DIY Budget Fermentation/Unitank Chilling System

A cheap DIY alternative to glycol for your fermentation vessel. Get the results you want on a budget!
#brewing #homebrew #beer #diy

[@robertgutierrez8313]

I thought about that 3 yrs ago, but wasnt sure about the internal set up. Brilliant. Thank you.

[@ExploreNewZealand]

What an awesome idea, I have a freezer I'm not using and think I might do the same. I want it to cool the condenser water on my still. Thank you

[@skratchx]

Recent personal experience with a Unitank 2.0 (jacketed glycol, no coil) and a similar setup but no fan inside the fridge: I couldn't get below about 59F in the Unitank. I will test a dry run with a fan added. I'm also planning to spool up some of the tubing on the return side and keeping it in the freezer compartment. Using 3 gallons of DI water and 2 gallons of glycol in my case.

[@MrMittens1974]

Isn't it supposed to be 3:1 water to glycol?

[@skratchx]

@@MrMittens1974 it depends what you want the freezing point to be.

[@curtpick628]

Just to let you I've done this. And it works great! Thanks

[@jeffroach3722]

Nice set-up. Subbed ☮️

[@nccountryboy76]

Looks good. Instead of a battery powered fan, you can find cheap fans that plug into a usb charger from Walmart.

[@harir1218]

u could bent the refrigerator coil down and use a normal temp relay / sonoff for temp control(optional),will be way more efficient

[@prodanman]

Is the only upgrade to the fridge a cooling fan? Are you using water in recirculation?

[@africantwin173]

I used a nib Mini freezer with a 10 L jerrycan in it. All for less than €200 incl aquarium pump, hoses,inkbird 308,glycol. No need for a €800-1200 gf chiller or pricey SS chiller.

[@tjwilson2894]

very nice simple set up, have you tied using glycol in your bucket instead of ice water?

[@jcinsaniac]

Nice, Just to make sure I fully understand your setup - You have a submersible pump in the bucket of water, and you're just recirculating the chilled water through your fermenter, right? I'm guessing the fermenter has a coil in it. You're controlling the submerged pump with the SSBT controller. This might be a great use for those really small dorm fridges - the cube shaped ones.

[@PeerensClement]

Nice setup, looking to do something similar. thanks for sharing. I am planning to use an inkbird instead as a controller.

[@treeshaker101]

Do you think this setup would work for a cold plunge tank?

[@prodanman]

What model fridge are you using??

[@fiftyonef1]

I always wonder, why insulate the warm side return to the chiller? I see others that have the warm and chilled lines in the same foam jacket. I wonder if it would be better to only insulate the cool side. That is assuming that the ambient temp is lower than the return line. Thanks for a good idea.

[@richardcagle5475]

Even though your using the liquid to chill it usually returns pretty cool. Just using ice water it goes out at like 40ish and comes back around 50. So you'd want to preserve cooling in both lines

[@pfunk10sp]

My question is what's in the bucket in the fridge? Water a a cooling coil ? Do you have the tubing connected to the coil ends and it is cooling the CO2 gas from the fermenter?

[@marklpaulick]

OK. Do you still have to add ice to your water bucket? How often? How long can you maintain cold crash temps?

[@tjsotos2885]

How do you achieve below 32F without glycol?

[@africantwin173]

I got down to 4 degrees Celsius with a mini freezer and glycol to chill 30 Liters of wort. With a ambient temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. Cold crashing cannot be done with cheap equipment. I mean from 19 degrees Celsius to 1 degrees Celsius withing 1 hour.

[@treeshaker101]

Do you think this setup would work for a cold plunge tank?