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Aqua chiller for temp control?

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  • Aqua chiller for temp control?

    I recently found this aqua chiller on line. Any reasons why this couldn’t be used to pump chilled water through either a stainless steel coil submerged in a fermenter or through a fermenters glycol jacket to maintain ale fermentation temp? This is the 1/2 hp model and they also make a 1hp version as well...

    Hydrofarm Active Aqua AACH50 Chiller, 1/2 hp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HV7XA4..._xuixBbE9F7524

    Thoughts?

    Thanks!
    Last edited by Catfish002; 07-28-2018, 09:11 AM.

  • #2
    Originally posted by Catfish002 View Post
    I recently found this aqua chiller on line. Any reasons why this couldn’t be used to pump chilled water through either a stainless steel coil submerged in a fermenter or through a fermenters glycol jacket to maintain ale fermentation temp? This is the 1/2 hp model and they also make a 1hp version as well...

    Hydrofarm Active Aqua AACH50 Chiller, 1/2 hp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HV7XA4..._xuixBbE9F7524

    Thoughts?

    Thanks!
    what size of a fermenter are you thinking of using this with? I would be surprised if it would even be a good fit for a 10gal ferment.

    Comment


    • #3
      Chill 52 gal by 30F in 20 hours? No way will this do the trick. I can't find the temp range it's designed for, but you'll want to hit around 30F--0C--for a crash. I doubt this unit can even approach that.
      Timm Turrentine

      Brewerywright,
      Terminal Gravity Brewing,
      Enterprise. Oregon.

      Comment


      • #4
        for the same price range, there's a homebrew chiller called penguin i think, and they actually design for brewing temps. or find a draft line chiller and rig that to work.

        but as noted above, it all depends on your batch size and how you plan to crash.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Richard Pivo View Post
          what size of a fermenter are you thinking of using this with? I would be surprised if it would even be a good fit for a 10gal ferment.
          I use a 1/3 hp chiller at home for 4 12 gallon fermenters and ive never tried to cold crash all four at once but it works very well.. mine is also a beerline chiller though.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by brain medicine View Post
            for the same price range, there's a homebrew chiller called penguin i think, and they actually design for brewing temps. or find a draft line chiller and rig that to work.

            but as noted above, it all depends on your batch size and how you plan to crash.
            I wouldn’t recommend penguin chillers- we got one, it was a hacked up air conditioner, not a very pro job but it worked.

            Aquarium chillers are a good option, we used a 1hp aquarium chiller for ~40 bbl of cellar tanks for about a year and a half. One thing to keep in mind- most of them have temp controllers that only go down to 60 degrees. But with a little wiring you can rig up a ranco or inkbird temp controller to work in place of the factory controller.

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            • #7
              What kind of reservoir did you use with that chiller? I've seen them and am curious based on the price/HP ratio, I'm in startup mode so every dollar has to stretch after all. I'd assume you'd need some sort of insulated tank to hold perhaps 20 gallons of glycol mix, that plus the volume in the lines and jackets should work out?

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