I'm looking to move to fermenting in a conical and have pretty much settled on the Spike CF15.
I've been considering options for temperature control and for a while was thinking an aquarium chiller might be good strategy but got talked off that ledge and back safely into the glycol camp. Then yesterday @Blazinlow86 mentioned he was brewing with his conical in an upright freezer and posted a pic here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/spike-conical-observations-and-best-practices.645440/
Wow mind blown. Had forgotten that strategy all together which is dumb because I've been doing similar since I started, albeit using a crappy old fridge instead of a freezer. So today I've been thinking about pros and cons of "conical in freezer" vs "external glycol system" and want to see what others think. Here is the comparison I came up with...interested in additional pros and cons to consider.
Freezer based fermentation chamber
Pros
Condensation contained
Very well insulated
Protects fermentor from getting bumped into
Frees up one of the TC ports on top of fermentor
Better CIP performance without coil?
Cons
One freezer per fermentor
Need to retrofit the freezer – door panel and sturdy floor to support the conical
Can’t see the conical while fermenting (bling?)
Larger footprint than conical alone
Reduced access to the fermentor
Temperature overshoots? (my fridge experience says this would be issue with single probe temp controller but would be easily managed with dual probe controller)
Cost in addition to fermentor
$300-600 Freezer (range is used on Craigslist to brand new 20.2 cf Frigidaire) – apparently 1/4 HP compressor
$25 Retrofit materials
$25 for single probe Inkbird - $90 dual probe Auber temperature controller
$15 Reptile lamp for heat
Total $365 (CL freezer & inkbird) - $730 (new freezer & Auber)
External Glycol Chiller
Pros
Multiple fermenters different temperatures with one glycol chiller (but need TC-100 package for each)
1/3 HP chiller
Cons
Minimal insulation (can be added with increase in cost and reduction in bling) may offset advantage of larger compressor
Potential for icing on coil when trying to cool too fast
Maintenance of the glycol reservoir (keep it from drying out)
Chiller has its own footprint, and needs to be fairly close to the fermentors
Cost in addition to fermentor
$380 TC-100 bundle
$879 Penguin glycol chiller (or DIY for less than $300)
$25 Propylene Glycol
Total $700 (diy Glycol) - $1,284 (Penguin)
I've been considering options for temperature control and for a while was thinking an aquarium chiller might be good strategy but got talked off that ledge and back safely into the glycol camp. Then yesterday @Blazinlow86 mentioned he was brewing with his conical in an upright freezer and posted a pic here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/spike-conical-observations-and-best-practices.645440/
Wow mind blown. Had forgotten that strategy all together which is dumb because I've been doing similar since I started, albeit using a crappy old fridge instead of a freezer. So today I've been thinking about pros and cons of "conical in freezer" vs "external glycol system" and want to see what others think. Here is the comparison I came up with...interested in additional pros and cons to consider.
Freezer based fermentation chamber
Pros
Condensation contained
Very well insulated
Protects fermentor from getting bumped into
Frees up one of the TC ports on top of fermentor
Better CIP performance without coil?
Cons
One freezer per fermentor
Need to retrofit the freezer – door panel and sturdy floor to support the conical
Can’t see the conical while fermenting (bling?)
Larger footprint than conical alone
Reduced access to the fermentor
Temperature overshoots? (my fridge experience says this would be issue with single probe temp controller but would be easily managed with dual probe controller)
Cost in addition to fermentor
$300-600 Freezer (range is used on Craigslist to brand new 20.2 cf Frigidaire) – apparently 1/4 HP compressor
$25 Retrofit materials
$25 for single probe Inkbird - $90 dual probe Auber temperature controller
$15 Reptile lamp for heat
Total $365 (CL freezer & inkbird) - $730 (new freezer & Auber)
External Glycol Chiller
Pros
Multiple fermenters different temperatures with one glycol chiller (but need TC-100 package for each)
1/3 HP chiller
Cons
Minimal insulation (can be added with increase in cost and reduction in bling) may offset advantage of larger compressor
Potential for icing on coil when trying to cool too fast
Maintenance of the glycol reservoir (keep it from drying out)
Chiller has its own footprint, and needs to be fairly close to the fermentors
Cost in addition to fermentor
$380 TC-100 bundle
$879 Penguin glycol chiller (or DIY for less than $300)
$25 Propylene Glycol
Total $700 (diy Glycol) - $1,284 (Penguin)