Just question for those who have built Son of a Chiller rigs... anyone experimented with using dry ice to power the thing instead of the jugs of water? Two advantages I can see are A) cooler temps and B) no drips.
Re: Son of a Chiller is a S.O.B.
Oct 20, 2006
10 Replies
Hey, you trying to confuse people?
Would you believe suffocation?
I use a peltier device embedded in the top whose cold surface chills my beer carboy down to 67 degrees
gottit from electronics goldmine in Arizona
Yodar
I was considering the same scheme to cool a sankey keg. Was you thermoelectric device assembled and just need installed? Will you chiller got down to lagering temps in the low 30's? Is electronics goldmine on the web? Did you get the power supply with the peltier device or have to come with one?
Hi,
Cooling capacity increases with voltage to a point but you have to get rid of the heat on the hot side or you will be disappointed.
Peltier devices are new to brewing, but are not so new to other avenues of science. This is a nice thread to test a market proposal (don't get mad, just seeing what interest is out there):
A pelitier junction complete with sink and fan (sink is machined to fit a
12" radius (ie. plastic fermenter with gamma seal lid, draws the heat away from the beer), water-tight seal, powder coated to resist corosion, and makes it easy to clean. silicone seal on the outside to ensure positive seal. Easy DIY install instructions for plastic primary users (sorry, glass primary is out of luck, steel primaries are doable, but require special calculations, since steel is a good conductor of heat.) Allows for a disturbance-free liquid temp drop of 10-15 degrees F without adding ice. Ale fermentation at 78 degrees ambient temperature (~68 degree wort). Lager without the box (in development; provides ambient drop of up to 30 degrees). This is not "drip proof" (yet), so plan ahead and keep it dry.I'm a nerd, who likes beer (hence the founding of my Brew Club, NLBT (Nerds Like Beer Too!)). I've got the plans for the above product lined up, but am hesitant to go beyond prototyping. First-run issue (ale temp) worked fantastically! Theoretical temp pull-down of 30 degrees is very possible, just requires a bit more on the outset (I don't like lagers, so I'm not going to investigate unless I have interest (or at least interest in driking questionablly aged lagers)). Temperature sensor to provide real-time feedback to chiller is possible, although not incorporated into this iteration.
I did some research into it at one time and unless the marketing (supply and demand) has lowered prices you can buy a 7.0 cu ft freezer for the same price as a peltier set up. If space is a premium, and you don't want the freezer or fridge, then maybe. But you would also be fighting the wet t-shirt that can drop the temp 8-10 degrees with the right conditions.
Mark R
The questions seem to me to be are you fermenting lagers or ales and how far on the cold side of the frost line do you live.
Brewing lagers means (to me at least) having a freezer. A Peltier device might be justified for one or two fermenters, but for more it would seem a chest freezer with a controller would be less expensive in the long run.
In the Fall, Winter, and Spring, my basement is near perfect for fermenting and conditioning ales.
Now if I lived in Yuma, AZ or Darwin, AU, it would be different. Without refrigeration, I'd be SOL.
Dick
Or not depending upon who's wearing the T-shirt
- Ok I'll get my coat!
Nick
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