jrunberg
Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2013
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 3
I was lucky enough to pick up a SS BrewTech fermenter a few years ago but that presented a question of how to cool it. As luck would have it my local Craigslist offered up a 1/10hp aquarium chiller which is an almost ideal option.
This has been on here a couple times so I'll simply underscore it. If you find one of these chillers – grab it. Mine is a Hydrofarm Active Aqua Chiller, rated at 1/10hp. Evidently this brand has a reputation for either working forever or crapping out quickly. The one I picked up was dirty and well-used but cleaned up easily and has worked fine. For $50 I can't complain. The local CL now has one for $200 and I'd still be tempted.
The current system set up is rather simple. The water loop connects the chiller out to a cooler which acts as a storage tank. That runs to the fermenter and then back the chiller. With this approach I just have one pump located in the cooler which is triggered by a temp controller monitoring the beer. A more pro approach would push coolant continuously with temp being controlled by a solenoid valve but this has worked perfectly for keeping the fermenter within 1deg of what I'm targeting (and no pump or compressor runs continuously).
Pros: a simple, no-brainer approach to keeping fermenter temps under control.
Cons: cost if CL doesn't offer up the deal. Need to install quick disconnects on the hoses. Using water right now but when I brew back-to-back too much that water gets... yucky – a glycol dilution is in order.
This has been on here a couple times so I'll simply underscore it. If you find one of these chillers – grab it. Mine is a Hydrofarm Active Aqua Chiller, rated at 1/10hp. Evidently this brand has a reputation for either working forever or crapping out quickly. The one I picked up was dirty and well-used but cleaned up easily and has worked fine. For $50 I can't complain. The local CL now has one for $200 and I'd still be tempted.
The current system set up is rather simple. The water loop connects the chiller out to a cooler which acts as a storage tank. That runs to the fermenter and then back the chiller. With this approach I just have one pump located in the cooler which is triggered by a temp controller monitoring the beer. A more pro approach would push coolant continuously with temp being controlled by a solenoid valve but this has worked perfectly for keeping the fermenter within 1deg of what I'm targeting (and no pump or compressor runs continuously).
Pros: a simple, no-brainer approach to keeping fermenter temps under control.
Cons: cost if CL doesn't offer up the deal. Need to install quick disconnects on the hoses. Using water right now but when I brew back-to-back too much that water gets... yucky – a glycol dilution is in order.
