Glycol chiller question
The claim on the website says it can lager with their fermenters. I tried mine out for the first time and tried getting water down to lagering temps. It worked great but the chiller did run a lot and the fermenter had trouble holding the lower temp for longer than 15 minutes and would take just as long to cool it back down. The reservoir is set at 25F but when chilling, the glycol temp would increase to about 40 and take a while to bring it back down again.
How many fermenters could the chiller handle if set at a fermentation temp of 50F?
Would setting the glycol temp lower than 25F be a good idea?
Do you think the fermenter jacket would help even though the fermenter is double walled?
6 comments · 81% upvoted · other discussions
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[deleted] 1 points · Aug 2019
Plus, make sure you fill it with at least 19 liters so that the whole cooling sleevein the fermenter is covered with liquid. Be aware that ambiant temperature, where the chiller is located also matters and that the chiller has allot of space on both sides to get rid of its heat.
HeyGuysImJesus [OP] 1 points · Aug 2019
19 liters seems like a lot. The documentation says to put in 6 total.
[deleted] 1 points · Aug 2019
I'm not speaking about the glycol chiller itself, but the fermenter ;) The sleeve is positioned relatively high. If you want the best transfer of the cold, then you need to fill it around 19 liters of beer to cover the whole section within the fermenter. I could see how you interpreted my text. Didn't though of it to further specify it. My bad. :)
HeyGuysImJesus [OP] 2 points · Aug 2019
Oh haha yeah. I've got it filled with 8 gallons of water right now. I turned down the glycol to 7F this morning and I'll see how it runs. I'm going to buy the fermenter coat too and see if that improves temperature stability.
HeyGuysImJesus [OP] 1 points · Aug 2019
So turns out that setting the glycol to 7F will turn the contents of the fermenter into slush. Even though the bottom reads in the 40s. All the ice floats to the top. I think I'll just leave it at the recommendation of 15F below the fermenter setpoint. It works for what I want. I do plan on picking up another fermenter so I'll see how it goes with two lagering.
[deleted] 1 points · Sep 2019
[deleted]
HeyGuysImJesus [OP] 1 points · Sep 2019
Once the connectors started freezing condensation it started freezing inside.