FTSs Brewtech Glycol Chiller

[bruhaha]

I have two 7G FTSs Brew buckets going trying to keep wort cool (mid-60's ferm temp) as the summer heat approaches. I have a heavy duty Grizzly cooler/reservoir with ice water and frozen ice bottles struggling to keep cool. My ambient temps avg in the upper 80's by day, or upper 60's by night. I am replacing frozen water bottles faster than I imagined...at least 3 frozen bottles twice per day. So if I needed to run out of town on an overnight trip, I'll be SOL.

I looked at other systems inc building a glycol cooler and not interested. Looked at running a reservoir in a temp controlled freezer and not interested. This potentially leaves me with a commercial glycol chiller and I'll likely go with Brewtech as the proprietary nature appeals to me.

It retails for $999. Other than Brewtech, I don't see online retailers that carry this...am I missing someone that carries it? reason I ask is that Mem Day sales are coming up and I may luck out and catch it on a sale. Anyone aware if this is a situation that may exist???

Thanks!

 

[Morrey]

subscribed

 

[brick_haus]

I have seen several glycol chillers online pretty much just like Ss models.
Google 1/3 hp glycol chiller and see them all.

 

[johnwpowell]

Love my ss brewtech glycol chiller

 

[DasBierBaron]

Something like that seems so overkill to me to chill 10 gallons. I use a 20$ dorm fridge as a glycol chiller and can cold crash 10 gallon batches in my chronical at 32 degrees no problem. All I had to do was put a 5 gallon tote inside the fridge and bend the freezer coils down into the liquid. Took 5 minutes. If money is no object, go for the brewtech.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I'll end up with one at some point.

You could look at lab units. Heated chilling recirculating water baths. I found one for 500 on eBay. It's frigging awesome, heats and cools your conical coils. I use mine on a ss brewtech 1/2 bbl. I can heat into the high 80's or lager at 32. It's basically a sousvide heating unit in a stainless vessel with a chiller plate underneath. Most have pumps as well.

 

[Carlscan26]

Check these guys out - it's what the SS BrewTech is based off of: http://rapidswholesale.com/3-gal-glycol-unit-1-3-hp-120v.html

 

[johnwpowell]

Something like that seems so overkill to me to chill 10 gallons. I use a 20$ dorm fridge as a glycol chiller and can cold crash 10 gallon batches in my chronical at 32 degrees no problem. All I had to do was put a 5 gallon tote inside the fridge and bend the freezer coils down into the liquid. Took 5 minutes. If money is no object, go for the brewtech.

How do you fit a chronical in a dorm fridge?

 

[bruhaha]

Thanks for all the ideas to be entertained. I have a question for those who pump glycol thru cooling coils. Once the fermentation is over and chiller is shutdown, how you push the glycol back into the reservoir that would otherwise stay in the coils?

Something like that seems so overkill to me to chill 10 gallons. I use a 20$ dorm fridge as a glycol chiller and can cold crash 10 gallon batches in my chronical at 32 degrees no problem. All I had to do was put a 5 gallon tote inside the fridge and bend the freezer coils down into the liquid. Took 5 minutes. If money is no object, go for the brewtech.

This sounds pretty neat, actually, and saves a bunch of $$. I like your idea here. I assume you have something like an Inkbird probe in the glycol reservoir to control the fridge? Is there anyway you could send a pic so I (we) can get a better handle on how you bent the freezer coils down into the liquid? Or could the dorm fridge simply keep the glycol cool enough w/o bending the coils direct into the liquid? Thanks for the neat idea, and with college just getting out, I bet a dorm fridge could easily be found.

 

[woo_pig]

You could just use a aquarium chiller. Dont know if you could cold crash with it.

 

[Morrey]

This thread is full of good ideas. I just looked at Craigslist in my area and found several dorm refrigerators. One was $45 while most were around $75. I got a spare ATC sitting around.....waiting to hear from DasBierBaron for more info.

 

[Morrey]

You could just use a aquarium chiller. Dont know if you could cold crash with it.

I'm following this thread as I am entertaining a similar idea now that summer is warming us up. Have you used an aquarium chiller? I looked at one online but really had no clue what I'd need for cooling. I have a freezer dedicated for cold crash, carbing and lagering, so that part is taken care of. Ferm temp management is my goal. My lagering freezer stays full all the time with pipeline kegs so just looking to expand a bit to control ale or pilsner ferm temp....50F to 70F, basically.

 

[woo_pig]

I'm following this thread as I am entertaining a similar idea now that summer is warming us up. Have you used an aquarium chiller? I looked at one online but really had no clue what I'd need for cooling. I have a freezer dedicated for cold crash, carbing and lagering, so that part is taken care of. Ferm temp management is my goal. My lagering freezer stays full all the time with pipeline kegs so just looking to expand a bit to control ale or pilsner ferm temp....50F to 70F, basically.

I never have. I have read som threads about people using them.

 

[DasBierBaron]

This sounds pretty neat, actually, and saves a bunch of $$. I like your idea here. I assume you have something like an Inkbird probe in the glycol reservoir to control the fridge? Is there anyway you could send a pic so I (we) can get a better handle on how you bent the freezer coils down into the liquid? Or could the dorm fridge simply keep the glycol cool enough w/o bending the coils direct into the liquid? Thanks for the neat idea, and with college just getting out, I bet a dorm fridge could easily be found.

I'm away from home until next week, but this is the exact fridge I got for 20$ off craigslist. The compartment in the upper right is only attached by a screw and the coolant pipe. Take out the screw and take off the little door, and you can bend the whole metal freezer piece downward. Then I put in my 5 gallon tote and slid the shelf in underneath it. The freezer piece reaches all the way to the bottom of the tote. Next, I drilled a couple holes in the door for wires and tubing. You will need an inkbird or something to keep the reservoir from freezing solid.

This won't work without the coils in the liquid; air is just too poor of a conductor. It's really not difficult to do, though, and there are usually tons of cheap dorm fridges on craigslist. 28$ for the prewired inkbird, 20$ for the fridge, and 2$ for the tote. For a total of 50$ and 10 minutes of work I have more cooling power than I need for 10 gallons. You could use regular water as coolant if you don't plan to cold crash, but I would keep the reservoir temp set above 40F or it might freeze on you depending where your temp probe is.

To answer the question about coolant in the coils, they are easily removed and all the coolant comes out if you hold them sideways.

 

[augiedoggy]

I have seen several glycol chillers online pretty much just like Ss models.
Google 1/3 hp glycol chiller and see them all.

The chiller SS sells can be bought for a few hundred less WITH a pump installed... I find it odd that ss orders them without the pumps installed and then marks them up for more when in reality your getting less and it should be cheaper.

I use a larger beverage line chiller and made a cheap manifold so the pump can be used to supply glycol to whatever one or more of my 3 Conicals needs chilling.. it's been working very well for years now using cheap 24v soleniod valves .. I used to use Stc 1000 units but just switched to a brucontrol software/Arduino setup... My whole set-up cost a couple hundred to make but I scored the chiller for free so.
There are a lot of others using a similar manifold design.

 

[boasist]

With the many sales this weekend SS products were omitted from all of them. Used is our only chance at getting a deal. Otherwise we must succumb to MAPP pricing.

 

[Master]

The chiller SS sells can be bought for a few hundred less WITH a pump installed... I find it odd that ss orders them without the pumps installed and then marks them up for more when in reality your getting less and it should be cheaper.

I use a larger beverage line chiller and made a cheap manifold so the pump can be used to supply glycol to whatever one or more of my 3 Conicals needs chilling.. it's been working very well for years now using cheap 24v soleniod valves .. I used to use Stc 1000 units but just switched to a brucontrol software/Arduino setup... My whole set-up cost a couple hundred to make but I scored the chiller for free so.
There are a lot of others using a similar manifold design.

Dumb question, where are you seeing comparable coolers for hundreds less.

I think I've seen you cooling system on Kal's website, but I couldn't find the source for cheaper chillers.

I would like a dedicated chiller.. I just can't bring myself to spend $1k for it when the GhettoCooler is functional.

 

[Morrey]

Dumb question, where are you seeing comparable coolers for hundreds less.

I think I've seen you cooling system on Kal's website, but I couldn't find the source for cheaper chillers.

I would like a dedicated chiller.. I just can't bring myself to spend $1k for it when the GhettoCooler is functional.

I am currently using my FTSs system in a 7G brew bucket with an Ozark Ice Chest I drilled (hurt me to drill an expensive cooler) for cooling lines and ice bottles. I am getting 12 hours out of 3 frozen Gatorade bottles, so I think I may need to get bigger bottles than 32 ounces. But, no matter how you view this, dealing with frozen bottles twice per day is a bit of a PITA.

I do use freezers with ATC but when my pipeline is filled as it is now, I have to resort to this as a secondary fermenter method. So I am reluctant to spend 1K on a system that I consider as a backup or overflow. I'm sure if I had it I'd use it more often, but the price seems a bit higher than what it is personally worth to me. Augiedoggie mentions similar systems for hundreds less, but my Google searches are not turning up those results. Any guidance will be helpful.

 

[johnwpowell]

I am currently using my FTSs system in a 7G brew bucket with an Ozark Ice Chest I drilled (hurt me to drill an expensive cooler) for cooling lines and ice bottles. I am getting 12 hours out of 3 frozen Gatorade bottles, so I think I may need to get bigger bottles than 32 ounces. But, no matter how you view this, dealing with frozen bottles twice per day is a bit of a PITA.

I do use freezers with ATC but when my pipeline is filled as it is now, I have to resort to this as a secondary fermenter method. So I am reluctant to spend 1K on a system that I consider as a backup or overflow. I'm sure if I had it I'd use it more often, but the price seems a bit higher than what it is personally worth to me. Augiedoggie mentions similar systems for hundreds less, but my Google searches are not turning up those results. Any guidance will be helpful.

i travel for work often gone a week or more at a time. Ice chest was not going to work. I don't know maybe if I had to do it all over again maybe carboys and chest freezers would have been less fuss and less cost. Once you are in for the ssbrewtech conical you are in for a fermentation chamber big enough to fit it, the glycol chiller or some home made chiller as the brilliantly simple dorm fridge conversion.

 

[Morrey]

i travel for work often gone a week or more at a time. Ice chest was not going to work. I don't know maybe if I had to do it all over again maybe carboys and chest freezers would have been less fuss and less cost. Once you are in for the ssbrewtech conical you are in for a fermentation chamber big enough to fit it, the glycol chiller or some home made chiller as the brilliantly simple dorm fridge conversion.

Yeah, the ice bottle method has me literally tied to the house preventing even an overnight trip out of the immediate area. I read where one brewer had a dorm fridge and he bent the freezer coils section down into a glycol reservoir. I looked at dorm fridges at Lowes and the freezers looked entirely different than his pics. He said the dorm fridge would not chill the glycol low enough to be effective unless the coils were submerged in the glycol.

My luck I'd bend the lines down and they'd crimp or break. I figure something would happen with a project like this with my luck. Anyway, stuck with ice bottles for now.

 

[crooow]

Dumb question, where are you seeing comparable coolers for hundreds less.

I think I've seen you cooling system on Kal's website, but I couldn't find the source for cheaper chillers.

I would like a dedicated chiller.. I just can't bring myself to spend $1k for it when the GhettoCooler is functional.

Here's a relatively cheap glycol chiller that Walmart is selling: Link. I wonder if something like that would work.

 

[Morrey]

Here's a relatively cheap glycol chiller that Walmart is selling: Link. I wonder if something like that would work.

Looked fantastic until I see they add $180 shipping. Whoa

 

[crooow]

Looked fantastic until I see they add $180 shipping. Whoa

Yikes! Never mind.

 

[Morrey]

Yikes! Never mind.

That's the...."Gotcha"

 

[Dfitz]

I'll end up with one at some point.

You could look at lab units. Heated chilling recirculating water baths. I found one for 500 on eBay. It's frigging awesome, heats and cools your conical coils. I use mine on a ss brewtech 1/2 bbl. I can heat into the high 80's or lager at 32. It's basically a sousvide heating unit in a stainless vessel with a chiller plate underneath. Most have pumps as well.

Can you provide a little more info on the chiller you reference? I'm looking for something to use on my single barrel. Yours sounds like the ticket to me. For now I'm juggling in the mid temps. I wish the weather would go one way or the other.

 

[jready]

I have the ss brewtech glycol chiller and 2 7 1/2 gallon chronicals and one 14 1/2. I have all three hooked up to it now plus one brite tank. Works like a charm. I did the water bottle method for a year and really got fed up with it and wanted to be able to lager and cold crash. It isn't cheap but they stand behind their stuff. I travel a lot for work and it's nice knowing I don't have to worry about it.

 

[Morrey]

I did the water bottle method for a year and really got fed up

I have done the water bottle method for now what is my second batch and I can say this isn't the way I want to continue to do things. Of course I only use the water bottle method if my ATC freezer is tied up with something else.

I'd eventually like to go with bigger than 5G batches, so a 14G conical is at least on my mind. Unless I use a whole refrigerator as a ferm chamber, the glycol seems the way to go. Maybe one will appear on sale or as a deal where a brewer is getting rid of their equipment.

 

[jready]

I have done the water bottle method for now what is my second batch and I can say this isn't the way I want to continue to do things. Of course I only use the water bottle method if my ATC freezer is tied up with something else.



I'd eventually like to go with bigger than 5G batches, so a 14G conical is at least on my mind. Unless I use a whole refrigerator as a ferm chamber, the glycol seems the way to go. Maybe one will appear on sale or as a deal where a brewer is getting rid of their equipment.

I agree. I love hearing what others have done but I am just not that handy. I built my keezer but anything beyond that is well above my pay grade.

 

[boasist]

Great find on that chiller, but the smaller res. and compressor. Not sure if you can squeeze 4 FTSs pumps in there, plus modding it. SS knew this would happen and priced that chiller right.

 

[Morrey]

For the time being I am using the ice chest/cooler method until I can find something glycol based for a reasonable price. I bought a 26 qt Ozark high performance cooler that is supposed to keep ice for 4.5 days. I drilled small holes in the lid for cooling lines and have those lines insulated with foam pipe insulation. I use a one gallon frozen milk jug and a one quart Gatorade bottle filled with water and frozen with enough cold water in the cooler to cover the pump. My shed is 80's in the day and 60's overnight. Even with all of this care, and the cooler set to keep the wort at 67F, I am replacing the frozen ice jugs every 12 hours. I haven't had temp drop below 67F, but the ice in the frozen jugs is completely melted within each 12 hour cycle.

This is a high maintenance situation but until I go glycol, I don't have many other options. If anyone has ideas to increase the performance of my current ice chest with frozen bottle system, please let my know how to improve my efficiency.

 

[johnwpowell]

For the time being I am using the ice chest/cooler method until I can find something glycol based for a reasonable price. I bought a 26 qt Ozark high performance cooler that is supposed to keep ice for 4.5 days. I drilled small holes in the lid for cooling lines and have those lines insulated with foam pipe insulation. I use a one gallon frozen milk jug and a one quart Gatorade bottle filled with water and frozen with enough cold water in the cooler to cover the pump. My shed is 80's in the day and 60's overnight. Even with all of this care, and the cooler set to keep the wort at 67F, I am replacing the frozen ice jugs every 12 hours. I haven't had temp drop below 67F, but the ice in the frozen jugs is completely melted within each 12 hour cycle.

This is a high maintenance situation but until I go glycol, I don't have many other options. If anyone has ideas to increase the performance of my current ice chest with frozen bottle system, please let my know how to improve my efficiency.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Go for the glycol or get a full size freezer that will fit the conical.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I've used a full size commercial fridge with mine for a year. It will work great if you have the space.

I'm moving soon and I'll have less space than I currently have so I'm considering selling the fridge and getting the glycol unit to run two conicals.

 

[Morrey]

I've used a full size commercial fridge with mine for a year. It will work great if you have the space.

I'm moving soon and I'll have less space than I currently have so I'm considering selling the fridge and getting the glycol unit to run two conicals.

Yeah, I have a 7 cf and a 5 cf chest freezer going now. Space is a consideration and I use the 5cf fermenting and keg lagering in the 7 cf. I like to build a pipeline this time of year since it seems more folks coming over like a cold beer in the summer. I plan to use the FTSs as a sort of "overflow" system meaning I don't really want to invest $1,000 for a chiller that is only used occasionally. I guess the frozen ice bottle trick will have to work for now. If I watch Craigslist and a glycol chiller comes along at a bargain price...I will snap it up. Ya' never know!

 

[ryanryates]

I have the SS chiller and have been very happy with it. Prior to the glycol unit, I used a stand up freezer with temp controller. I find the chiller is so much more precise and efficient in getting to temp and maintaining. Also, takes up much less room. Currently I am controlling temps on two half barrel chronicals.

I will say that I have been very disappointed with the FTSS control units and have had three go bad on me. I have now built a custom controller using BruControl software and arduino to control the glycol pumps and heaters.

 

[Morrey]

I have the SS chiller and have been very happy with it. Prior to the glycol unit, I used a stand up freezer with temp controller. I find the chiller is so much more precise and efficient in getting to temp and maintaining. Also, takes up much less room. Currently I am controlling temps on two half barrel chronicals.

I will say that I have been very disappointed with the FTSS control units and have had three go bad on me. I have now built a custom controller using BruControl software and arduino to control the glycol pumps and heaters.

I don't know the in's and out's of the system like you do, but would an Inkbird work in place of the FTSs controller?

 

[jready]

I have the SS chiller and have been very happy with it. Prior to the glycol unit, I used a stand up freezer with temp controller. I find the chiller is so much more precise and efficient in getting to temp and maintaining. Also, takes up much less room. Currently I am controlling temps on two half barrel chronicals.

I will say that I have been very disappointed with the FTSS control units and have had three go bad on me. I have now built a custom controller using BruControl software and arduino to control the glycol pumps and heaters.

I had one go bad on me but I will say their customer service is amazing. I let them know and they sent me another one no questions asked.

 

[ryanryates]

I had one go bad on me but I will say their customer service is amazing. I let them know and they sent me another one no questions asked.

I would concur - SS customer service has been great and replacements have been sent out immidiately. The problem is, they need to address the defect and design flaw in their product to ensure dependability in their product. I had a unit go bad during an active fermentation and my temps shot through the roof. This is unacceptable to me. This is why I have built my own control system and scrapped the FTSS.

NOTE: While their electronics are not yet up to par, I am still a huge fan of their stainless work and design. I would highly recommend their fermenters to anyone looking.

 

[ryanryates]

I don't know the in's and out's of the system like you do, but would an Inkbird work in place of the FTSs controller?

I have actually used an inkbird controller with the glycol unit when the SS FTSS controller went bad. You will need to pick up a submersible pump. I used this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ANITJQY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Worked great.

 

[Morrey]

An interesting side note since I am currently using ice bottles in a cooler with my FTSs system:

At the height of krausen with US-05, I was replacing frozen water bottles every 12 hours in my Ozark cooler. I was using 3 frozen qt sized Gatorade bottles, and at the end of the 12 hour cycle there was not a bit of ice remaining...in fact I was close to the equilibrium temps of the wort and ice/water bath. I changed my plan and used a full gallon jug of frozen distilled water along with one additional qt Gatorade bottle. At the end of the 12 hour cycle, the water temp was cooler than before (maybe due to the ice mass in the gallon jug?) but no ice remained.

I am nearing the end of week one in primary, BO tube activity has really slowed and SG is 1.015. Starting at 1.040 I figure I will drop a few more points in week 2 but much more slowly now. Point of all of this is my new understanding of the exothermic heat reaction the yeast is causing in the fermenter. My water bottles are maybe 1/3 frozen now at the end of the 12 hour cycle. My outside ambient temps have remained very stable so the only variable is the heat produced by the yeast inside the fermenter.

I have been aware of exothermic heat all along, but by using ATC's in freezers, I was not in close touch with the impact the fermentation was having on internal temps. Given this hands-on experience with the FTSs and ice bottle method, I have a newfound appreciation of the whole exothermic process. Sometimes the "manual" method shows us things we learn from that freezers and glycol chillers don't expose as readily. Always discovering, always learning.

 

[bruhaha]

Very interesting observation. Looking at the way your ice is lasting longer, I'll bet you may only have to replace every 24 hours once you near fermentation end. Would you be so kind to report this back?