How to Build a DIY Glycol Chiller [ Control Fermentation Temperatures ]

Check out my DIY Glycol Chiller build and find out how this system worked for my garage home brewery.
#homebrewing #fermentation #temperaturecontrol
Cheers!!!
Disclaimer
Build a DIY Glycol system at your own risk. Be sure you are knowledgeable about wiring electrical boxes, reference Inkbirds official instructions, and check your local codes before attempting to build your own controller or modifying an AC unit.

[@Nick-dw8nr]

That build looks fantastic, the screen wrap is a great idea. Nice video!

[@justhomebrew]

Thanks, glad you liked the video. The screen wrap was a last minute add when I was trying to figure out how to cover/hide the glycol system. I was really happy with the results.

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

Never thought of DIYing a glycol chiller! Looks pretty cool!!!

[@justhomebrew]

The glycol chiller was a fun build. I never thought of going the diy route until I found a few examples a year ago from other home brewers. I’m happy with results.

[@markbennon4367]

Really great project and craftsmanship. Bravo!

[@justhomebrew]

Thank you, Mark! This was a really fun project.

[@PartyTimeBrewing]

Love the temperature controller! For some stupid reason I have never considered building a slick panel to control the chillers / heaters! That looks way better than having a bunch of regular inkbirds hanging around. Cheers!

[@justhomebrew]

Thanks! I started to go the regular inkbird route, but then looked around and saw all the extra parts I had left over from my electric brewery build and was inspired to build this setup. It was a fun build and was happy with the results.

[@perfectworldpat7053]

Hey great video, was so excited to watch. Instantly subbed. Keep up the great work.

[@justhomebrew]

Thank you very much, I appreciate your feedback! I have a collaboration series coming out soon with a fellow brewtuber that should be a lot of fun.

[@perfectworldpat7053]

@@justhomebrew Nice, i have a brew channel too. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

[@justhomebrew]

@@perfectworldpat7053 Nice, I just watched your water video, great stuff! I like your approach:)

[@danielsoutherland3985]

That’s awesome! Great work!

[@justhomebrew]

Thank you! This project was a ton of fun. Cheers!

[@vectorponder]

You should do a video on the control panel.

[@justhomebrew]

I’ll definitely plan to post a video that goes into more detail on the glycol control panel in the near future. Thanks for this feedback!

[@curtpick628]

Nice system bro!

[@justhomebrew]

Thanks, it was a fun build.

[@JBishop]

Great video. I'd love to see a more indepth video on the glycol chiller build.

[@justhomebrew]

Thanks for the feedback, Jeffery! I’ll definitely plan to make another video that goes a little more in depth about the build.

[@jacobkendrick8857]

Totally agree!

[@justhomebrew]

@@jacobkendrick8857 I’m planning for this video in a month or two. What specifically do you want me to go over? Thanks for the feedback!

[@justhomebrew]

@Jbishop I’m planning to get to this glycol chiller build overview next month. What specifically would you like to learn more about?

[@JBishop]

@@justhomebrew I've got an old AC unit like the one you started with, but you lost me at stripping down the AC unit to essential parts, how you wired the inkbird to bypass the temperature controls and how you got the coil into the cooler without breaking it. Also the control panel build was really quick and left me wanting a bit more for how to assemble it like your system configuration. It'd be really great if you could break those areas down a bit further. Thanks for even considering it.

[@jeffroach3722]

Great video. Subbed ☮️

[@justhomebrew]

Thank you! Glad you liked the video. Cheers!

[@clubroot3383]

Looks great. Could a small chest freezer with a glycol reservoir work?

[@justhomebrew]

I’ve seen some builds using a chest freezer and a glycol reservoir. I would imagine it would keep fermentation temperatures stable. This would be an interesting build to see if this approach could cold crash the beer as well. At the time I was researching approaches for my build, it appeared that an ac cooling coil was much more efficient than a chest freezer. This would be a cool comparison. If I went the chest freezer route, I might consider ditching the glycol approach all together and just use the freezer as a temp control for simplicity. Cheer!

[@PetraKann]

Good idea to convert an old Air Conditioner (although not legal where I live). Unless you live in a particularly hot region or need to brew beer on almost a weekly basis, I would avoid the glycol cooling option. A standard fridge and heating lamp controlled by an inkbird controller should work fine.

[@justhomebrew]

Thanks, although I can’t take credit for this idea. There have been many brewers before me who built a setup like this. This is just my version of a DIY AC glycol chiller. A standard fridge is also a great route to go.

[@PetraKann]

@@justhomebrew Cheers. (It’s the first time I have seen an AC converted to function as a glycol chiller for brewing)

[@SyBernot]

Where did you get those quick connects? Do they seal when disconnected? I've been wanting to run a cold water loop in my keezer to control ferment temps for years but have never found a great solution for connecting/disconnecting.

[@justhomebrew]

I bought these quick connects from SS brewtech. Yes, they seal when they are disconnected. I’m really happy with them. They are a little pricey, but worth it. I’ll post a link to the kit in the description for you this weekend.

[@spencerm5913]

Where did you get the quick connects? I'm not even sure what to call them, but I've seen similar things on one of those ice chest things that you use after an orthopedic surgery. I'm trying to come up with a way to chill water for a C02 laser and I'm thinking about a window unit. I snagged an office water cooler from goodwill for $15 and I'm not sure if it just can't keep up or if I need a smaller water reservoir. Are there any good sources of info on how to build one of these glycol coolers? I had a 5gal bucket that I would add ice to, but that just ate ice faster than I could drain it and now have a 165qt ice chest that can run for an hour or two before I redline my temps. I need to keep it between 17c-27c and the beam is producing about 1400BTU per hour. I have some projects coming up that have run times around 30hours, and I don't want to have to babysit it the entire time. I'm also not trying to spend the $600 on a proper chiller from China that doesn't come with a warranty. I'm using the exact same inkbird for temp controls. TL;DR, what are those quick connects and where is a good forum/source of info on a build like this?

[@justhomebrew]

Hey spencer, co2 laser! Sounds pretty cool. I think bought those quick connects from directly from ss brew tech: www.ssbrewtech.com/products/quick-disconnect-ftss-kit

[@justhomebrew]

The cooler is pretty simple and I’m sure there are other resources you can search for more ideas. Check out my follow up video for more ideas: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4Gqdmitdtagf6c

[@kostasf100]

Good morning from Greece. Do you think it would work as well in a 500 liter wine barrel?

[@justhomebrew]

Good morning! It’s hard to tell exactly how a DIY system would perform in different situations. It would depend on a number of things like what temps you are trying to maintain, your ambient temps, the heat exchanger, etc. Based on my experience and the batches I’ve run, I would would keep my fermenter volumes under 15 gallons with my current glycol system. I noticed when fermenting two 5 gallon batches at a time,my system did seem to work a little more. I think 132 gallons would be a big ask for my current system. If it were me, I would look into a bigger cooling system or a commercial unit at that point. 132 gallons is a big investment in time and materials. Thanks for reaching out and I hope this was helpful! If you do build one, keep me posted, I’d like to find out how it performs:)

[@kostasf100]

@@justhomebrew Thank you very much for your prompt response and help.

[@jacobkendrick8857]

Do you know if it would be possible to modify the controller on an aquarium chiller to get the reservoir down to 30 with glycol? They all have the same controller as yours, but the settings are limited to like 50 degrees. I've seen them sell for $70. It would an incredible upgrade at a low price.

[@justhomebrew]

To be honest, I’m not sure. Are you looking to use an aquarium controller for your glycol chiller? The controllers I used were pretty cheap. I think I spent 12 bucks on each one.

[@paulhans251]

No

[@commentator2.0]

Nice video! 3:33 where did you get these fittings for your vinyl tubing? What are they called exactly? Thanks!

[@justhomebrew]

Thanks for the feedback! I beleive you’re referring to the SS Brewtech FTSs quick disconnect fittings. I post a link to these fittings in the video description for you. They work great. Cheers!

[@justhomebrew]

Ah, I see now you’re referring to the couplers. I’ll post a link to those couplers tonight.

[@commentator2.0]

@@justhomebrewthanks for the reply. Yea I saw you got those SS lines which are nice and I might get those as well. But I’m not sure how you connected them to the top of your cooler. I see it just goes through the top. I’m not sure if you’re still connecting it to those couplers or not? Trying to figure everything I need to buy

[@justhomebrew]

These connections are called LOKMAN Cable Glands: amzn.to/3OQtDDA. I had to do some digging because I forgot what they were called:) They are pretty simple to install. You simply drill a hole big enough for the threads to go through the top of the cooler, insert the threaded end through the cooler top and screw the plastic nut enough so it's snug. I might have drilled out the inside of the lid a little larger so I have room to tighten the nut. After you're done attaching the cable gland, fish the tubing through the hole until you have enough tubing to reach the glycol and pumps. Then tighten the cable gland so the tubing is secure. Once you hold the cable gland you'll understand. Just order the size you need depending on the size tubing you plan on using. I ordered the variety pack and it worked well for me. Good Luck!

[@commentator2.0]

@@justhomebrew awesome thank you! I didn’t know they were called cable glands. That’s super helpful. Do you still use these with the SS lines tho? It’s hard to tell what’s going on at the top of your cooler when you showed off the SS lines

[@PHOTOCONVENTION]

How cold can you make this get to?

[@justhomebrew]

I have mine set to 29 degrees. The lowest I’ve gone to is 25. I think it could go lower, but I would need to test it.

[@richardcagle5475]

The toggle switches seem redundant to me. Lights are nice for indicators, but doesnt the inkbird controller automatically power heating and cooling toggling?

[@justhomebrew]

Hey richardcagle5475, I could have gotten away without the toggles switches with this panel, but I do find it nice to completely turn off the pump and heating blanket when I’m done while keeping the inkbirds on. I keep everything plugged in so it’s nice to know, at least for me, there is no power going to the outlets when the switch is toggled off. Thanks for the comment. Cheers!

[@richardcagle5475]

@justhomebrew oh yeah, the pump an heater need dedicated switches, bit the others for each branch were redundant right? I'm not trying to knock your work at all, more like in trying to understand your reasoning during this specific application. I plan to do this myself in the future and I'm kind of a minimalist. I appreciate over engineered products, I just don't want to build one 😁

[@justhomebrew]

If you want to build a minimalist controller for your glycol system, you could totally get away with just the 3 controllers and ditch the switches and light indicators. I had two reasons for my design. The first reason was because I wanted the ability to turn On or Off my outlets at anytime. I planned on keeping my system plugged in all the time, so I wanted be sure that no power would go to the outlets if I toggled off my switches. In reality, You could just turn off each Inkbird by pressing the power button if you wanted to depower the outlets. This would have the same effect as the switch. The second reason.... I was completely bored during Covid so I went overboard with this project. I also had a bunch of leftover parts from my electric control panel build(for the electric kettles) , so I guess you could say I was trying to be a little creative. Cheers!

[@richardcagle5475]

@justhomebrew lol I didn't get the covid boredom. Had a job that required hands on work and lots of travel. I'm not sure which was worse. Being forced into the insanity or being forced into your home. Ended up quitting the job 18 months into the vid so there's that. I do see the appeal of just walking by an toggling switch rather than fooling with the tiny controller buttons. Maybe I'll use a few too :). Thanks for going through your process for me, I really appreciate it

[@andresnizri2027]

How many btus can the ac unit cool down?

[@justhomebrew]

Hi Andres, my ac is 5500 BTUs. I can confirm it can easily cold crash 2 7.5 gallon fermenters in 4-5 hours on a 50 degree day. When it’s warmer out, it does kick on more often, but that’s due to my smaller 3 gallon glycol reservoir. I’m going to upgrade to a bigger cooler over the summer. I feel the ac size is just fine for my size setup. Cheers!

[@andresnizri2027]

@@justhomebrew ThankYou for the response! Im looking to build a glycol chiller for 2 fermenters, 1 BBl each. I saw a commercial one at around $2,000, which is the 1/2 hp Penguin 2,650 BTU @ 28F. Im not sure how to interpret that BTU rating at such low temp, but since it is so expensive, I decided to buy a used AC with a 13,000 BTU rating at only $150. Hopefully its enough, Im not sure, but I will try to recreate your build with the inkbirds, thankyou!

[@justhomebrew]

@@andresnizri2027 A commercial unit probably is much more efficient in terms cooling the glycol with better cooling coils. If I were to build another at a larger scale, I would go much bigger with the glycol tank/cooler. It’s hard to put an estimate on this (and I’m not a math whiz), but I know my 5500 btu unit can cool 3-4 gallons of glycol in 20-30 second. It’s quick;) 1bbl fermenters will pump a lot of heat back into the glycol tank, so figure a chiller possibly 2-4 times bigger than mine.

[@Neon_Sandbox]

Very Cool! (pun intended)

[@justhomebrew]

Thanks for the feedback! I like the pun:)

[@erics3317]

I wonder how much all of that cost? Is it cheaper than just buying a used freezer and an inkbird? And yeah I understand that the motivating factor here is producing a cool DIY system and that might override cost concerns for some people.. I'm not mechanically inclined though so if there is a cheaper and easier option that would be my personal choice.

[@justhomebrew]

I believe I built this diy controller for around 120 dollars. I definitely wouldn’t build your own temperature controller to save money. Three inkbirds would cost about the same as building your own. I actually started with 3 Wi-Fi inkbirds and was headed down that very path. As I was putting the system together with the already made controllers, I could not figure out a way to organize all the wires and most importantly to me, I wanted to be able to turn off the ac, pumps and heating blanket without unplugging anything. Cheers!

[@skratchx]

Most unitank-type fermenters will not fit in a fridge or freezer, except for maybe a full sized upright. A glycol chiller will tend to take up much less space, and has the BTUs needed to cool more than one fermenter at the same time. Commercial glycol chillers have very attractive footprints, but very steep price tags. The DIY style using an AC takes up more space but will costs very little compared to commercial options.

[@justhomebrew]

@@skratchx I missed this comment, totally agree. When I went the DIY chiller route, my main goal was to build a system that could cool down(and cold crash) more than one fermenter and reduce the overall brewery footprint in my garage. My design is compact enough for me and does not require me to run multiple fridges which is a huge plus. I've seen a few setups with people using fridges that work. I think this would be a cool build and side by side comparison, however I've sticking with my glycol chiller for now. Cheers!

[@rezganger]

its water,not glycol?

[@justhomebrew]

It’s a mixture of water and glycol. It helps it from freezing.

[@rezganger]

???@@justhomebrew

[@justhomebrew]

I guess I don’t understand your question. If you’re referring to the liquid that cools down the fermenter through the heat exchanger, I use a mixture of water and glycol. My system gets to freezing temperature so I need use glycol to prevent the water from freezing.