outside.
- Thread starter juice1113
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I went for the external route, just finished the build a week ago! The reasons:
1) easier to clean. My conical is keg based and it's hard enough to clean now.
2) i could potentially be sending <32F glycol thru the lines and having the keg wall helps "disperse the cold" to minimize freezing on the walls. If my lines were inside they'd freeze up for sure.
3) the internal unit would be harder for me to make since i have a keg-based conical. I'd have to cut it up and weld it back shut.
4) i like having it integrated with the fermentor, i can't lose it, etc.
1) easier to clean. My conical is keg based and it's hard enough to clean now.
2) i could potentially be sending <32F glycol thru the lines and having the keg wall helps "disperse the cold" to minimize freezing on the walls. If my lines were inside they'd freeze up for sure.
3) the internal unit would be harder for me to make since i have a keg-based conical. I'd have to cut it up and weld it back shut.
4) i like having it integrated with the fermentor, i can't lose it, etc.
I use a 15 gallon plastic conical with my glycol lines mounted inside it. I use a sprayball to clean my conical and it only takes 5 minutes of run time to get the walls and coil clean. My feeling is having the coils closer to the center makes chilling more efficient. I guess the biggest question would be how big is the opening at the top? Is it small like a brewhemoth or a full lid like a bilchman.
ClaudiusB
Well-Known Member
All my stainless conicals have internal cooling coils, cleaning and sanitizing has never been a problem.
Never lost a batch in 14 years.
Before I put the coils inside the conicals fermentation was done in a cool room, was a pain in the rear.
Cheers,
ClaudiusB
