DIY AC Glycol Chiller to Inkbird wiring help

[KookyBrewsky]

I understand there’s a number of threads on this but personalized feedback is preferred with electric bits submerged in liquids.

Anyway, I found this for $50. Maybe I should’ve purchased new because it’s older, kind of gross and a bit of a pain. Oh well, too far in now.

Here’s all the info I can find/give. What the heck am I supposed to do for the simple inkbird plug in setup with my conical?

This was attached to evaporator

These were attached to ground.. somewhere… I’ll be honest, don’t remember at this point. However they lead to green, power cable, yellow green to fan.

This was attached to front of the evaporator, right against it with a clip.

Overall picture

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[Bobby_M]

Overall picture
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This is the relevant picture. The top module that *had* a knob on it, the one with the black and red wire attached and the thin metal tubing, is the actual thermostat. Cut the red and black wires off it and just wire-nut them together. Now plug the main power feed into the your inkbird cooling circuit. When it calls for cooling, it will turn the compressor on.

Before you go too far, make sure you realize that the glycol unit (AC and tank of glycol) gets it own dedicated temp controller to kick the AC on and off to keep the glycol temp at something like 28 to 45F. Then you use a separate controller for each fermenter to turn on the circulation pump to feed glycol into the fermenter.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

This is the relevant picture. The top module that *had* a knob on it, the one with the black and red wire attached and the thin metal tubing, is the actual thermostat. Cut the red and black wires off it and just wire-nut them together. Now plug the main power feed into the your inkbird cooling circuit. When it calls for cooling, it will turn the compressor on.

Before you go too far, make sure you realize that the glycol unit (AC and tank of glycol) gets it own dedicated temp controller to kick the AC on and off to keep the glycol temp at something like 28 to 45F. Then you use a separate controller for each fermenter to turn on the circulation pump to feed glycol into the fermenter.

I understand that now. I have the Spike conical setup. I suppose it assumes you have a standard glycol chiller with its own controller. Will have to purchase a cool only controller if they exist, I will never need heating in Florida.

I simply have to be thorough because I know nothing about this stuff. There are 2 red wires, each with two ends. What ends do I wire together?

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Anyone? I’d really like to finish this up tomorrow.

Edit; misread the advice… did not even mention two red wires. Apologies.

Do I cut the black and red wire at the thermostat end, or where those wires lead?

 

[Bobby_M]

I thought this was clear: "The top module that *had* a knob on it, the one with the black and red wire attached and the thin metal tubing, is the actual thermostat. Cut the red and black wires off it and just wire-nut them together. "

Here's a picture with the two wires circled. This red and black wire get connected together. Think about how that little thermostat module works. The temperature of the probe is sent in via that thin silver tube with clear tubing on it. If it calls for cooling, it connects that black wire to the red wire and starts the compressor. If you wire nut those together, it hot wires the thermostat to come on as soon as power is applied to the main power wire of the AC unit.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Thanks everything seems to work and it was clear, I misread which made it confusing, sorry. Hopefully it doesn't start an electrical fire with some other goof I've overlooked... Really though I rarely work with electronics beyond a PC.

Any suggestions on cooler size? right now I have a relatively small cooler, I mean it's just a couple gallons at best. Would 1/4 gallon of glycol plus the correct ratio of water be suitable for a single 5 gallon ferment in my Spike Conical? I will upgrade to a bigger cooler down the road to lessen the time the AC is on but I just want to work with what I have for now, if that's possible.

 

[Bobby_M]

Most of the time it's simply dictated by what size cooler the AC's coil will physically fit into. That's the minimum size.