water cooler Refrigeration package uses?

[TeeJo]

May have two Water Coolers drop into my lap.

A quick look shows that the Refrigeration pack on each of them is a pretty portable unit.

No idea whether they provide a useful amount of energy transfer, but I can look into the actual numbers.

Anyone hacked a water cooler unit into a ferm chamber cooler or wort cooler source?

Bad idea? No capacity?

TeeJo

 

[TeeJo]

Nobody?

Nuthin' but crickets!

Wrong sub forum?

TeeJo

 

[jtratcliff]

Hmmm... How cold do they get? Maybe use them with some pumps as glycol system or something?

 

[TeeJo]

I checked the labeling on the two machines, and they both had little of use to anyone except a service tech (low and high side pressures). No real info regarding capacities as far as a BTU or whatever value.

the compressor and the radiator on the back side, look very similar in size to those on the little mini fridge I have, and I cannot imagine that there would be very many size variations to choose from. I suspect, but have not dismantled one to see yet, that the cold side is a coil that is immersed in the water reservoir and is simply controlled by thermostat. I was pondering the option of clamping it to a large heat sink or plate to act as the cooler side 'radiator', perhaps with a fan to circulate the air.

All hypothesis at this point.

TeeJo

 

[user 224599]

Small surface area / low exchange rate of cooled volume of water. I'd expect the performance to be poor trying to use the coolers for any fluid cooling purpose in brewing.
It MAY be useful for conversion to glycol with a pump to cool a tower or beer lines but I can't imagine anything else.

 

[Chrisl77]

Most coolers I have worked on the coil is not submerged in the reservoir. Its wrapped around it. Some times it is soldered or braised in place. If you can get the reservoir separated from it you could submerge it in a cooler full of glycol. I have seen some units that you cant set it to its coldest setting or it will freeze the reservoir into a solid block of ice.

 

[officeboy]

Did you do anything to tear these apart? I have been thinking about a glycol jacket for carboys and something like a water cooler would be nice, (cheap and compact)

 

[TeeJo]

Nope, not yet.

Just did a quick look-over and figured they were too good to chuck in the tip.

TeeJo