To wrap a Coil on the outside or to coil inside my fermenter?

[socounty]

In the process of building three sankey keg fermenters using the NorCal brewing solutions sankey keg kit with a diy glycol unit for temp control. I Have all the parts to weld but before I drop them off for that Im in the process of deciding between wrapping the kegs with a 50ft 1/2in copper coil and insulating them or a 25ft 1/2in stainless steel coil inside the fermenter. Ambient temps in the summer are gonna be in the high 90’s and I’m not worried about winter. It being so hot in the summer will the glycol be able to keep up if wrapped in the copper coil or is it the better to just spend the extra and get the coil inside the fermenter?

 

[Stealthcruiser]

My vote: On the outside.
That way, you create no crevices to hide stuff on the inside of the fermenter.

Will the coil be removable, if on the inside?


If so,I still vote for the outside, and covered with an insulation blanket of some sort.

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

You're going to need an insulation jacket either way you go., and honestly I have doubts about 50 feet on the outside doing the job ...that's only ~6 turns and stainless has poor thermal conduction.
A removable stainless immersion coil on the inside will be more efficient.

 

[helterscelter]

In the process of building three sankey keg fermenters using the NorCal brewing solutions sankey keg kit with a diy glycol unit for temp control. I Have all the parts to weld but before I drop them off for that Im in the process of deciding between wrapping the kegs with a 50ft 1/2in copper coil and insulating them or a 25ft 1/2in stainless steel coil inside the fermenter. Ambient temps in the summer are gonna be in the high 90’s and I’m not worried about winter. It being so hot in the summer will the glycol be able to keep up if wrapped in the copper coil or is it the better to just spend the extra and get the coil inside the fermenter?

I wrapped one of my sankey's in copper and am using cool-zone jackets for the rest.

if I were to have 3inch or 4inch triclover ports put on any of my sankey's I'd go with an inside stainless coil. (pretty darn hard to get a decent coil in through a standard sankey opening.)

There are certain perks to keeping the coil on the outside with respect to sanitation/etc.. but I think most of that is moot if you add thermowells/racking cane/etc through the opening. it's just not that much harder to keep it clean. I believe the efficiency of an internal coil is better than wrapping/jacketing the sankey as well.

you definitely need some form of insulation -- no matter which route you go.