Question on SS Brewtech Glycol Chillers/FTSs & Fermzill All Rounder

[leoatslt]

I'm currently utilizing 2 All Rounder for fermentation - with a single 5cu. ft. chest freezer as fermentation chamber + 40W heat wrap (https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/fermwrap.htm) "rigged up" around the all rounder; both controlled by an Inkbird WiFi controller. This basically single threads my beer brewing.

I'm looking at adding a Temp Twister to the All Rounders and utilizing a glycol chiller to allow simultaneous fermentation. I've been seeing used SS Brewtech 1/5 hp glycol chillers (GC) available. The glycol tubing hookups seem pretty straight forward. Its the FTSs proprietary heating pad hookup I'm struggling with. Has anyone setup these Brewtech GC to utilize those 110V AV heat wraps with the FTSs? Or is there a way to set this up utilizing the Inkbird controller instead of the FTSs?

 

[Whisky River]

Why not just buy the SS Brewtech heating pad? They are supposed to work pretty well, they might be considered safer than an AC pad, there designed to work with the system and they are only $50. Compared to the cost of setting up a glycol chiller that doesn’t seem like much.

 

[leoatslt]

Thanks for response. I'm pretty sure that "half mat" (https://www.ssbrewtech.com/products...nd-unitank-heating-pad?variant=39579037237319) would be problematic to "attach" to the fermzilla. Happy to use that heating mat if others have found a way to "attach" to the fermzilla all rounder.
Assume eventually I end up w a SS conical...just want to "back in to it" over time...

 

[Deadalus]

The FTSs are expensive temperature control addons. A glycol chiller needs to have a temp controller for the glycol reservoir. I don't know specifically if the SS Brewtech 1/5 HP needs the FTS for maintaining reservoir temp. My Brewbuilt Icemaster 100 has a basic temperature controller. The fermenter typically will need a cooling and heating controller. The cooling is accomplished using a pump inside the reservoir, turned on it sends glycol to the coils or jacket on a conical. Heating can be through a mat or a TC heating rod. A wifi enabled temperature controller, I have Inkbirds and BN-link brands, will operate the pump and heater. I use stick on mats for my unis and they are AC 120V.

 

[Broothru]

Why not just buy the SS Brewtech heating pad? They are supposed to work pretty well, they might be considered safer than an AC pad, there designed to work with the system and they are only $50. Compared to the cost of setting up a glycol chiller that doesn’t seem like much.

+2.

I’ve used both SS Brewtech Unitanks and BrewBuckets with those heating pads for about ten years. When I got the vessels, the heaters came with them. Never thought I’d need them, but ‘oh well.’

Boy, was I wrong. I use them on nearly every brew (mostly to speed up temp increase for D rest, but still…). They’ve worked flawlessly, and paired with the temperature controller the fermenters will switch seamlessly between heating and cooling as needed to maintain your desired temperature.

 

[pvpeacock]

The SS Brewtech glycol chiller has its own temperature controller that only determines the temp. of the glycol/water mixture in the chiller tank. The FTS system controls a pump that sits in the glycol/water mixture inside the chiller tank and also controls the heat pad attached to the fermenter. So, if the wort in the fermenter is higher that the FTS set temperature, the FTS turns on the pump to circulate glycol/water. If the wort is cooler than the set temp. the FTS turns on the heating pad.

 

[Deadalus]

I didn't think the FTSs controlled the reservoir temp but didn't want to claim it didn't. It comes with some silicone tubing and a small pump, has a touchscreen, some clamps, and has some programming available. It costs $249.00. Buyers need to decide if the bells and whistles are worth it. The wifi controllers I mentioned are around $35-$40. If I'm not mistaken, two fermenters would require two FTSs. If you are buying used, it's often a real deal if one of those FTSs units are thrown in as an extra, but check the generation as the older ones were different and may not have had heat controls. Heat is useful. As I understand it, it helps dampen oscillations. SS Brewtech alludes to the newest FTSs being "smarter" than older models, that is it reduces temperature delta (algorithm driven, not just from the heating pad). It's a nice tool, but the upcharge is high in my opinion.

 

[Broothru]

I didn't think the FTSs controlled the reservoir temp but didn't want to claim it didn't. It comes with some silicone tubing and a small pump, has a touchscreen, some clamps, and has some programming available. It costs $249.00. Buyers need to decide if the bells and whistles are worth it. The wifi controllers I mentioned are around $35-$40. If I'm not mistaken, two fermenters would require two FTSs. If you are buying used, it's often a real deal if one of those FTSs units are thrown in as an extra, but check the generation as the older ones were different and may not have had heat controls. Heat is useful. As I understand it, it helps dampen oscillations. SS Brewtech alludes to the newest FTSs being "smarter" than older models, that is it reduces temperature delta (algorithm driven, not just from the heating pad). It's a nice tool, but the upcharge is high in my opinion.

The two separate fermenters would each need their own FTSs controller, pump and tubing, but the 1/5HP model (the one I have) can easily handle three simultaneous fermentations, as long as you’re talking 5-7 gallon batches, and, of course, reasonable ambient temperature in your brew space. A hot garage in Texas in the summer wouldn’t cut it.

The temperature for the glycol reservoir is selectable (I set mine at 28F year round), and the hysteresis (cycling) temperatures for both the glycol reservoir tank as well as the individual FTSs controllers is selectively programmable.

 

[bike2brew]

I am using 2 FTS cooling units with my fermenter and a swamp cooler setup with ice packs. Everything is good and I am able to maintain a steady 64 to 65 degree fermentation temperature changing out the ice packs twice daily. More often in early fermentation when it's exothermic. My ambient basement temperature is between 69 and 72 through the summer. I have interest in addition of a 7-gallon jacketed Unitank with glycol chiller but primarily to lager brews which I have not yet done.


.

 

[Broothru]

It was about eight years ago when I decided to ‘up’ my brewing game by leaving plastic and glass equipment in the rear view mirror.

First was a 7 gal. BrewBucket, next a Peltier chiller (didn’t workout), then a Chronical from SSBrewTech before realizing that I “needed” glycol chilling to move to the next level, and finally bit the bullet and got a Unitank.

So for seven years or more I’ve been fermenting and chilling, almost exclusively in the Unitank and a 1/5 HP chiller. My only upgrade since then was a Clawhammer kegmenter and the updated digital FTSs controller for the Unitank. Best “hobby investments” I ever made.

 

[bike2brew]

I wonder what bottling is like from the Uni? As you can see from my setup, I am bottling from counter height and gravity does the job. It appears that to bottle from the racking tube the height is much lower. Is the Uni stable enough it could sit on something like the brew cube to raise it up a bit?

 

[Indian_villager]

Why use the FTSS at all? The pump and the heater you already have should plug into the linked controller and you are good to go.

Temp Controller
Pump

 

[Broothru]

I wonder what bottling is like from the Uni? As you can see from my setup, I am bottling from counter height and gravity does the job. It appears that to bottle from the racking tube the height is much lower. Is the Uni stable enough it could sit on something like the brew cube to raise it up a bit?

Bottling is always a pain. When I absolutely have to bottle, I do it with a counter-flow bottler under pressure from a keg. It’s much easier than it sounds, and makes for a better overall bottling day.

Don’t keg? Don’t matter. The unitank can bottle under pressure without the need to keg first, with the added benefit of being able to bottle “uphill.”

No need to lift the unitank onto a raised platform ( which is a very bad idea to begin with). If you bottle condition your beer rather than spund in the unitank, just use CO2 pressure to pump the beer into a bottling wand to fill your bottles already dosed with dextrose.

But, IMHO you’re wasting good bottled CO2 if you’re not spunding in a unitank. Let the beer carbonate itself. Much easier and more consistent outcomes. Half the reason for buying a unitank is the ability to spund.

 

[bike2brew]

Ok. Thank for the feedback. New stuff I will have to learn.