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HELP! Glycol loop to condenser seems blocked, checked for ice

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  • HELP! Glycol loop to condenser seems blocked, checked for ice

    Just swapped out our leaky pumps on our Aqua Products glycol system. When we turned the pumps back on one loop ( that runs to the cellar tanks) works fine, the other (to the chiller on the roof ) maxes out the pressure gauge. I initially thought I may have froze it up but it has been 5 days and I have used a torpedo heater on the roof for three of them. I also recall having shut off for some time in the past without any issue. ANYONE seen anything like this before?

  • #2
    Originally posted by Mgouwens View Post
    Just swapped out our leaky pumps on our Aqua Products glycol system. When we turned the pumps back on one loop ( that runs to the cellar tanks) works fine, the other (to the chiller on the roof ) maxes out the pressure gauge. I initially thought I may have froze it up but it has been 5 days and I have used a torpedo heater on the roof for three of them. I also recall having shut off for some time in the past without any issue. ANYONE seen anything like this before?
    Have you bled off air in the system? We've had our system down recently to fix some leaks and had a problem where an air bubble trapped in the system lines meant we had no flow and our chiller's exchanger froze up. You need to have a bleed off valve at the highest point of the system. We learned this the hard way, but are now getting back to normal. Fortunately 99% of our kegs are currently filled with product so we could handle the downtime.
    Kevin Shertz
    Chester River Brewing Company
    Chestertown, MD

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    • #3
      Glycol Loops

      Originally posted by ChesterBrew View Post
      Have you bled off air in the system? We've had our system down recently to fix some leaks and had a problem where an air bubble trapped in the system lines meant we had no flow and our chiller's exchanger froze up. You need to have a bleed off valve at the highest point of the system. We learned this the hard way, but are now getting back to normal. Fortunately 99% of our kegs are currently filled with product so we could handle the downtime.
      " Open Loop " systems where the return well runs at atmospheric should not require air eliminators and if they do its a sign they are misconfigured.
      Also ALL chillers should have flow switches as part of the control logic so what is being described cannot happen. Its a standard interlock along with other " freeze " protection measures that are always on every chiller I have ever seen large or small. The controls are there to stop cold any chance of the HX running without the correct degree of heat transfer. The systems beings described are not set up 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.

      Comment


      • #4
        Checkpoints

        Originally posted by Mgouwens View Post
        Just swapped out our leaky pumps on our Aqua Products glycol system. When we turned the pumps back on one loop ( that runs to the cellar tanks) works fine, the other (to the chiller on the roof ) maxes out the pressure gauge. I initially thought I may have froze it up but it has been 5 days and I have used a torpedo heater on the roof for three of them. I also recall having shut off for some time in the past without any issue. ANYONE seen anything like this before?
        1.Your glycol should never freeze if the BRIX is correct. Also if its OFF, the chiller should respond by tripping on either Freeze or Flow. Too heavy a BRIX will also lead to a flow trip on a correctly configured system.

        Your setup layout is not clear.
        If the pump appears to be dead headed with corresponding gauge reading that the pump is in fact working then there has to be " something " obstructing the flow into the HX. If the chiller is on the roof and the glycol well and pump are below it should be a straight through scenario, but there could be some kind of valve automation at issue.
        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.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Starcat View Post
          " Open Loop " systems where the return well runs at atmospheric should not require air eliminators and if they do its a sign they are misconfigured.
          Also ALL chillers should have flow switches as part of the control logic so what is being described cannot happen. Its a standard interlock along with other " freeze " protection measures that are always on every chiller I have ever seen large or small. The controls are there to stop cold any chance of the HX running without the correct degree of heat transfer. The systems beings described are not set up correctly.
          So basically I need to believe you or my lying eyes. My experience: If your reservoir level gets too low (ours happened because of a leak at our old thermowell, which we just replaced) it will cause the system to stop flowing. Ours froze up due to lack of flow and the fluid sat in the exchanger and did freeze.
          Kevin Shertz
          Chester River Brewing Company
          Chestertown, MD

          Comment


          • #6
            This might sound stupid, but... a couple of years ago we installed a brand-new Pro chiller unit. I could not get the glycol to flow at all. I tried everything I could think of, and finally decided to move the pump to the external glycol reservoir so it would be sure to have sufficient head pressure. That was when I found the shop rag jammed into the impeller of the pump! The chiller apparently came provided with a spare shop rag in the plumbing--it wasn't the kind I use.
            Timm Turrentine

            Brewerywright,
            Terminal Gravity Brewing,
            Enterprise. Oregon.

            Comment


            • #7
              Just a suggestion, have you checked to make sure all your valves are open? Have you checked to make sure the pump is turning the correct direction, if it is 3 phase it is easy to switch wires while rewiring and that will cause it to run in reverse. J
              Joel Halbleib
              Partner / Zymurgist
              Hive and Barrel Meadery
              6302 Old La Grange Rd
              Crestwood, KY
              www.hiveandbarrel.com

              Comment


              • #8
                Thank you, figured it out.....

                SOOO....thank you all for your response, after much thought, agony and pain, I realized that we have shut the system down in the same manner before to add additional glycol lines to new tanks. We were swappign pumps this past shut down, not paying attention when ordering, I got the wrong size pump. So the high pressure that i was seeing (thought it was a freeze up) was actually due to using a 1.5 hp pump in that loop instead of the required 3/4hp. Lesson learned, replacement pumps should match original pump horsepower. Dumb Mistake, and lesson learned.

                Cheers!

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