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Glycol Chiller Temp Setting Question

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  • Glycol Chiller Temp Setting Question

    This seems like the best place for me to ask this question. I have a 1/2 barrel jacketed fermenter in my garage for home brewing. I bought a 1/3 HP 3-gal glycol chiller. It has a digital thermostat and was quite straight forward to set up. But, the temp range was limited and from what I can tell it has a max setting of 31F. My plan was to continuously circulate through my fermenter at 68F, but if the max is 31F, I can't do that. Are these chillers normally that limited in temperature range? It did not come with a manual. I can either create a loop with a bypass valve or make a CLT and circulate that using a Ranco controller. But that getting complicated for a home brewery.

  • #2
    Use a ranco to control a solenoid valve which controls the flow of glycol through your jacket (on/off). Set the ronco for temp desired and you should be good to go. Set the chiller to 28deg or so (it runs constantly).
    Last edited by Mtnmann; 05-23-2015, 01:00 PM.

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    • #3
      Maybe easier to do this....

      If youre just running one tank off of it maybe you can just plug the chiller into a controller tied to a thermometer in your beer. Then the chiller wont be constantly running at 30 degrees whether you need it or not (be sure to add the recommended glycol to the chiller fluid). I would call the manufacturer to see if they think this is a good idea though because it may put extra stress on the chiller. If youre adding multiple tanks, youre getting into more complicated chilling loops, throttle valves, pressure gauges, individual solenoids, individual temp controllers, feed and return lines etc. to make it run efficiently and you probably should consult someone who knows about industrial refrigeration and hopefully likes to work for beer.

      Glycol:
      (http://www.amazon.com/Propylene-Glyc...d+grade+glycol)

      Controller
      Food grade plastic buckets, glass carboys, conical fermenters. If you have homebrew beer or wine that needs fermenting, you've come to the right place.

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