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Glycol unit to chill draft lines

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  • Glycol unit to chill draft lines

    Under construction shortly in Jenkintown PA, I've chosen to install the draft system myself (long story). Can I use a connection to the glycol system cooling the fermenters and the bright tanks to cool the draft lines as well? I'm guessing I would need a thermal controller and solenoid valve to control the line temperature, much like a tank. Or do I need to get a small dedicated chiller just for the lines?
    Owen Hutchins
    Proprietor and Head Brewer
    Guild Hall Brewing Company
    https://www.facebook.com/GuildHallBrewing
    "Beer is living proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy"- B. Franklin (sort of)

  • #2
    Redundant Setup

    Owen, ideally you do not want to share this on your main chiller because your draft system needs to be kept at a constant temp without the swings that happen on a brewery unit. What you can do then is pipe it where you can share the big system in the event your draft line unit is down for any reason. There are several outfits that make the draft system units and they are reliable if installed correctly.
    Warren Turner
    Industrial Engineering Technician
    HVACR-Electrical Systems Specialist
    Moab Brewery
    The Thought Police are Attempting to Suppress Free Speech and Sugar coat everything. This is both Cowardice and Treason given to their own kind.

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    • #3
      Thanks, I had suspected but was hoping I could get away without spending more money! Now I have to find a place to put it....
      Owen Hutchins
      Proprietor and Head Brewer
      Guild Hall Brewing Company
      https://www.facebook.com/GuildHallBrewing
      "Beer is living proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy"- B. Franklin (sort of)

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      • #4
        Not ideal, but...

        Hey Owen,
        I ran a brewpub for 4 years that shared the glycol system for the draught lines with the FV's. When we knocked out, we would turn off the glycol running to the bar so the glycol wouldn't warm the beer in the lines. The lines ran about 27' from bright tanks and kegs in the cold room.

        The trunk lines were underground and stayed fairly cold for the approx. 1 hour it took for knockout and the chiller to cool back down- so that helped.

        We also tried to get in early and knockout after the lunch rush when the place was kinda dead.

        Alternatively, if we had poor timing and the bar was busy- the more beer was poured, the cooler it stayed because it didn't have time to warm in the lines.

        So, as Starcat says, it's ideal to have a separate chiller for your draught lines, but it's do-able with just one. Make sure you think about all the above when planning brews and pay attention to how long it takes your chiller to recover.

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