Glycol vs Mini fridge

[elgee]

Anyone ever compare using a glycol chiller vs using a mini fridge with holes drilled for the tubing?

My issue is I have the Ss Brewtech Ftss and it’s a pain to change out water bottles twice a day from a cooler. I was thinking of putting a bucket of water in my old mini fridge and running the Ftss pump out of the fridge with the lines into the chronical. The other option is much more costly and going with a glycol chiller.

 

[Vale71]

Anyone ever compare using a glycol chiller vs using a mini fridge with holes drilled for the tubing?

I have and the result is, maybe it will work if you just do ales and want to control fermentation temperature. Anything fancier like lagers and cold crashing you can just forget about, it just doesn't have the required cooling capability.

 

[elgee]

What if there was a glycol mix in there, does that help?

 

[Vale71]

Not really. It's not going to change the performance of the system, it would just allow you to cool below the freezing point of pure water but does not help in maintaining the temperature once you start cooling the tank.

 

[Jtvann]

DIY glycol chiller from these forums is super easy and cheap. I made one from a window unit AC from craigslist (50 dollars) even new would just be 100, an orange igloo cooler that used to be my mash tun, a temp controller that I wasnt using anymore.

With no previous experience other than reading this forum I made one in about 2 hours. Its holding 2 Ss brew buckets with ftss at 35 degrees. The system is not stressed and I could probably add a third fermenter. It could get colder but I don't want my beer to freeze inside the fermenter.

If you're not confident in being able to do it yourself, PM me here and I'll pass out my number to give a call. It's the best piece of equipment I never bought.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you only want to hold ale temps a fridge may do it. Lagers and cold crashing, no way. You need 5000 btu

 

[elgee]

I would probably start with 65 at the lowest if it can hold it.

 

[Jtvann]

For the same cost or less than a mini fridge, you could have a glycol system that could handle multiple fermenters at cold crash temps.

I don't understand the hesitancy of people in trying the DIY glycol systems.

 

[Bobby_M]

For the same cost or less than a mini fridge, you could have a glycol system that could handle multiple fermenters at cold crash temps.

I don't understand the hesitancy of people in trying the DIY glycol systems.

Yup, 129 for a new AC on Amazon and and old cooler.

 

[Homergah]

Glycol WILL change your results. It won't work as well as water. Water transfers heat much better than glycol. The only purpose of the glycol is to keep the water from freezing.

 

[Jtvann]

Glycol WILL change your results. It won't work as well as water. Water transfers heat much better than glycol. The only purpose of the glycol is to keep the water from freezing.

Yup ... glycol will change your results for sure. No more trucking multiple frozen water bottles or buckets of ice. Set it and forget it. Changed my results big time.