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Coolbot cooler vents into tap room - too noisy!

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  • Coolbot cooler vents into tap room - too noisy!

    Well this definitely belongs in the “Stupid Stuff” category...

    Built our serving cooler with the Coolbot-operated AC venting into the taproom. Got everything finished and hooked up and turned on the AC only to discover that IT’S REALLY FREAKING LOUD!!! Like WAY more noisy than I want our cozy little chill taproom to have to endure (yeah I know - what did you expect dumba$$?)

    Does anybody have any ideas on how to attenuate the noise? There is enough space that I could probably build a small room around it but I’d love to find a less involved / obtrusive solution if possible. Has anybody else dealt with this sort of problem?

  • #2
    Just curious what AC unit you had used?

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Northernbrews View Post
      Just curious what AC unit you had used?
      airconditionercanada had ComfortAire models which we've used successfully. smaller units for fermenter temp rooms and the biggest 115V unit we could get for an 8 by 10 3C cold room. We've even managed to keep a 6 by 10 trailer cold at festivals using the smaller units but they will freeze up. Yes, they will all be noisy.

      As for the original poster, why not switch to a mini-split type ac unit and get the condenser placed in a better location (like outside).

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      • #4
        It’s an LG 15K BTU window unit.

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        • #5
          can you or anyone with one of these venting indoors tell me how much heat and humidity they produce? our local inspector wont give us the green light now that we built it even though he was previously ok with it because he thinks the ac unit on the cooler in our basement will create too much heat and humidity? I believe they turn humidity into the form of condensation but dont create it myself... the basement area is about 700 sq ft and the cooler is 9x10x6h and we have the lg 24,500btu unit.
          Last edited by augiedoggy; 06-13-2018, 05:58 AM.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by augiedoggy View Post
            can you or anyone with one of these venting indoors tell me how much heat and humidity they produce? our local inspector wont give us the green light now that we built it even though he was previously ok with it because he thinks the ac unit on the cooler in our basement will create too much heat and humidity? I believe they turn humidity into the form of condensation but dont create it myself... the basement area is about 700 sq ft and the cooler is 9x10 and we have the lg 24,500btu unit.
            Condensation occurs at the evaporator--the cold side. The condensate is removed from the air, so it actually dehumidifies the cooled space. You should have a catchtray and drain for the condensate so it isn't a problem. On the hot side, there is no condensate and no way it can contribute to humidity. It will throw a lot of heat, and will be noisy.
            Timm Turrentine

            Brewerywright,
            Terminal Gravity Brewing,
            Enterprise. Oregon.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
              Condensation occurs at the evaporator--the cold side. The condensate is removed from the air, so it actually dehumidifies the cooled space. You should have a catchtray and drain for the condensate so it isn't a problem. On the hot side, there is no condensate and no way it can contribute to humidity. It will throw a lot of heat, and will be noisy.
              Yes thats was my understanding on how an ac unit works as well. Do you know of any "code" we would be breaking? As far as I understand its just like running a large glycol chiller or fridge indoors?

              Part of the issue is our local inspectors basically told me they just skeptical that a 24,000btu air conditioner is powerful enough to bring the temps down in that small cooler. I have explained many other breweries in nearby cities are using them and brought in coolbot documentation and am waiting on them at this point. Its extremely frustrating as now that its built they have changed their minds.

              With that size cooler with 5" foam insulation sealed with greatstuff and caulk on all the walls at 38 degrees will the ac unit be running enough to make the basement very hot? its freezing down there 3/4 of the year due to a crawlspace behind the poorly sealed back wall which we could add some sort of vent system to try to cool it through but otherwise there will be no easy way to vent the ac unit directly.
              Last edited by augiedoggy; 06-13-2018, 06:07 AM.

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              • #8
                I have this exact setup, and it creates a ton of heat. Very little condensation. We built a janitors closet around ours and vented it outside with an 8" duct and 200 cfm bathroom fan. This does the trick. What little condensation there is, drains into the slop sink.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Coal Country View Post
                  I have this exact setup, and it creates a ton of heat. Very little condensation. We built a janitors closet around ours and vented it outside with an 8" duct and 200 cfm bathroom fan. This does the trick. What little condensation there is, drains into the slop sink.
                  thanks for the info.. we may consider something we can vent.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by augiedoggy View Post
                    thanks for the info.. we may consider something we can vent.
                    I just installed the LG 24,500BTU AC into my 10X12 cold box. It is not really that loud in my opinion. I have 1 foot away from the wall, but we also have 18 foot ceilings. It won't pump a significant amount of heat into the room if the room is already conditioned. Think about it, the only heat it can produce is the heat produced from its electrical input, which is about 2500 watts running at full capacity.

                    Self contained cold boxes are quite common in commercial kitchens. Tell your inspector to bug off and come back when you are breaking a real law. I fight inspectors/local authority on stuff like this. It's your business, not theirs. Your only responsibility is to follow the code.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by AmbrosiaOrchard View Post
                      I just installed the LG 24,500BTU AC into my 10X12 cold box. It is not really that loud in my opinion. I have 1 foot away from the wall, but we also have 18 foot ceilings. It won't pump a significant amount of heat into the room if the room is already conditioned. Think about it, the only heat it can produce is the heat produced from its electrical input, which is about 2500 watts running at full capacity.

                      Self contained cold boxes are quite common in commercial kitchens. Tell your inspector to bug off and come back when you are breaking a real law. I fight inspectors/local authority on stuff like this. It's your business, not theirs. Your only responsibility is to follow the code.
                      Well they stopped us from using the air conditioner as a refrigeration unit because it is not designed to be, ul listed, or tested as a refrigeration unit, meaning it actually doesn't technically meet code when used as one, coolbot or not... Ive spoken to a couple inspectors about this and have verified this. Petty or not the inspector can do this whatever his motivations are. I called LG about it as well as coolbot... Lg wont put anything in writing saying its ok for this use and coolbot has nothing to help us either. they explained because of all the constantly changing model ac units and the UL's practices it would be non cost effective to get one ul listed to be used for refrigeration with a coolbot. Wish we would have known this before spending $800 on the stuff.
                      Last edited by augiedoggy; 08-16-2018, 11:35 AM.

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                      • #12
                        Just wondering what you wound up using to cool your cooler room?

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by phishheadmi View Post
                          Just wondering what you wound up using to cool your cooler room?
                          We ended up getting a letter from the inspector voicing his concerns and after trying to get something in writing from both LG and coolbot (coolbot did try to help but ultimately told us they couldnt when it came to the UL listing certification) we ended up hiring an engineering company to address the concerns which ended up not being an issue and to stamp it to satisfy the inspector. This did delay our opening about 4 months. the coolbot units are not running 2 walkins with no issues besides the temps being about 10 degrees warmer than normal and reaching as high as 80 degrees in our basement in the summer.. all other seasons it works out to be beneficial.
                          Last edited by augiedoggy; 03-31-2020, 02:14 PM.

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