The Stasis - A glycol system designed for homebrewers - Pre-Order now for $599

[CodeSection]

So, after the fiasco with the noise of the Stasis, I ended up getting a Blichmann glycol chiller based on this post:

The chiller arrived yesterday and is sitting behind me - my glycol arrived today, but was apparently stolen from our apartment complex's lobby. .....Fingers crossed this review measured the noise level accurately, and I won't end up having to find out if MoreBeer's return policy is better than Craft-a-brew's!

Sorry to hear about the theft. I wonder what they thought they were stealing as glycol has limited uses....maybe they thought it was hand sanitizer or they were going to use it to make hand sanitizer.

Rest assured, MoreBeer firmly stands behind their warranty......period.

 

[Nate R]

Agree.
Morebeer customer service is awesome.
Also, Blichmann customer service seems awesome.
It sounds like CraftABrews return policy is non-existent according to a backer above.

 

[Adam Zerwick]

Have any of you had problems with the Stasis running but not actually chilling? I sent out an email to CraftABrew but wanted to check here as well to make sure I'm not doing something boneheaded. This morning I set the Stasis to 36F to start cold crashing and it's been cycling on and off and hasn't dropped the temperature at all. It's maintaining a temp of 62F in a room that is about 70F. This is the first time I'm using my Spike Flex+ as well so it's possible I've got the in/out on the cooling coil swapped but I'd imagine the Stasis should still drop the temp.

 

[hootowl]

When I first set up I accidentally used the wrong probe.

 

[Adam Zerwick]

I'm definitely using the correct probe Good suggestion though.

I definitely hear the pump spinning. The only thing I can think of is the pump is struggling with height of the fermenter... I have the Stasis on the ground and the fermenter on a workbench above the Stasis. The way I've got things setup, the Stasis would need to pump the glycol 4 feet above it to the coil input.

When I first set up I accidentally used the wrong probe.

 

[hootowl]

I'm definitely using the correct probe Good suggestion though.

I definitely hear the pump spinning. The only thing I can think of is the pump is struggling with height of the fermenter... I have the Stasis on the ground and the fermenter on a workbench above the Stasis. The way I've got things setup, the Stasis would need to pump the glycol 4 feet above it to the coil input.

I think I read a height difference is not good. Pumps have what's called a maximum head. Try putting them on the same level.

 

[Adam Zerwick]

Yup that was it! I put the Stasis level with my fermenter and all is well now. Lesson learned

 

[hootowl]

Yup that was it! I put the Stasis level with my fermenter and all is well now. Lesson learned

Awesome

 

[jjjjfrench]

I am having another issue with my Stasis, but I am working with Craft-a-Brew to get it resolved. Once the issue is resolved I'll post explaining the issue and how they handled it. So far the experience has been reasonably positive.

Issue is now resolved, and as I promised, I'll post the outcome.
My first Stasis, ordered through kickstarter, sat in my basement in its box for about 3 weeks. When I finally pulled it out and and set it up, it did not chill. I had it hooked up to my fermenter and in ran straight for 12 hours and brought the temperature down only about 2-3 deg below ambient.

To ensure there wasn't an issue with the level of the stasis compared to my fermenter, I retested by hooking a small section of the 'out line' straight back to the 'in one', left the thermometer open to the environment and set the chiller to 45 deg. The I used a long temperature probe to measure the temperature of the glycol bath. Sure enough, it only cooled a few degrees.

I emailed Craft-a-brew back and forth over the course of about a week, sent them a short video, and they agreed that either the compressor wasn't working properly or the refrigerant had leaked out (or was never properly filled..). New Stasis arrived Thursday. I tested it this weekend and took 12 gallons of water at 77 deg to 45 deg in about 2.5 hours. It maintained 45 deg for 24 hours, so I thinks its now good enough for its first brew.

Overall, my experience with Craft-a-brew was positive. Sure its a bummer to get a bad unit out of the box, but they made it right.

-Jeff

 

[birzzz]

So, after the fiasco with the noise of the Stasis, I ended up getting a Blichmann glycol chiller based on this post:



The chiller arrived yesterday and is sitting behind me - my glycol arrived today, but was apparently stolen from our apartment complex's lobby. If I had to choose between the two packages, I'm glad they managed to get the Glycol - but I'm certainly annoyed that I won't have a chance to test out the Blichmann noise level until tomorrow at a minimum. Fingers crossed this review measured the noise level accurately, and I won't end up having to find out if MoreBeer's return policy is better than Craft-a-brew's!

So, did you have the chance to test the Blichmann unit yet? I'm really curious about the difference in noise level.

Thanks,

 

[Thorrak]

So, did you have the chance to test the Blichmann unit yet? I'm really curious about the difference in noise level.

Thanks,

I did!

The Stasis clocked in at 69 dB at 3 ft
The Blichmann clocked in at 57 dB at 3 ft, so about ~1/3-1/2 as loud

For another data point, @chucknorris101 was kind enough to pull a noise reading off the IceMaster 100 - At ~3 ft. he was getting a reading that was right around 55 dB at 3ft.

Unfortunately for me, all of those are too loud for my apartment, but all of them are a LOT quieter than the Stasis. I'm a bit upset that the measurement the guy in the video pulled from his Blichmann must have been with the compressor off, as 46 dB would have been perfect (and now I'm stuck with return shipping on something that weighs 70lbs+) but c'est la vie.

As a side note - the Blichmann chills like a beast, and is incredibly well insulated. The fact that it has a 7.5 gallon reservoir helps.

 

[Nate R]

I did!

The Stasis clocked in at 69 dB at 3 ft
The Blichmann clocked in at 57 dB at 3 ft, so about ~1/3-1/2 as loud

For another data point, @chucknorris101 was kind enough to pull a noise reading off the IceMaster 100 - At ~3 ft. he was getting a reading that was right around 55 dB at 3ft.

Unfortunately for me, all of those are too loud for my apartment, but all of them are a LOT quieter than the Stasis. I'm a bit upset that the measurement the guy in the video pulled from his Blichmann must have been with the compressor off, as 46 dB would have been perfect (and now I'm stuck with return shipping on something that weighs 70lbs+) but c'est la vie.

As a side note - the Blichmann chills like a beast, and is incredibly well insulated. The fact that it has a 7.5 gallon reservoir helps.

I'll happily send you a prepaid shipping label for your Blichmann right to me, and then, uh... drop you a check for the unit once I get it, yeah. Just DM!

 

[Thorrak]

I'll happily send you a prepaid shipping label for your Blichmann right to me, and then, uh... drop you a check for the unit once I get it, yeah. Just DM!

The sad thing is that if you were interested in a CF5, I might take you up on that. The end result of all of this is that I now have a Flex+ and CF5, but can't use the CF5 until we move and I can get a glycol chiller. Until then I have a monument to Kickstarter sitting in the corner of my room

 

[Nate R]

The sad thing is that if you were interested in a CF5, I might take you up on that. The end result of all of this is that I now have a Flex+ and CF5, but can't use the CF5 until we move and I can get a glycol chiller. Until then I have a monument to Kickstarter sitting in the corner of my room

View attachment 681009

Actually, i AM looking for another cf5! Ha! Are you really planning on selling it? The problem is I am in Cali, you are in NY. Shipping is outrageous! But I bet you can sell your cf5 in about day on here, maybe less!

 

[Thorrak]

Actually, i AM looking for another cf5! Ha! Are you really planning on selling it? The problem is I am in Cali, you are in NY. Shipping is outrageous! But I bet you can sell your cf5 in about day on here, maybe less!

I'm on the fence -- The question is how much it's worth it to me not to have to store it somewhere for an indeterminate amount of time. If we knew we were going to have a house in 6 months, then I'd absolutely keep it. If I knew we weren't going to find a house for ~3 years, then I'd absolutely sell it (knowing full well I'd end up buying it again as soon as I could put it to use)

 

[Trevor Mack]

Have any of you had problems with the Stasis running but not actually chilling? I sent out an email to CraftABrew but wanted to check here as well to make sure I'm not doing something boneheaded. This morning I set the Stasis to 36F to start cold crashing and it's been cycling on and off and hasn't dropped the temperature at all. It's maintaining a temp of 62F in a room that is about 70F. This is the first time I'm using my Spike Flex+ as well so it's possible I've got the in/out on the cooling coil swapped but I'd imagine the Stasis should still drop the temp.

I had this happen to me as well after testing both pumps individually it was only the first pump that was broken and I have a replacement unit that just had a shipping label printed today so likely to have a replacement in a week or so. Initially I also noticed that the pump doesn't have enough power to push against gravity for 4+ feet, and should be stored near the same level as the fermentors it is chilling.

 

[Gruel]

I did!

The Stasis clocked in at 69 dB at 3 ft
The Blichmann clocked in at 57 dB at 3 ft, so about ~1/3-1/2 as loud

For another data point, @chucknorris101 was kind enough to pull a noise reading off the IceMaster 100 - At ~3 ft. he was getting a reading that was right around 55 dB at 3ft.

For what it's worth, the fan on my ~50W Peltier cooler produces 50dB at 3ft (measured with the phone looking straight at the radiator inlet) as per the 'physics tool suite' on my Nexus 6. I don't think I have a good way to calibrate it, but an air filter at 3ft is about 55dB on the third of four levels.

I'm sure you could build a noise baffling enclosure for the Stasis, or any of these units, but it would make them bulkier and heavier and more awkward to use. Fitting bigger slower fans (assuming it's the fans that produce the noise) would be another option, but require real surgery.

 

[birzzz]

For what it's worth, the fan on my ~50W Peltier cooler produces 50dB at 3ft (measured with the phone looking straight at the radiator inlet) as per the 'physics tool suite' on my Nexus 6. I don't think I have a good way to calibrate it, but an air filter at 3ft is about 55dB on the third of four levels.

I'm sure you could build a noise baffling enclosure for the Stasis, or any of these units, but it would make them bulkier and heavier and more awkward to use. Fitting bigger slower fans (assuming it's the fans that produce the noise) would be another option, but require real surgery.

It's the compressor, not the fan that makes the most noise out of the unit. Even if you take out the rattling issue, which is so bad on my unit.

Any of you with the ratlling issue have been contacted since they furst contacted us to loosen 2 screws? This didn't help at all in my case. Since then, I have contacted the m several times, but no reply from them as of yet.

Cheers

 

[CodeSection]

It's the compressor, not the fan that makes the most noise out of the unit. Even if you take out the rattling issue, which is so bad on my unit.

Any of you with the ratlling issue have been contacted since they furst contacted us to loosen 2 screws? This didn't help at all in my case. Since then, I have contacted the m several times, but no reply from them as of yet.

Cheers

Day 312 (July 16, 2019) since it was established by a reporter that the unit had excessive noise.

Day 312 (July 16, 2019) since company told reporter that would be fixed.

Day 52 (April 2, 2020) since first HBT member complained about the high noise.

Day 39 (April 15, 2020) since company "engineers" suggested loosening screws would be a solution.

It appears the company is not taking the noise issue seriously. Maybe in the long run it might be worth selling your Stasis as another HBT member has. Then you can buy from a reputable different manufacturer that has a better functioning and proven glycol chiller. That way you will not have to endure the high noise level (from the compressor, fan noise, and case sheet metal rattling) and low pump head pressure.

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

I posted a quick review of the Stasis glycol chilling system here. Cheers! And subscribe if you like the content.
Craft A Brew's Stasis Glycol Chiller Review

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

It is loud but its tolerable in my opinion. About the same loudness as a window unit ac.

 

[Thorrak]

It is loud but its tolerable in my opinion. About the same loudness as a window unit ac.

The nice thing about "loud" is that it is quantifiable. I've never seen a 70 dB window AC unit before.

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

The nice thing about "loud" is that it is quantifiable. I've never seen a 70 dB window AC unit before.

It’s really not that bad. Maybe some units are louder than others? I love the small footprint of the unit

 

[CodeSection]

Was the unit running in the background when you produced the video?

 

[birzzz]

Was the unit running in the background when you produced the video?

I can guarantee you that no, the unit isn't running in the video.

 

[brewpharm Hill]

Has anyone been experience leaking from the glycol ports on the back of the Stasis? I'm using the 3/8" tubing from Spike and screwable hose clamps. If the tubing is positioned a given way it will start dribbling so I'm constantly monitoring for leaks.

 

[betote]

Mine is leaking from the right fan
I already sent an email to support.

 

[birzzz]

Mine is leaking from the right fan
I already sent an email to support.

I don't really understand what could be leaking from the right fan. If you open up the casing, do you see something wet? Next to the right fan is the compressor itself, the glycol tank is pretty much in the center and the pumps are on sitting on the bottom left side of the casing.

 

[birzzz]

Has any of you received any further information for the noise issue? It has been radio silent over 2 months from the Craft a Brew support on my part.

 

[Gruel]

Has anyone been experience leaking from the glycol ports on the back of the Stasis? I'm using the 3/8" tubing from Spike and screwable hose clamps. If the tubing is positioned a given way it will start dribbling so I'm constantly monitoring for leaks.

If you can't switch to smaller ID tubing ( that you might have to heat to make it fit, and that might be hard to impossible to get off without cutting it off), try teflon/PTFE tape to get a tighter fit. Hot glue might also work.

 

[ludyee]

Hi Everyone,

Have been trying to find a place I can post and ask questions about the Stasis I kickstarted. I only just today set it up. I want to run a test. However, it says do not turn on for 24 hours unless it was upright, or some such. Well it has been nothing but upright for weeks, though I only filled it with glycol solution an hour ago. Do they mean upright with solution in it for 24 hours?

Also, any gotchas/things to look out for as I power it up. I have not even turned it on yet, though it is plugged in. I am using it with a Speidel plastic fermenter, I purchased the coil, tubing, etc all in the kickstarter. I drilled the 5/8 holes and secured the coil to the lid, no issues. I do intend to counter pressure the fermenter to transfer to kegs, but will have to wait to see how that might go down the road. I have a Nor-Cal dip tube system for that purpose.

I will remark that the SS coil sent isn't quite long/deep enough for my liking with my fermenter. My goal was 10.5 gallon fermentations and I think the coil wil maybe get the bottom 1.5 to 2 coils in the liquid. So I am upping my volumes to 13.5 gallons in the fermenter, 2 corny kegs and some random number of 22 oz bottles using fizz drops. Should be fine.

I'm hoping the 24 hour thing is like oil in some inner workings. I own a pro grade KitchenAid mixer and someone stuck it in a cabinet one on it's side. Oil leaked out of the damn thing. It's been upright ever since and continued to work fine.
Thanks.

 

[Gruel]

I'm pretty sure the 24 hours upright thing is just for the fridge/compressor part inside. The refrigerant needs time to collect in the right spot after transport. Can't you lower the coil, by pulling it apart a bit, or sliding it down in the lid? Good luck.

 

[ludyee]

I'm pretty sure the 24 hours upright thing is just for the fridge/compressor part inside. The refrigerant needs time to collect in the right spot after transport. Can't you lower the coil, by pulling it apart a bit, or sliding it down in the lid? Good luck.

The coil can't be pulled apart as the "IN" goes to the bottom coil and coils up to the out. Yes the out could be pulled higher but that wouldn't really extend it much. The in and out barbs are welded to the coil. I could extend by using a hosing that fills the 5/8 in holes in the kid I made for the coil, or rigging up something along those lines, but was just hoping using the supplied fitting would work out. I can manage slightly larger batches to enable better coil submersion in the fermenter.

I have the entire thing working fine, it has been running in my garage where I do the fermenting. In summer here in MD, just the chiller will be needed. It is successfully keeping 13.5 gallons tap water in the fermenter at 72 degrees overnight. I estimate most of the coil, but not all is submerged. Ambient was likely in low 80's overnight, but started in the 90's. Tap water began at 77 degrees. I might try a bit lower target temp for this day just to make sure it can handle it. Lager temps even, here's going for 50 degrees. I do have Coolbrewing Fermentation insulated bags but I did not think to put it in place before filling the fermenter, so I can't pick up the fermenter and place it in the bag without emptying and refilling, but I could try putting it over the top. I think the chiller tubes are long enough to be fine. I have a blowoff tube attached just to double check the Nor-Cal brewing racking cane CO2 transfer apparatus is working and I understand it. I'll have to do a couple pics once I get it all setup and functioning right.

Thanks.

 

[betote]

I don't really understand what could be leaking from the right fan. If you open up the casing, do you see something wet? Next to the right fan is the compressor itself, the glycol tank is pretty much in the center and the pumps are on sitting on the bottom left side of the casing.

The support team advised me to validate the problem and determined that the unit needs to be replaced.

The attention I received during the process was the best, I can only wait for the replacement unit and congratulate the craftabrew support team. I even just placed another order and purchased a second coil chiller and a neoprene cover, as I plan to double the production.

 

[Trevor Mack]

Over the last 2-3 weeks I've had puddles of condensation both under the stasis and under my catalyst (had a pan there anyways to help catch hop particulate when removing mason jar).

Wish I had put the stasis inside a drip tray as that would help to contain this condensation and moisture.

The neoprene around the tubing now has a bit of noticable mold growth due to the humidity of the summer months. Have a new dehumidifier coming that should help to alleviate some of the humidity in the surrounding air.

Thought I'd pass on my recent troubles.

 

[Gruel]

Once the dewpoint of the ambient air moves above your coolant temperature, your system becomes a dehumidifier. Only your cooling power limits the amount of water you can pull from the air, unless you stick the cold side of your system into a dry enclosure; then you have essentially build a fridge...

You could try running a smaller air conditioner non-stop as a dehumidifier just for the space where your brewing setup is sitting, or buy an air drier, and purge the insulation of your lines. It all becomes a bit involved fast.

 

[hootowl]

Been using the Stasis for about 7 months now I guess. I have a pilsner on now. Holding at 38F for four weeks.... into my first week. So far the unit is doing a fine job. No regrets.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

I would say it's good for controlling fermentation temperature, which was my primary reason for buying the Stasis. The debate will be over cold-crashing, since the Stasis can go no lower than 36F and sometimes cannot achieve that in difficult conditions like a hot garage while chilling two fermentors. For me, I don't find much added value cold-crashing below 38F.

 

[ShaLaH]

My stasis has fermented and cold crashed over a dozen beers by now. I use a 7 gallon SSBT Chronical BME &/or a 7 gallon Spike Conical. I'm easily able to cold crash down to 36F without problems. I haven't needed to cold crash 2 fermenters at the same time yet. The unit is a bit noisy but it's in my basement and can't be heard in my living space. I like the compact design and that it has 2 internal temp probes.