Heating FVs

[eoconnor101]

We've been trying to figure out a way to heat our FVs for Belgians and to keep diacetyl rests up in the winter and our current solution is expensive. To put two solenoids on supply and two return with two different glycol reservoirs equilibrated to each other. Our ASCO 12v red hats are $220 each plus all the lines and extra glycol is a spicy meatball.

Has anyone ever heard of just snaking in a tiatnium heater on a controller wired back to their BCS system, and possibly just recirculating the fluid in the jacket. See below product.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewit...ontent=VA73336

[kugeman]

I've used hot water through the glycol jackets to heat up tanks in an emergency. I guess if you want to do it on a regular basis you could put in the proper valves & t's and make it really easy to connect a hot water supply to your jackets.

It works fine, but does use up a lot of hot water.

[mmussen]

I just have a larger heater in the Fermentation room. In the winter its set to about 74o and as long as I let the beer rise to my rest temp at the end of fermentaion it works great. Just don't rely on the heater to heat a lager up to rest temp without any heat being generated by the yeast.

[Natrat]

Use the glycol in the jacket. Your tanks probably have valves isolating them individually, so just tee off the line on the tank side of the valve.

Then run the glycol through your brand of heater...I'd probably use an immersion coil controlled by a digital controller, an old keg as a reservoir (to mount the coil) and a pump. Mount the whole thing on a cart with quick disconnects to the tees on the glycol lines. Need to heat? Flip those valves, snap the connects off, and push start! Done? Un snap and open the lines to the chiller back up.

That way you have a reservoir of glycol ready to go, and you don't have to go changing what is in the jacket.

I can think of a lot of other ways to do it, but they are all messy.

Nat