My DIY glycol chiller / help/suggestions

[Mirilis]

It's not getting cool.. I did the water test and it ran for 18 minutes but temp never changed. I don't think I nicked any lines so I'm not sure why it's not chilling.

8 gallons of water
570W dehumidifier (just under 2000 btu/hr)
Start temp 64.6
Set temp 41
Not counting losses it should take 1574 BTUs.. so about 45 minutes of running

Any suggestions?

photo

 

[helterscelter]

It's hard to see in that pic. But do you have enough/any air flow across the radiator(condenser)? With out air flow it cannot get rid of the heat and the evaporator (part submerged in glycol in your cooler) won't get cold. Im no expert but i think you need to put the shroud back on the squirrel cage fan so that it can move some air properly...

But like i said. It's hard to see from the pic. Maybe post some more closer and detailed pics of your build will help get you some better advise

 

[Mirilis]

I have more pics but the condenser and the evaporator aren't changing temps. They are both room temp

 

[cod3ck]

Dumb question but you hear the compressor kicking on right? Reason I ask is I miss wired my originally and the fan would run, but not the compressor...

 

[Mirilis]

It runs for a minute or two then the compressor kicks on... I let it run and the compressor started getting hot but neither of the lines coming out changed temp. I pulled most of the kink out and inspected the lines and didn't see any breaks.

Put the casing back on to direct the airflow and that wasn't it either. A guy in my lhbc gave me an old ac and I ripped it apart.. I plugged it in and the coils started to cool and the (frost/sweat) so I'm gonna try using that.

 

[helterscelter]

It runs for a minute or two then the compressor kicks on... I let it run and the compressor started getting hot but neither of the lines coming out changed temp. I pulled most of the kink out and inspected the lines and didn't see any breaks.

Put the casing back on to direct the airflow and that wasn't it either. A guy in my lhbc gave me an old ac and I ripped it apart.. I plugged it in and the coils started to cool and the (frost/sweat) so I'm gonna try using that.

That is probably the best course of action. Be careful bending the tubing to relocate the evaporator. They are very fragile and it only takes a pin hole to mess it up.

 

[Mirilis]

Version 2.0 of the chiller uses a free casement AC i got from a brew club guy. I tested it with water and it all worked.. it didn't let it run terribly long but once it dropped the water from 65 to 60 i shut it off and drained out the water to prevent rusting... Now i need to override the controller so the STC does its job, seal up the cooler, and make it look a little prettier.

What kind of propylene glycol should I get? I know the RV stuff is significantly cheaper, but i need a rust inhibitor to go in there to.

 

[cod3ck]

This is what I use: https://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=propylene

I have a very similar setup and so far so good! [emoji482]

 

[Mirilis]

This is what I use: https://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=propylene

I have a very similar setup and so far so good! [emoji482]

Whats your mix ratio? 1 gallon of that to 3 gallons of water? My intent is to keep my glycol mix set to 30 deg or so and I bet that cooler will hold 8-9 gallons of water once i seal it up.

 

[cod3ck]

Yes! 1/3 -- 30 degrees won't be an issue. I've dropped my reservoir as low as 23 with no problems.

From what I remember, that ratio can handle temps somewhere around 10 degrees or colder!

 

[cod3ck]

By the way -- I highly recommend using silicone tubing... I started with vinyl and the tubes sweat like crazy due to condensation at lower temps

 

[Phischy]

Any tips on what kind of AC to use? Does it need an analog controller? I saw one with the controller cut out and wires sodered together to be always on.

 

[Mirilis]

i havent gotten around to overriding the controller yet (mostly because my SWMBO wont let me spend $60-$70 on glycol)

 

[cod3ck]

Any tips on what kind of AC to use? Does it need an analog controller? I saw one with the controller cut out and wires sodered together to be always on.

Like you said it pretty much just depends on how handy you are. Most threads I found recommended analog.

That being said, the biggest and cheapest one I could find had a digital controller...

So I ripped that apart, bypassed the fan controller and plugged it into my ink bird. Coming up on a year and the thing still runs like a champ!

 

[Phischy]

Is there any benefit to having say a 5 to 10g reservoir of glycol? I have 2 more beer 14 Conicals that I wrapped in 1/2" soft copper and then insulated. I would think that the bigger the reservoir the less work the AC would have to do.

I'm looking around for build threads now.

 

[cod3ck]

Is there any benefit to having say a 5 to 10g reservoir of glycol? I have 2 more beer 14 Conicals that I wrapped in 1/2" soft copper and then insulated. I would think that the bigger the reservoir the less work the AC would have to do.

I'm looking around for build threads now.

Haven't tested otherwise, but I would say yes.

I run a 15 gallon reservoir and that seems to keep the A/C from having to work too hard, especially 30 deg and lower. So much that even if I'm not cooling a beer, I let the reservoir sit at 55 Deg...