Ultimate Glycol Chiller Buying Guide: What to Know Before Purchasing!

Let's face it, glycol chillers are intimidating. How do you know that the cooling capacity advertised is legit?
There are so many factors involved. It's vital to know the BTU at a specific temperature so that you can compare apples to apples-just like our Blichmann Glycol Chiller that's rated with a cooling capacity of 3100 BTU/hr @ 28° F and 3400 BTU/hr @ 34°F. You'll see more and more manufacturers doing this to empower brewing consumers and be transparent.
Once you understand not only how the chillers are rated, but work and what benefits they offer, they can quickly become your fermenter's best friend! Check out this in-depth overview with John Blichmann & Preston Voglund of Blichmann Engineering and Mike from ‪@BitterRealityBrewing‬ , as they share findings and helpful tips in this Buyer's Guide.
🥶Learn more about the Blichmann Engineering Glycol Chiller 1/2 HP
➡️ www.blichmannengineering.com/...
🥶The "Right" Glycol: www.blichmannengineering.com/...
Blichmann Engineering: www.blichmannengineering.com
Anvil Brewing Equipment: www.anvilbrewing.com
Bitter Reality Brewing: / bitterrealitybrewing
00:00 Intro
00:20 Important Factors
02:19 Temperature Control
05:08 Comparing the Competition
07:49 Efficiency
12:45 Cooling Capacity
15:40 Glycol Replacement Frequency
17:13 Propylene Glycol-NOT Ethylene
18:18 Concentration Rate
19:43 Mobility & Maintenance
23:50 Customer Support
24:30 Why Choose the Blichmann Glycol Chiller?-"The BIG Key"
27:39 Conclusion

[@cfrazier1977]

Great job of explaining the process of glycol cooling and the chillers.

[@Chillindamos]

I'm an owner of the Blichmann Glycol Chiller and it is serves two of my 14 gallon Blichmann Fermenator G4s. I'm here hunting for ideal operating bath temperatures, especially on the lower end. I've been hunting for the answer to the question John asks @7:14 "What are the common temperatures that people will run their chiller baths at?" Preston answered and stated a temperature range of 24 to 38 degrees. He later states that the compressor is efficient in the range of 28-34 degrees. I typically run my Blichmann Glycol Chiller 10 or 12 degrees below my target fermentation temperature. I find that this works best so that you don't shock the fermentation or cause wide swings in the thermal range of the ferment. The max setting for the chiller is 50 degrees so that's my bath temperature when fermenting ales at 66-70F. My issue is when cold crashing. I set the chiller to the recommended 28 degrees and my controller to 38 degrees but I notice that the system (includes more than just the chiller as John describes) struggles after 24 hours to get it below 40 degrees. I was wondering how much lower can I set the bath temperature to achieve a lower beer temperature. It sounds like I can push the bath to 24 degrees to help this. I've implemented other methods to help my colder temperatures including insulating glycol lines, insulating the fermenator lid, and adjusting for lower ambient temperatures. I'm going to try to cold crash by initially setting the chiller bath to 28F. As the beer gets closer to 40F, I'll adjust the chiller down to 24F to help me crash down to 38 degrees. Is 24 degrees the lower boundary for most practical purposes? Let's just say I wanted to make an Eisbock. Can I go lower!?

[@BlichmannEngineering]

@Chillindamos thank you for reaching out and importantly for your support. To answer your question, there are a few things to note. The 40-degree point is difficult to pass for complicated technical engineering reasons. If you can get to 39 you can get to 35. Think of it like breaking the seal on the pickle jar, once you break the seal it's easier. The outside air temp and humidity are huge factors. In hot humid climates, it’s hard to keep anything cool. Starting in a conditioned space is huge for achieving low temps. The limiting factor you are experiencing is not the glycol chiller, but rather the effectiveness of the insulation on the tank and the amount of cooling that can be transferred through the cooling coil. Adding extra insulation will help. If you go too low in the glycol reservoir, you must look out for ice forming on the cooling coil inside the fermenter. Once you reache 40F that’s the right time to go to 24F in the chiller. You will need the glycol to be 10 deg or more below the temp you want to achieve in the fermenter. Our engineering team doesn't recommend going below 24F though. I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions or would like to speak with Preston or Steve in engineering or Jared in technical customer service, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly at [phone]. Cheers to you and yours, now and always!

[@Chillindamos]

@@BlichmannEngineering Huge thanks, that helps immensely.

[@BlichmannEngineering]

You bet. It’s our pleasure!

[@steventrott8714]

Nice!

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

If your a home brewer this is a major investment, but it is one of the best investments I've ever made in making amazing beer without question.

[@BlichmannEngineering]

Well said, Mike. We appreciate you joining us and sharing your findings. We always want to ensure we are empowering brewers to find the right fit for them-and understanding the importance of the cooling capacity and understanding the manufacturer's BTU rating is just one part. Cheers!

[@jrdn5206]

My power bill was constantly around $800-1200 a month and wife convinced me to turn my Blichmann glycol chiller off and prior to doing that, just raised my temp to cycle less and it utility graph dropped about 20% then I turned it off and dropped about 70%. Left it off and my bill dropped to $200-400. Is this normal?

[@BlichmannEngineering]

Thank you for reaching out! No, that does not sound right, if you kindly reach out to Jared in tech support at [e-mail], he can troubleshoot with you and figure out what’s going on.