Home Built Glycol Power Pack & Coolers
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 2:13 pm
I'm considering downsizing my brewery. Is there any interest in a home built glycol cooling system and custom cooler?
The glycol cooler is powered by a window AC, guessing at about a 1 - 1.5 ton system (old Montgomery Ward AC). The evaporator has been relocated to a cooler for the glycol bath. Pond pumps are used to circulate up to five external zones and one re-circulation route during the cooling cycle. Single loop controllers with thermocouples used for the zones. A total of six controllers support this system.
There are two cooler units:
One has a lager chamber that can hold four 5-gallon kegs or two 7-gallon carboys and a serving chamber built to hold six 5-gallon kegs. Both chambers are plumbed with four ball-lock gas supply lines each. Check valvles are used in line, manual ball valves used to control each flow to each line, and a single regulator to supply the system. Heat exchange is performed through small radiators with 120V fans. This cooler was built with a glycol cooled supply line with four product lines. The supply lines were replaced with Ultra Barrier tubing and only used once. The supply lines are optional, and they are currently removed from the system. The second cooler is actually two small chambers built for carboys. Heat exchange is passive through copper glycol lines within the cooler.
It's been a little while since I have run this system, but when running it was able to consistently keep glycol at 28°F to support serving and storage at 42-45°F, lagering at 41°F, and fermenters ranging from 51°F to 70°F. The heat pump would kick on about once an hour during normal conditions.
Matt
The glycol cooler is powered by a window AC, guessing at about a 1 - 1.5 ton system (old Montgomery Ward AC). The evaporator has been relocated to a cooler for the glycol bath. Pond pumps are used to circulate up to five external zones and one re-circulation route during the cooling cycle. Single loop controllers with thermocouples used for the zones. A total of six controllers support this system.
There are two cooler units:
One has a lager chamber that can hold four 5-gallon kegs or two 7-gallon carboys and a serving chamber built to hold six 5-gallon kegs. Both chambers are plumbed with four ball-lock gas supply lines each. Check valvles are used in line, manual ball valves used to control each flow to each line, and a single regulator to supply the system. Heat exchange is performed through small radiators with 120V fans. This cooler was built with a glycol cooled supply line with four product lines. The supply lines were replaced with Ultra Barrier tubing and only used once. The supply lines are optional, and they are currently removed from the system. The second cooler is actually two small chambers built for carboys. Heat exchange is passive through copper glycol lines within the cooler.
It's been a little while since I have run this system, but when running it was able to consistently keep glycol at 28°F to support serving and storage at 42-45°F, lagering at 41°F, and fermenters ranging from 51°F to 70°F. The heat pump would kick on about once an hour during normal conditions.
Matt