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  • Adding a second pump to chiller?

    I've a spare pump in the brewery that I'm thinking of adding to our chiller.

    My idea is that I'd have two pumps in the chiller, one to cycle the glycol from the reservoir to the cooling system. And the other from the same reservoir to the FVs and back again.

    At the moment we've no independent temperature control on each of the FVs, so we've to manually monitor and open and shut valves to maintain the desired temperature in each FV.

    We've a project in the works, where by we'll be monitoring the temp of each of our 4 FVs separately, and be only opening the valve to send glycol to them when they go over the set temperature. I figure that this way when all the FVs are at correct temperature, I can have the pump turn off automatically. The other pump attached to the cooling system can work away independently, keeping the reservoir at 0°C for when it's needed.

    Is this a workable idea?

  • #2
    Yes it is.

    You need to have one temp controller for one FV.
    For each temp controller you need to have relay with two contactors.
    One is turning pump on and off and the other is turning the glycol valve on and off.
    You need to wire it up that if pump is not running and temp controller calls for cooling it will turn the pump on and the valve on. When next temp controller calls for cooling it will turn the valve on and pump on (well it is running now) and so on...
    The same goes for when temp controller call for NOT cooling. You need to turn the valve off and pump off.

    Does this make any sense?

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    • #3
      Or just plumb a return line to the reservoir and have the pump running all the time.
      Linus Hall
      Yazoo Brewing
      Nashville, TN
      www.yazoobrew.com

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      • #4
        I'm trying to figure out a scenario where I don't have a pump running when I don't need it. i.e. my fermenters are all at the correct temps, and my glycol reservoir is at 0°C (or whatever I set it at), I've no pumps running.

        I'm thinking that if I have a pump running constantly that the action of the pumping itself is generating heat in the glycol solution, making more work for the chiller. Or is this incorrect? Or just that heat generated so small to be not worth bothering about?

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        • #5
          You are correct that the pump will generate heat. Not much, but noticeable. I keep mine running all the time. We run so much beer through our tanks that at least one fermenter is calling for glycol at any given time. Adding a second pump will add heat too. But without a huge pressure drop (as you would in a fermentation loop), it will be less. One good thing about a second pump is that you could valve it in as an installed spare. One day when you least expect it, you'll wish you did.
          Last edited by gitchegumee; 04-29-2011, 06:34 AM.
          Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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