Andale flooded font

[trhr]

My tank is just 20 ltr jerry can with a 1000 ltr per hour pond pump that is plumbed out side the bottom of jerry then off to the font. Batz had all this made up when I bought the font and res set up from him late last year, it's a great job he did, simple but works a treat ,I just reassembled it all, added 2 ltrs of glycol to 20 ltrs of water and run my keezer at -1. Super cold beers and and the font stays cold , well I only turn the pump on when serving beer but it's run over night and was still reasonably cold in morning after the setup got a hammering one night lol.

You can see the jerry can sitting on the freezer hump of mt 500 ltr chesty in one of the photos, fits perfectly thanks to Batz engineering .
I try and keep it butted hard to the cold wall in freezer. But plastic takes time to transfer heat when the load is on, but I'm more than happy with this. I used my old font fan from previous setup to run inside to keep everything nice and even temps through out. I love it....

I thought about running a bigger tank in another freezer at -5 with higher glycol concentration like 35% but couldn't be bothered with extra hassles and don't have the room for it.

But your idea will work, just use commercial grade thick walled insulation from a dedicated refrigeration supply shop such as Actrol or Heatcraft. Thicker the better.

You will need a bigger pump than 1000 ltr hr to push it through longer lines and 2 fonts, prob go to 5000 ltr and if too much could always tee off inside the freezer with a tap to adjust pressure and flow to font with the excess returning into the holding tanks.

One guy in the USA runs similar system to what you want, he uses 25 ltr tank in freezer and out to font, returns back via silicone 12 mm lines, then into freezer , through 20 mtr copper coil to loose heaps of heat then back into tank. Apparantly it works good, but I could't tell you if it would keep up long term to hold ice on the font as most glycol chillers return via coils that are submerged in liquid to get maximum heat transfer.

I even was looking around for a small 50 ltr freezer, that I could seal up, fill it directly with glycol mix, then run a coil of glycol through it and off to font, controlled by a temp controller. It would need agitation inside via another submerged pump or agitation motor. This would work but I though, gee when do I stop lol.

Plus could't find a chest type freezer smaller than 140 ltrs, so no room where my setup is, one day maybe I'll go all out...lol.

I'm trying to KISS, , going to save my bucks for a bigger brew system as my poor gf is copping a flogging.

I'm so busy with work ATM but will have time to relax this weekend to go take some pics for you, just remind me end of week if you still want some.

Thanks alot for the great information Coldspace, If you have time to take a pic or two, that would be great!
I'm going to start some testing today in my freezer (with temp controller) with just water in a 15 to 20L container with a submersible pump I use for my immersion chiller.
Once I'm sure I've got no leaks in the 2nd hand fonts I bought, I'll grab a proper pump or two and do some more testing with glycol based on your advice.

I went down to Andale and had a chat, a suitable glycol chiller was about $2000, but it's just too noisy. Their beer python insulated line is crazy expensive, so I'll try to make some first with some material from a refrigeration shop as you suggest. They told me that a few customers who they've setup home bars for have an open container in a freezer with a sub pump and it works well. He said they don't get that much ice, but the font stays cold and some of the setups are outside as my bar is.
So I'll probably try that first, then your advice with the copper coil added if it doesn't get cold enough. It's going to be interesting to see how one pump works with the line teeing off in the freezer to the 2 fonts.
I guess I could always run two pumps and two gylcol containers if it just doesn't work well. My bar freezer is 90L with no coolant lines on the shelves, but it would still be a tight squeeze with two containers and 1 or 2 copper coils for return cooling if required. I was hoping to use the small bottom basket in front of the hump for ice, but doubt I'll have the space.

Thanks again.

 

[Coldspace]

I'd go a big arse pump, run a t off straight after the pump with a valve and return line back to tank. Then after this t, I'd then t off to each font , after this t, put a adjustable valve inline for each feed to each font. This way you get plenty of pressure out of pump which you can adjust back with the first t off /valve. Then you can adjust each font feed pressure with the individual taps.

You will need good feed pressure then can open up or back off each font to get right flow rates, this would work for home setup.

Better to have more pump pressure than not enough, as you can adjust and tune it with the valves.

This way you will get even flow through each font. Test run it all with water, and just want probably 6-10 ltrs a minute flow through the fonts.

Insulation from Heatcraft or Actrol , thick walled and single line is not too expensive, you only need it outside the freezer on the feed and return . Silicone hoses are best for flexibility and seals.
Use quality stainless hose clamps. T pieces and valves from irrigation shop.

If your in brisbane I get glycol for approx $45 for 5 ltrs through my trade accounts at Heatcraft r Actrol as I'm a commercial fridgie/sparky contractor. I can pick you some up if that helps.

You'll prob pay double that at andale.

You'll need a 30% mix with water if you want to run down around -6

I keep mine at 10% as I'm only going down to -1.5

Biggest thing is getting rid of the return heat efficiently if you want to keep up with ice on font. For a single font with not to big ambient temps like hot day then a freezer , return coil and decent tank preferable would be stainless tank as it will loose heat faster than plastic. Even an old cornie keg for a tank would prossibly work ok, large surface area , 20 ltrs, .

For Brisbane here, if I was running 2 fonts, in hot weather and wanted long term ice then I'd just grab a proper chiller. Then again I do like engineering things up as well for the fun of it.

Cheers

 

[Coldspace]

Heres some pics of the pump setup.My chest freezer is the 500 ltr Westinghouse they have a really thick lid which is awesome , I had to modify the lid and strengthen the underside with checker plate to get the shank to fit . Old font fan from last setup pushes the air around and I have it blowing onto the glycol tank.

Cheers

 

[Batz]

I miss my font :unsure:

 

[Coldspace]

your welcome to come and cuddle her anytime your down this way....

I can share her, shes been around abit lol.