I still owe you guys a short summary of my first impressions of the new 3/8 HP Ss Brewtech Glycol Chiller...
I finally received another 5 Litres of Glycol today and was able to put it to a first test.
It's quite a monster.
In order to fill up the tank, you'll need 3 Gallons of Propylene Glycol, and twice that amount of distilled water.
So, all in all, it's 9 Gallons or just a little less than 35 litres of liquid.
The hose barbs are 3/8" (BSP threads, I don't know if the US version will have NPT ones).
I've replaced a few with quick disconnects:
QA seems to be quite tight, there's 6(!) signatures on a sticker at the bottom plate of the device:
The compressor is impressive, it shows 460W on the label. Some shops have it listed as 770W, Ss say it's 3/8 HP which would imply 280W. Confusing. I'll try and measure the actual power consumption some time soon(tm).
I attached a few FTSs pumps and made sure the glycol and water were well mixed, then switched the chiller on for the first time and was immediately impressed.
While the noise level is still comparatively low, you can definitely tell that this machine is a powerful workhorse.
I've made a little video of that:
I like the design (or the lack thereof). Steampunk. Form follows function. No doubts there.
This thing is serious.
An engineer's dream, a designer's nightmare.
I love it, it reminds me of Tim Taylor's "Tool Time". Binford Mega Turbo Chiller 2000.
The 35 litres (9.2 Gal) coolant got chilled down from 25˚C (77 F) to -3˚C (27 F) in approximately one hour's time.
I'm impressed and happy I bought this thing, even though it's probably total overkill for my humble brewery.
At least I won't ever have to worry about my cooling system being powerful enough for a cold crash, anymore.
Also, no more worries about dry hops settling out.
Filling bottles with the Beer Gun will be a piece of cake now, too.