cooling coils and chillers

[homebrewstu]

Hi have got meself four 60l fvs with cooling coils in em but I am not sure about cooling. I would like to buy a maxi cooler or somethign but my cluelessness is holding me back.

One of the things I think I need is the option to cool to two different temps at one time and potentially cool four fvs at same time for example maintaining 17oC or so for fermentation in summer and at the same time running really cool for conditioning or for lagering. Can a singhle cooling unit run two differnet temps or so I need two cooler.

Thanks

stu

 

[adomant]

You can run as many coils as you have product I/o connections in your cooler if you use separate pumps to connect to the fvs, you would need a pid for each fv connected the the respective pump so that the pumps independently kick in at the different temperatures set by the pid controllers

 

[homebrewstu]

any thoughts on pumps that are suitable? what is 'I/o' and any thoughts on a type of cooler. `i see lots on ebay but not sure what 'ice banks' etc are. can a bar cooler get an fv down to 5oC or less?

 

[adomant]

The maxi cooler models are the 110 with 1 product coil and in out pipe, 210 has 2, 310 3 etc...
+ 1 recirc line with internal pump (usually user to cool beer tap). They all pass through the same ice bath, it's the pumping that transfers the coolant (water or glycol). 5c is possible with this system.

Solar, flojet, totton, march. all make stable pumps

There are many posts on the subject made by folk more knowledgeable than me if you search under fv or fermentor chiller

 

[homebrewstu]

nice one. it sounds thick but now i know why 110,210 etc

 

[Vossy1]

You can run as many coils as you have product I/o connections in your cooler if you use separate pumps to connect to the fvs, you would need a pid for each fv connected the the respective pump so that the pumps independently kick in at the different temperatures set by the pid controllers

That's the one Make a small reservoir for the pumps, I used a small Coleman cool box (8 can holding type type) use a glycol solution or something that won't freeze. I use pond pumps, about £17 each.