George, US Army HVAC tech here, at least that's what they tell me. Hope this makes sense. If your evaporator still has the aluminum fins it will be a lot more efficient to ensure that water can flow through them and over the coils. Water flowing like the air was meant to flow in the original application of the evaporator coil. Only really applicable for when the pump in the cooler is running. Absolutely love what you, Jesse, and B&B are doing for the community. Thank you!
yes, I think the same way, but I am interested in seeing what adding the 100 degree plus water back to the cooler, my guess it is not going to keep the water temp down,, figure the water off the still condenser is still very warm when it is returned to the cooler, I see this working for maybe 30 minutes into the run, come on George surprize me, hope I am wrong, because lots of people have these units laying round, or can find one easy..
Give it up once again for the Tri-fecta of the Craft Distillation hobby George, Bearded, and Still-it. These three great minds coming together have done so much for our hobby thank you all so much for the time and effort you all put into these videos and for sharing your emense wealth of knowledge with us
I made this exactly your suggestions. I use it to chill the condenser. But, I also use it to chill the water for minnows during the summer fishing season. Crappie & Perch don't like dead, mushy minnows.
If you're struggling to get a cheap enough AC unit to butcher (they're not common in the UK) then at a pinch you can use a freezer and a long length of hosepipe. Drill two holes in the side of a freezer for the ends of the pipe and pass whatever liquid you want to chill through it at a good rate, 500 litres per hour is a good start but better to use a 1000lph pump with a ball tap to restrict it if needed. I made one like it to cool an aquarium which is a bit different to this but if, like me, you happen to have all the bits kicking about then it may be worthwhile. I can keep 40 litres of water at 8C below ambient 24/7 with this set up. The freezer runs constantly so I put it on a timer to give the compressor a 15 minute break every two hours.
A friendly tip from a ref.technichian: It is not the continuous running that "hurts" the compressor, it is the starts and stops... Anyway I liked your tip!!, it is much easier to find an old freezer than an old AC-unit.
Can't read through all the comments and now know this is from 2 yrs ago but I did send you a email.I've been keeping Aquarium's for 56 yrs now. The best and absolutely the funnest was my reef aquarium by far. We built everything except for the tank. At the time I was researching making a chiller using an old water chiller. Like the ones used in an office. I bought a used one but never got a chance to build it. I wish I still had the plans. It was simple if I recall. Just a thought. I'm wanting to start another but getting old now. Lol I'm retired now so it's not like I don't have the time. Best of luck and I'll be following you on RUclips.
This is what you need to try next. First test the typical power usage, then make the hot side liquid/water cooled instead of air cooled. Then test the power usage. Liquid cooling is suppose to be a lot more efficient than air cooled.
"Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time". Love it, George, I've never heard that one before, cracked me up! Great video, by the way, wish I had your skills.
I really wish you would have shown all the steps on how you took it all apart and bent it and got it to go into the cooler I'm really interested in using this method not only for distilling but I've seen a guy use the same method to keep his minnows for fishing alive cuz you got to have the water really cold
Instructions not clear enough My tounge got stuck to condenser and my belt got stuck to the ceiling fan. Ive been swinging in circles for the last hour. Thanks George!
Hello. George you the man ! Just made this with a "broken" de-humidifier (the electronics broke) Took it gently apart an put the evaporator in a 21 gal. or 80 liter bucket, the compressor and condenser on the lid, power strait to the compressor. Damn that thing can make cool water, it actually makes ice on the evaporator. THANKS for the idea !! costs a little power but saves a lot of water.
This is exactly what I was looking for. I'm sure it works great as intended for beer and spirits but I plan on diying a hydronic radiant cooling system for a small cabin. Cold water exits the chiller to a manifold, manifold to some Pex tubing backed by high-R foam and aluminum heat fins, then the circuits all come back to the chiller. Should work nicely if a ductless mini split dehumidifier can keep up with the system. Could even use a low temp water heater for radiant warmth in the winter by just adding a tankless water heater.
Actual water heater is better it acts like a hot water battery. The bigger you can get it the more energy it will save. Theres a diy one thats 500 gallons the water stays hot for days with no power. The person who owns it explained that after the fridge the water heater is very energy hungry.
Thank you George. Your common sense shines on this one. This is something I can do. There is more than one way to skin a cat (and I have 2, love em) and by gosh you made it easy for me.
Great idea :) From wort chiller for beer to a water cooler for still! Love it! Got a portable AC sitting here, was going to make a temperature controlled room for lagering beer but I guess this will come in more handy ;)
Thanks George for all of the great videos. This is a super idea, I am so over the ICE thing and with my 26 gallon pot, far too many BTU s being generated for ice to be an effective solution anyway. I need big delta T capacity to deal with the cooling water coming off of the still, particularly when I'm running the flute. Brain wave, I am planning on using a used multi-split type AC with multiple indoor units. My cooling water sits in two 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brute trash cans (on wheels) with submersible pumps in each one, and a copper heat exchanger between them. The AC condenser can sit outside next to the house outdoor unit, and the refrigeration piping will come through the wall to the evaporators. My plan is to strip off all of the housing and bits from the indoor units, keep the electronics and remote control board separate and out of the water, then just submerge the evaporator in the Brutes. With the longer refrigeration tubing (even insulated) it will be easier to get the evaporators in the barrels for cooling (heat absorption). I can get two tons of cooling with this used AC setup. I'll run the calc, but it should do the trick.
Hey I did this same thing with a water cooler and whats nice about is instead of that whole radiator type thing in the cooler chilling the water it's just 1 coper line about 3/8 od and 18 inches long I put it on a timer to kick on every 15 for 15. The line then gets cold enough to grow ice on it and works perfect with a recirculating system keeping the water perfect for dwc in place like I live [florida] where you can't do dwc without the chiller
Nice build! reminds me of some of the old CPU cooling setups back in the day. One thing that should help is to put a submersible pump in the cooler pushing water at the radiator for better heat exchange. Some people even get a spliter or shower head like adapter so it spreads the water out across it better. Cant wait to see it in action!!
You inspired me to do something similar. However, I managed to source a beer cooler, which is a small compact unit that is designed to chill a liquid flow without modification. It is a small compact under bar unit that I am about convert, so all I will need is a circulation pump.
Well done 👏 . Can you share these? 1. Compressor power? (BTU/Hr) 2. Water pump power? (Watt/Hp) 3. Water pump flow rate? (GPM/Lit/min) 4. Refrigerant Type ? (R22 / R407 / R410 ) I would appreciate it if you share these because I am desining a water chiller and need these info for modeling. So far Delta T(°F) and time explained by you have helped me so much 🙏. I am eagerly waiting for your response.
Are the tri clamp fittings standard size on the Chinese still? iam wondering if you could add maybe some sight glass and bubble plates and that kind of thing I just need to know are the fittings and gaskets American standard sizes
What an awesome build! Love the way you think! Can't wait to see it in operation! Keep up the great work and thank you for the wealth of knowledge you have shared with us.
I did a rough calculation based on the rough estimates you gave on the cooling rate, that chiller is about 1750 watts. I used the formula: Joules=m*C*(T2-T1), where m is the mass of water, C is the specific heat of water, and (T2-T1) is just the change in temperature of the water (be sure to use the specific heat of water, C, that matches the units you're using, farenheit and ounces or degrees C and grams). Then if you recall, watts are just joules per second so you divide by the time that passed in seconds. This is great because I need a 500 watt chiller, so this design will work.
Just realized that as I was reading this, nodding along, remarking "hmm. yes.." "..excellent point.." "sounds about right...".... Well, I realized that no have no idea about any of this. Numbers, formulas, so yea, um I really hope you're right. (I'm behind ya, but waaayyy out of my depth...so yea, we got that going for us I guess?)😐
Hi George better than car antifreeze is RV antifreeze it's made from old wine alot of the time so it doesn't leave a flavor on the water pipes and it way cheaper doesn't freeze either it might slurry but that's like at 40 below 0.
Another approach would be to use rigid foam boards to allow you to adapt whatever cooling source you have, it also allows you to then split the outgoing to various devices, then return the cooling solution back to the container for heat exchange and reuse. Your next challenge is how to control the water flow and pressure, simple if it is one line, bit harder when you have multiple devices.
In the Navy theirs three ways to get a job done. The book way, then the Petty Officer way, and the seaman/airman/fireman way when i don't care i need this done so we can leave. Also that's the i would of done it. there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Do you think the aluminum and copper in the water would cause any issues with toxic amounts of the elements in the water? Thinking of doing this for a water chiller for plants and fish.
Wanted to see if you have run this with a reflux still for any period of time. Would like to build one but don't want to if it did not work well for you.
Hi George you have a great idea here. Just to let you know I am going try using the A/C unit unmodified blowing over a transmission oil radiator. Radiator on order will let you know. Intend to build a plenum chamber to funnel the air across the radiator & recirculate.
Don't use ethylene glycol based antifreeze (car or cheap antifreeze) use propylene glicol based antifreeze, that stuff is not toxic. Actually sometimes it is used as electronic cigarette fluid base. I prefer not to have any toxic material where live,(i use it for hydronic heating), and you are using this for consumable product production. Great video as always.
Love your videos, we appreciate all your hard work. I've been checking out a problem with another hobby (laser printing) where it is important to keep cooling water as the laser heats up with use. I would like to know, if you have ever used an ice machine to maintain cool temps in the condensers. Countertop ice makers can be purchased for less than 100 bucks, they have a reservoir large enough to place a water pump down into the reservoir with water and allowed to run, dropping cubes every 5 minutes. As the water melts, it is recycled back into ice, keeping water in the reservoir cool. This probably isn't a new idea so I wanted to ask a pro if you think I could use this system to maintain the cooling water in my condensers below 1/2 the temp of the head vapor. I have a small still (pot = 5 gal.) operating on an induction plate at 1.6 to 1.8 KW. Have you ever tried this method for cooling water. I love the idea of your converted AC unit but this would be cheaper, less energy used, quieter, and a smaller footprint in my still area. I think I've watched all your videos at least once and would like your opinion before I invest in a little ice maker. Thanks for your response, please keep teaching.
Hi George will this work for my hydroponic system, tank capacity is around 400 liters recirculating my compressor is 1 hp any ideas or comment would be highly appreciated.
A dehumidfier is what you want to use as its already set up with a water collection tub. All you need to do is disconnect the fan then feed the return water over the coil and you're done.
I'm working on something like that for a bait tank keeping bait during 115 degree air temperature and water cool is a task frozen water jugs don't last but 10 minutes lol
@@mattf9096 It's a "better safe than sorry" thing I've read about from home brewers who tend to use it for lagering. Just in case there is a spill or one of the lines pops loose while the pump is running any contamination won't render your product toxic. Also, I've got a dog, so at least the propylene won't kill her if she gets into some.
got a question, not sure where to buy food grade glycol but i am sure I have plenty of heads kicking around, how much should i mix together to make it not freeze :)
Dima Sh I did this cooler and ac unit myself. I used a gallon of propylene glycol that I found at Tractor Supply. You can get it other places online as well. I used a gallon of the glycol and two gallons of distilled water. I have my ink bird PID controller set to keep it at 60 degrees and it turns the chiller on at 64 degrees does a great job of keeping it at that temp and does not kick on often. The glycol helps greatly.
I use a refrigerated office water chiller it already has everything you need and the water temp is adjustable you just have to pump the water through it to make it more effective (the type that connects to mains pressure but i guess you could use a bottle chiller also as long as it is refrigerated and not cooled with a peltier module)
@@jondoeski221 I just connected a pump from the res to the inlet line, made sure the valve inside the unit was open for max flow and then connected a small hose to output side of the chiller which then goes back to the res.
@@guna351 thanks, I figured there was a way to make a cooler for cheap. Can pick these up all over the place. How many gallons is your res and how cool can it get.
@@jondoeski221 The chiller i have is capable of as low as 2 degrees Celsius. my res is a 44 gal drum and it has no problem cooling it down during a run
Hey George watching this video gave me another idea.. I think I'll try to integrate a table top ice maker into a chiller bucket. It has the compressor pump and everything in one unit already. Humm just might work..
@@17hmr243 I was a bit to fond of my ice maker and the small AC and cooler was really close in price. So I built George’s version.and After adding glycol to keep it from freezing into a big block around the coils it works flawlessly. I put my set up on a flat furniture dolly.
question sir.. do you think that if this concept was to be used on a project that requires water to be chilled for most of the hrs in the day and probably consistent amount of days as well and making sure it doesn't go up in flames or blows up from overheating?
I've stripped down a PRIMO water cooler to the bare metal, ditched the hot side. Can't get the can out of the cooling coils without TIN SNIPS but it's sheet metal. All I gotta do is get the cooling coils connected to my PC Chassis. Thermostat on it to stop it from freezing or condensing.
Great video George, but I'm thinking my still condenser @ 28in long might not cool the vapors enough. My process is freezing a 48qt cooler full of tap water, and 3gal of liquid running over the ice block to condenser. Product coming out of parrot is 50*F. After the run and into the tails the ice is gone completely and water warms up to aprox 58 to 60 *F. And I start getting vapers with the tails. So my thinking if I changed from my condenser to a coil of copper in the bottom of my 48qt. Cooler that would extend condensate time. As shown using an old air conditioning unit that's coil would be in the 48 to 50*F Range would work ?
Remember that a water cooler only cools about .5 of a gallon the rest sits at room temp . The way they do that is by having a stainless bowl that has that copper line wrapped around it with a thermostat and it kicks on when whatever temp you set it at. With mine I couldn't preserve the thermostat but the timer does the trick after some playing with how long on and off cycle is and how often the water is recycled in you system
OK here;s what I came up with since I ruined my countertop frig by having the bad luck to drill through a Freon tube (drilling too close to the thermostat . . . duh). I been checking out Dustin Stugart's AC chiller too and got a used window unit that's built just right for wrapping the back with riveted sheet-metal I already got and ducting it through the back wall via a 6" inline fan and out a Dryer vent outside. I'm going to fix mine in place, on a workbench countertop that my boiler also sits on, right by the wall. My place is paid for so I get to put a hole in the wall if I so please. Then I'm going to put a 10 gallon tank, with the AC condenser submerged therein in front of that on another lower bench that I had my frig on . . . no wheels no cart. Everything is screwed down stationary with my silicon tubing going to my Liebig condenser fastened to battens on an inboard wall nice and neat. . I don't think I want to use an Igloo or Coleman for a chiller because i think I'm more comfortable putting thermometer and a drain in the bottom using through-bulkhead weld-less fittings in a galvanized hot dipped oval tank about the same size and cost as y'all's ice boxes. Maybe I'm wrong here but I don't think I'll gain much with an insulated cooler what with warm water returning from the copper Liebig into it. I'm not even sure if I need a cover since my AC is to the side of it. . . . I'm thinking my AC condenser will be the factor for temperature here but anybody knowing better feel free to correct me if I'm making a poor choice in galvanized metal over styrofoam .
If you saved your heads and tails that you don't use for consumption and add to the water in your cooler it will act as an antifreeze agent and an antibacterial agent. You can use the same water over and over.
If you want to stop it from freezing. Why dont you use one of your PID's . You have probably already thought of it. Just wanted to add a comment. Your video's are very very intuitive and I am learning a hell of a lot. Cheers for every one of your video's ... Craig from across the pond in UK
I use a freezer with temperture control and a reservoir of proplene glycol( in the freezer) circulated throught the condencer, with a temp controled pump.
Just finished mine tonight.... so glad to have you show this !! Looks like it will work beautifully. Would it make sense to add some anti-freeze to cool down wort for beer?
Great job George some food grade glycol will help you accomplish your task. But even at a 2prt. Water to Glycol ratio that would be extremely expensive maybe a smaller cooler would work better?? Be well and thank you. 😊
I should warn you.. R-410a and the oil in the line is flammable when under pressure.. you used looks like a torch to heat the pipe before bending it.. the pipes are soldered on and will loosen up and leak gas right when you have the torch near it.. maybe a heat gun something that will not get so hot.. just be safe
Hey George, be careful of frost on the low pressure line. It can cause liquid refrigerant to enter the compressor. If that happens it can cause the compressor to fail earlier than normal. More water flow across the coil will help stop freezing
Also where I work we have a lot of window units and was planning a similar build. My evaporator coil would be a water to refrigerant heat exchanger. And pass the water through that with a pump.
Hey George, you are fast becoming my favorite pass time along with some attendance to the bearded and broke guy and the Jesse stills it no matter what it is guy. I'm not understanding why folks bring up radiators, showers and the glycol thing. Is this not an enclosed compressed cooling system? Or am I not understanding it right? Other than that and not wanting to insult, I refer to your videos like a library. I have had a 2 liter copper alembic pot I've played with for a long time, but then I built a copper column combo still out of a stainless milk bucket. Now I am rebuilding that for triclamps and I suppose that I'm having a good time doing that for my first project in retirement . It is my old home built 5 gallon ("goat bucket") can with an all copper setup in 2" and 1-1/2" copper tube to be changed to a stainless/copper combo with Triclamps and the like. That will keep me from falling over for a while I think. I'm also converting it to a PID controlled heating element and am contemplating the same for the 2 liter alembic which is basically too small for working with except maybe to have fun distilling water. This is all happening because I liked your videos on the PID and SCR mods (and all the other ones too), and then got right into it and got hooked on the still phenomena including finding Jesse and Bearded. For the alembic I'm going with a 4 x 4 inch electric heat grid from a small 1500 watt heater fan for it to sit on rather than using a flame to heat it, and controlled with a SCR. I also have a Chinese Vevor still like yours that I'm butchering to have it my way, and that's also to learn from. I'm close to finished with that, but not quite there yet. Your video on the "Tall Texan" beer keg got me looking for one of those now. I love the irony of a beer keg producing vodka or brandy! You sir, are a joy to watch! Your information is superb, your style is invigorating, and you are totally dedicated to the job at hand, perfect! I salute you, and God speed! Regards, John.
I don’t have that set up but it would be cool to try a water wetter brand product that “lowers temp” in cars. It does so by reducing surface tension. Old racers trick is just to use fabric softener in the water.
Finally something I might be able to pull off! Thanks man! I’m unsure of a few things like I would of liked to see inside. The water doesn’t touch it correct? And as far as air pressure does that affect it somehow? Like cause pressure in the cooler ? Is it sealed otherwise.
Hi Guys, i'm setting up an injection molding plant, just going to run 1 machine for now, and we obviously need a chiller but they're over priced.. thinking of building a setup like this to handle the flow rate at the required temperature .. what are your thoughts. Thanks in advance
Metal brake or hydrolic line and a flairig kit like for making brake lines are cheap also transmission coolerer for cars n trucks are cheap on Amazon under $40 diy swamp coolers and believe it or not wish has the most amazing tech cheap water controls leak alarms temp control dual probes etc worth a look It's uncanny how similar the tech and mods between the distilling and indoor gardening are. So much of why tackle is almost identical to stuff I explained in the shop best jobs ever 😂 Ohh if you take the line off fill it with sand it prevents kinking just clean very well after
Hi George, huge fan here and a religious follower! Quick question - how would you attach a thermocouple temperature probe to a 1/2" NPT? I do not want to use the analog dial thermometers as the brewing setup is in the corner and I cannot see them very well. Great channel and cannot wait to see your next project. Cheers!
Use a probe that is 1/2 inch Here is a link to one. www.amazon.com/Twidec-Temperature-Controller-Stainless-Thermocouple/dp/B07QP6P3NL/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=1%2F2+inch+NPT+k+type+probe&qid=1564194173&s=gateway&sr=8-10
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing Fantastic! I was able to pair it with Kamtop Digital Thermometer Dual Channel Thermometer and now I can have and monitor two such probes. Thanks a million :-)
I am personally against wasting water to cool such things like a still the most videos you can see they take the cool drinking water. And the drinking water is full of things which make the condenser verity dirty. So i decide to test - with some used items. I have found a small motorcycle watercooler - dismounted the original fan - fixed 12 small PC-Cooling fans (less noise) and let run the water in in the overflow - to the cooler. So i can reuse the cooling water - and for example you can also use a car water cooler. And you can use for example Rainwater to fill up the cooling system.
George, US Army HVAC tech here, at least that's what they tell me. Hope this makes sense. If your evaporator still has the aluminum fins it will be a lot more efficient to ensure that water can flow through them and over the coils. Water flowing like the air was meant to flow in the original application of the evaporator coil. Only really applicable for when the pump in the cooler is running. Absolutely love what you, Jesse, and B&B are doing for the community. Thank you!
Excellent point, need mechanical movement of water across the fins to maximize the exchange.
yes, I think the same way, but I am interested in seeing what adding the 100 degree plus water back to the cooler, my guess it is not going to keep the water temp down,, figure the water off the still condenser is still very warm when it is returned to the cooler, I see this working for maybe 30 minutes into the run, come on George surprize me, hope I am wrong, because lots of people have these units laying round, or can find one easy..
Give it up once again for the Tri-fecta of the Craft Distillation hobby George, Bearded, and Still-it. These three great minds coming together have done so much for our hobby thank you all so much for the time and effort you all put into these videos and for sharing your emense wealth of knowledge with us
Thanks for all the great videos George! This may be two years old but it was what I needed today. We appreciate you.
I was about to build the same thing a MUCH more complicated way. Thanks for changing my plan and saving me so much time.
I made this exactly your suggestions. I use it to chill the condenser. But, I also use it to chill the water for minnows during the summer fishing season. Crappie & Perch don't like dead, mushy minnows.
If you're struggling to get a cheap enough AC unit to butcher (they're not common in the UK) then at a pinch you can use a freezer and a long length of hosepipe. Drill two holes in the side of a freezer for the ends of the pipe and pass whatever liquid you want to chill through it at a good rate, 500 litres per hour is a good start but better to use a 1000lph pump with a ball tap to restrict it if needed. I made one like it to cool an aquarium which is a bit different to this but if, like me, you happen to have all the bits kicking about then it may be worthwhile. I can keep 40 litres of water at 8C below ambient 24/7 with this set up. The freezer runs constantly so I put it on a timer to give the compressor a 15 minute break every two hours.
A friendly tip from a ref.technichian: It is not the continuous running that "hurts" the compressor, it is the starts and stops...
Anyway I liked your tip!!, it is much easier to find an old freezer than an old AC-unit.
Can't read through all the comments and now know this is from 2 yrs ago but I did send you a email.I've been keeping Aquarium's for 56 yrs now. The best and absolutely the funnest was my reef aquarium by far. We built everything except for the tank. At the time I was researching making a chiller using an old water chiller. Like the ones used in an office. I bought a used one but never got a chance to build it. I wish I still had the plans. It was simple if I recall. Just a thought. I'm wanting to start another but getting old now. Lol I'm retired now so it's not like I don't have the time. Best of luck and I'll be following you on RUclips.
This is what you need to try next. First test the typical power usage, then make the hot side liquid/water cooled instead of air cooled. Then test the power usage. Liquid cooling is suppose to be a lot more efficient than air cooled.
"Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time". Love it, George, I've never heard that one before, cracked me up! Great video, by the way, wish I had your skills.
I really wish you would have shown all the steps on how you took it all apart and bent it and got it to go into the cooler I'm really interested in using this method not only for distilling but I've seen a guy use the same method to keep his minnows for fishing alive cuz you got to have the water really cold
Instructions not clear enough My tounge got stuck to condenser and my belt got stuck to the ceiling fan. Ive been swinging in circles for the last hour. Thanks George!
😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂
@@SPotter1973 the f is woke? Is that what all the children are saying these days 🤔?
Thank you sir for your very informative presentation.Frorm India
Awesome build George! Great advice, compassion for how others approach a task.
I love your videos, you are a great teacher! All the way from the Great North. Thank you!
Hello. George you the man ! Just made this with a "broken" de-humidifier (the electronics broke) Took it gently apart an put the evaporator in a 21 gal. or 80 liter bucket, the compressor and condenser on the lid, power strait to the compressor. Damn that thing can make cool water, it actually makes ice on the evaporator. THANKS for the idea !! costs a little power but saves a lot of water.
This is exactly what I was looking for. I'm sure it works great as intended for beer and spirits but I plan on diying a hydronic radiant cooling system for a small cabin. Cold water exits the chiller to a manifold, manifold to some Pex tubing backed by high-R foam and aluminum heat fins, then the circuits all come back to the chiller. Should work nicely if a ductless mini split dehumidifier can keep up with the system. Could even use a low temp water heater for radiant warmth in the winter by just adding a tankless water heater.
Actual water heater is better it acts like a hot water battery. The bigger you can get it the more energy it will save. Theres a diy one thats 500 gallons the water stays hot for days with no power. The person who owns it explained that after the fridge the water heater is very energy hungry.
I’ve watched your videos in the past. I found this video on a random google search. I’m glad I’m not the only person with this crazy idea.
Thank you George. Your common sense shines on this one. This is something I can do.
There is more than one way to skin a cat (and I have 2, love em) and by gosh you made it easy for me.
Great idea :)
From wort chiller for beer to a water cooler for still! Love it!
Got a portable AC sitting here, was going to make a temperature controlled room for lagering beer but I guess this will come in more handy ;)
Thanks George for all of the great videos. This is a super idea, I am so over the ICE thing and with my 26 gallon pot, far too many BTU s being generated for ice to be an effective solution anyway. I need big delta T capacity to deal with the cooling water coming off of the still, particularly when I'm running the flute. Brain wave, I am planning on using a used multi-split type AC with multiple indoor units. My cooling water sits in two 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brute trash cans (on wheels) with submersible pumps in each one, and a copper heat exchanger between them. The AC condenser can sit outside next to the house outdoor unit, and the refrigeration piping will come through the wall to the evaporators. My plan is to strip off all of the housing and bits from the indoor units, keep the electronics and remote control board separate and out of the water, then just submerge the evaporator in the Brutes. With the longer refrigeration tubing (even insulated) it will be easier to get the evaporators in the barrels for cooling (heat absorption). I can get two tons of cooling with this used AC setup. I'll run the calc, but it should do the trick.
How did your setup turn out?
You are a great teacher. Thankyou for sharing so much knowledge. You are generous with your knowledge. I wish I can join this hobby's community
Hey I did this same thing with a water cooler and whats nice about is instead of that whole radiator type thing in the cooler chilling the water it's just 1 coper line about 3/8 od and 18 inches long I put it on a timer to kick on every 15 for 15. The line then gets cold enough to grow ice on it and works perfect with a recirculating system keeping the water perfect for dwc in place like I live [florida] where you can't do dwc without the chiller
I have old motorcycle radiator with electric fan, always wondered if that would be an option put into a deep freeze.
air will poorly transfer heat to freezer, it will be overwhelmed quickly
Do you think the aluminum and copper will not corrode, Im trying use it for heating water..
Nice build! reminds me of some of the old CPU cooling setups back in the day. One thing that should help is to put a submersible pump in the cooler pushing water at the radiator for better heat exchange. Some people even get a spliter or shower head like adapter so it spreads the water out across it better. Cant wait to see it in action!!
Your bloopers idea is great...Given the fact that you are always so spot-on...seeing a few “errors “ is funny.
Hiya! Looking to do this for a diy ice bath setup! How did you route the water through it from the cooler? Thank you!
You inspired me to do something similar. However, I managed to source a beer cooler, which is a small compact unit that is designed to chill a liquid flow without modification. It is a small compact under bar unit that I am about convert, so all I will need is a circulation pump.
Well done 👏 . Can you share these?
1. Compressor power? (BTU/Hr)
2. Water pump power? (Watt/Hp)
3. Water pump flow rate? (GPM/Lit/min)
4. Refrigerant Type ? (R22 / R407 / R410 )
I would appreciate it if you share these because I am desining a water chiller and need these info for modeling. So far Delta T(°F) and time explained by you have helped me so much 🙏.
I am eagerly waiting for your response.
I was thinking about using it and a refrigerator motor and put it in my cooling tower what do you think about that
Are the tri clamp fittings standard size on the Chinese still? iam wondering if you could add maybe some sight glass and bubble plates and that kind of thing I just need to know are the fittings and gaskets American standard sizes
Great job George!
What an awesome build! Love the way you think! Can't wait to see it in operation! Keep up the great work and thank you for the wealth of knowledge you have shared with us.
I’ve had this idea to build a water chiller to chill the water in my swamp cooler. Is this a waste of time or is this a good idea?
I did a rough calculation based on the rough estimates you gave on the cooling rate, that chiller is about 1750 watts.
I used the formula:
Joules=m*C*(T2-T1),
where m is the mass of water, C is the specific heat of water, and (T2-T1) is just the change in temperature of the water (be sure to use the specific heat of water, C, that matches the units you're using, farenheit and ounces or degrees C and grams). Then if you recall, watts are just joules per second so you divide by the time that passed in seconds.
This is great because I need a 500 watt chiller, so this design will work.
Just realized that as I was reading this, nodding along, remarking
"hmm. yes.."
"..excellent point.."
"sounds about right..."....
Well, I realized that no have no idea about any of this.
Numbers, formulas, so yea, um I really hope you're right.
(I'm behind ya, but waaayyy out of my depth...so yea, we got that going for us I guess?)😐
"nodding approvingly"
What kind of pump do you use
Hi George better than car antifreeze is RV antifreeze it's made from old wine alot of the time so it doesn't leave a flavor on the water pipes and it way cheaper doesn't freeze either it might slurry but that's like at 40 below 0.
Definitely keep us updated on how this works during a normal run.
As always good info... thanks
I bought a bottled water cooler But not sure how to go about setting it up for the still yet
I just tried this setup and it did not keep up with the still
What about thermostat settings and power consumption?
I'm saying get a brand new radiator from a motorcycle mount it about 6 inches off the cold air side. Then run food grade water lines. Simple and fast
Im not thinking food grade water lines will mess it up. You only use food grade for the distilate lines
Looks like it would be a decent shop heater
Another approach would be to use rigid foam boards to allow you to adapt whatever cooling source you have, it also allows you to then split the outgoing to various devices, then return the cooling solution back to the container for heat exchange and reuse. Your next challenge is how to control the water flow and pressure, simple if it is one line, bit harder when you have multiple devices.
Could you upscale this for a commercial distillery? 1000l pot still?
In the Navy theirs three ways to get a job done. The book way, then the Petty Officer way, and the seaman/airman/fireman way when i don't care i need this done so we can leave. Also that's the i would of done it. there's more than one way to skin a cat.
different. Howed it work George. What videos shows it in all is final glory???
I’d love to see the bloopers lol 👀Cheers keep the hard work up
Do you think the aluminum and copper in the water would cause any issues with toxic amounts of the elements in the water? Thinking of doing this for a water chiller for plants and fish.
Wanted to see if you have run this with a reflux still for any period of time. Would like to build one but don't want to if it did not work well for you.
Hi George you have a great idea here. Just to let you know I am going try using the A/C unit unmodified blowing over a transmission oil radiator.
Radiator on order will let you know. Intend to build a plenum chamber to funnel the air across the radiator & recirculate.
Unbelievably individual pleasant video. Enormous info readily available on few clicks.
Don't use ethylene glycol based antifreeze (car or cheap antifreeze) use propylene glicol based antifreeze, that stuff is not toxic. Actually sometimes it is used as electronic cigarette fluid base. I prefer not to have any toxic material where live,(i use it for hydronic heating), and you are using this for consumable product production. Great video as always.
well said Buddy. keep them coming
Love your videos, we appreciate all your hard work. I've been checking out a problem with another hobby (laser printing) where it is important to keep cooling water as the laser heats up with use. I would like to know, if you have ever used an ice machine to maintain cool temps in the condensers. Countertop ice makers can be purchased for less than 100 bucks, they have a reservoir large enough to place a water pump down into the reservoir with water and allowed to run, dropping cubes every 5 minutes. As the water melts, it is recycled back into ice, keeping water in the reservoir cool. This probably isn't a new idea so I wanted to ask a pro if you think I could use this system to maintain the cooling water in my condensers below 1/2 the temp of the head vapor. I have a small still (pot = 5 gal.) operating on an induction plate at 1.6 to 1.8 KW. Have you ever tried this method for cooling water. I love the idea of your converted AC unit but this would be cheaper, less energy used, quieter, and a smaller footprint in my still area. I think I've watched all your videos at least once and would like your opinion before I invest in a little ice maker. Thanks for your response, please keep teaching.
Where’s the follow up video??
How do you bend without kinking any tips?
Hi George will this work for my hydroponic system, tank capacity is around 400 liters recirculating my compressor is 1 hp any ideas or comment would be highly appreciated.
A dehumidfier is what you want to use as its already set up with a water collection tub. All you need to do is disconnect the fan then feed the return water over the coil and you're done.
I'm working on something like that for a bait tank keeping bait during 115 degree air temperature and water cool is a task frozen water jugs don't last but 10 minutes lol
Very "cool" build George:-) Make sure you get propylene glycol since it's food safe, instead of regular ethylene glycol for car radiators.
Radiator?
would it actually matter since its a closed loop and not mixing with any of the product?
@@mattf9096 It's a "better safe than sorry" thing I've read about from home brewers who tend to use it for lagering. Just in case there is a spill or one of the lines pops loose while the pump is running any contamination won't render your product toxic. Also, I've got a dog, so at least the propylene won't kill her if she gets into some.
I have a radiator with a electric fan attached. I was thinking of trying that some day
...or you could always put some homemade shine in the water to drop the freezingpoint...but maybe that would be a waste of the good stuff!! ;-)
got a question, not sure where to buy food grade glycol but i am sure I have plenty of heads kicking around, how much should i mix together to make it not freeze :)
Dima Sh I did this cooler and ac unit myself. I used a gallon of propylene glycol that I found at Tractor Supply. You can get it other places online as well. I used a gallon of the glycol and two gallons of distilled water. I have my ink bird PID controller set to keep it at 60 degrees and it turns the chiller on at 64 degrees does a great job of keeping it at that temp and does not kick on often. The glycol helps greatly.
I use a refrigerated office water chiller it already has everything you need and the water temp is adjustable you just have to pump the water through it to make it more effective (the type that connects to mains pressure but i guess you could use a bottle chiller also as long as it is refrigerated and not cooled with a peltier module)
How did you hook up lines to it?. Was thinking about one of these for a hydroponic set up
@@jondoeski221 I just connected a pump from the res to the inlet line, made sure the valve inside the unit was open for max flow and then connected a small hose to output side of the chiller which then goes back to the res.
@@guna351 thanks, I figured there was a way to make a cooler for cheap. Can pick these up all over the place. How many gallons is your res and how cool can it get.
@@jondoeski221 The chiller i have is capable of as low as 2 degrees Celsius. my res is a 44 gal drum and it has no problem cooling it down during a run
@@guna351 and it's just a cold chiller without hot side right?. Thanks for helping clear it up.
Do you have to have the fan running? Trying to not blow hot air around. Area is getting hotter.
It is the only way to pass the heat collected off the coils
I took fan off. Do you have too? Also now runs for 15sec and stops. I think freezing. Not sure if the compasitor is starting.
Thank you very much for this video
Very helpful👍
If we all did things the same way. We would still be riding around in horse and cart! We all come up with good ideas. Every one else picks the best
Can u run a tds check on the water before chilling and a few days after. To see if the levels rise.
Hey George watching this video gave me another idea.. I think I'll try to integrate a table top ice maker into a chiller bucket. It has the compressor pump and everything in one unit already. Humm just might work..
how did it turn out
@@17hmr243 I was a bit to fond of my ice maker and the small AC and cooler was really close in price. So I built George’s version.and After adding glycol to keep it from freezing into a big block around the coils it works flawlessly. I put my set up on a flat furniture dolly.
@@cowpiecowboy7599 ok thanks for reply
question sir.. do you think that if this concept was to be used on a project that requires water to be chilled for most of the hrs in the day and probably consistent amount of days as well and making sure it doesn't go up in flames or blows up from overheating?
I've stripped down a PRIMO water cooler to the bare metal, ditched the hot side.
Can't get the can out of the cooling coils without TIN SNIPS but it's sheet metal.
All I gotta do is get the cooling coils connected to my PC Chassis.
Thermostat on it to stop it from freezing or condensing.
George is the man. A true American Patriot. Thats a fact. Was a true leader in the Military and still leading by example.
Hey. I'm half way through this same project. What did you do with the thermal couple that was attached to the front of the cooler part?
I disconnected it.
Ok thanks. Also. Do you think it would be more or less efficient with a smaller cooler?
Is it safe to heat the pipe to bend it with the freezer stuff in there?
Great video George, but I'm thinking my still condenser @ 28in long might not cool the vapors enough. My process is freezing a 48qt cooler full of tap water, and 3gal of liquid running over the ice block to condenser. Product coming out of parrot is 50*F. After the run and into the tails the ice is gone completely and water warms up to aprox 58 to 60 *F. And I start getting vapers with the tails. So my thinking if I changed from my condenser to a coil of copper in the bottom of my 48qt. Cooler that would extend condensate time. As shown using an old air conditioning unit that's coil would be in the 48 to 50*F Range would work ?
Remember that a water cooler only cools about .5 of a gallon the rest sits at room temp . The way they do that is by having a stainless bowl that has that copper line wrapped around it with a thermostat and it kicks on when whatever temp you set it at. With mine I couldn't preserve the thermostat but the timer does the trick after some playing with how long on and off cycle is and how often the water is recycled in you system
Oh Im stoked! Haha love your work bud, I have an oversized radiator here with the fan connected, I see some potential!
Great idea! I think you will be very happy with it! a bit of tweaking and you should have a really good water cooler...
OK here;s what I came up with since I ruined my countertop frig by having the bad luck to drill through a Freon tube (drilling too close to the thermostat . . . duh). I been checking out Dustin Stugart's AC chiller too and got a used window unit that's built just right for wrapping the back with riveted sheet-metal I already got and ducting it through the back wall via a 6" inline fan and out a Dryer vent outside. I'm going to fix mine in place, on a workbench countertop that my boiler also sits on, right by the wall. My place is paid for so I get to put a hole in the wall if I so please. Then I'm going to put a 10 gallon tank, with the AC condenser submerged therein in front of that on another lower bench that I had my frig on . . . no wheels no cart. Everything is screwed down stationary with my silicon tubing going to my Liebig condenser fastened to battens on an inboard wall nice and neat.
.
I don't think I want to use an Igloo or Coleman for a chiller because i think I'm more comfortable putting thermometer and a drain in the bottom using through-bulkhead weld-less fittings in a galvanized hot dipped oval tank about the same size and cost as y'all's ice boxes.
Maybe I'm wrong here but I don't think I'll gain much with an insulated cooler what with warm water returning from the copper Liebig into it. I'm not even sure if I need a cover since my AC is to the side of it. . . . I'm thinking my AC condenser will be the factor for temperature here but anybody knowing better feel free to correct me if I'm making a poor choice in galvanized metal over styrofoam .
Hey George it would be great if you could find a small mechanical water pump to run off the fan motor and loose the electric pump
If you saved your heads and tails that you don't use for consumption and add to the water in your cooler it will act as an antifreeze agent and an antibacterial agent. You can use the same water over and over.
If you want to stop it from freezing. Why dont you use one of your PID's . You have probably already thought of it. Just wanted to add a comment. Your video's are very very intuitive and I am learning a hell of a lot. Cheers for every one of your video's ... Craig from across the pond in UK
Thanks for the tip
I use a freezer with temperture control and a reservoir of proplene glycol( in the freezer) circulated throught the condencer, with a temp controled pump.
As always thanks George.
You could try making a shroud for the evaporator and pump water through it so it can cool the water more efficiently.
Fantastic!
Hello George, I would like to see you use something like a. 3.5 deep freezer as a water chiller
Just finished mine tonight.... so glad to have you show this !! Looks like it will work beautifully. Would it make sense to add some anti-freeze to cool down wort for beer?
... and yes ... it can and does freeze up now and again. keep the glycol/water level up.
Great job George some food grade glycol will help you accomplish your task. But even at a 2prt. Water to Glycol ratio that would be extremely expensive maybe a smaller cooler would work better?? Be well and thank you. 😊
I should warn you.. R-410a and the oil in the line is flammable when under pressure.. you used looks like a torch to heat the pipe before bending it.. the pipes are soldered on and will loosen up and leak gas right when you have the torch near it.. maybe a heat gun something that will not get so hot.. just be safe
Hey George, be careful of frost on the low pressure line. It can cause liquid refrigerant to enter the compressor. If that happens it can cause the compressor to fail earlier than normal. More water flow across the coil will help stop freezing
Also where I work we have a lot of window units and was planning a similar build. My evaporator coil would be a water to refrigerant heat exchanger. And pass the water through that with a pump.
Hey George, you are fast becoming my favorite pass time along with some attendance to the bearded and broke guy and the Jesse stills it no matter what it is guy.
I'm not understanding why folks bring up radiators, showers and the glycol thing. Is this not an enclosed compressed cooling system? Or am I not understanding it right?
Other than that and not wanting to insult, I refer to your videos like a library.
I have had a 2 liter copper alembic pot I've played with for a long time, but then I built a copper column combo still out of a stainless milk bucket. Now I am rebuilding that for triclamps and I suppose that I'm having a good time doing that for my first project in retirement . It is my old home built 5 gallon ("goat bucket") can with an all copper setup in 2" and 1-1/2" copper tube to be changed to a stainless/copper combo with Triclamps and the like. That will keep me from falling over for a while I think. I'm also converting it to a PID controlled heating element and am contemplating the same for the 2 liter alembic which is basically too small for working with except maybe to have fun distilling water.
This is all happening because I liked your videos on the PID and SCR mods (and all the other ones too), and then got right into it and got hooked on the still phenomena including finding Jesse and Bearded. For the alembic I'm going with a 4 x 4 inch electric heat grid from a small 1500 watt heater fan for it to sit on rather than using a flame to heat it, and controlled with a SCR. I also have a Chinese Vevor still like yours that I'm butchering to have it my way, and that's also to learn from. I'm close to finished with that, but not quite there yet. Your video on the "Tall Texan" beer keg got me looking for one of those now. I love the irony of a beer keg producing vodka or brandy!
You sir, are a joy to watch! Your information is superb, your style is invigorating, and you are totally dedicated to the job at hand, perfect!
I salute you, and God speed! Regards, John.
I don’t have that set up but it would be cool to try a water wetter brand product that “lowers temp” in cars. It does so by reducing surface tension. Old racers trick is just to use fabric softener in the water.
Thanks for sharing 👍🏽
No problem 👍
Finally something I might be able to pull off! Thanks man! I’m unsure of a few things like I would of liked to see inside. The water doesn’t touch it correct? And as far as air pressure does that affect it somehow? Like cause pressure in the cooler ? Is it sealed otherwise.
Hi Guys, i'm setting up an injection molding plant, just going to run 1 machine for now, and we obviously need a chiller but they're over priced.. thinking of building a setup like this to handle the flow rate at the required temperature .. what are your thoughts. Thanks in advance
Works great for me
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing will try it out and show you the end result.
Very cool idea (some pun intended). Just wondering if your air conditioner could cool a smaller volume of water easier.. Just a thought.
Yes it could. If it can cool 0 gallons as it does I would imagine it would cool a smaller volume.
Metal brake or hydrolic line and a flairig kit like for making brake lines are cheap also transmission coolerer for cars n trucks are cheap on Amazon under $40 diy swamp coolers and believe it or not wish has the most amazing tech cheap water controls leak alarms temp control dual probes etc worth a look
It's uncanny how similar the tech and mods between the distilling and indoor gardening are. So much of why tackle is almost identical to stuff I explained in the shop best jobs ever 😂 Ohh if you take the line off fill it with sand it prevents kinking just clean very well after
Hi George, huge fan here and a religious follower! Quick question - how would you attach a thermocouple temperature probe to a 1/2" NPT? I do not want to use the analog dial thermometers as the brewing setup is in the corner and I cannot see them very well. Great channel and cannot wait to see your next project. Cheers!
Use a probe that is 1/2 inch
Here is a link to one.
www.amazon.com/Twidec-Temperature-Controller-Stainless-Thermocouple/dp/B07QP6P3NL/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=1%2F2+inch+NPT+k+type+probe&qid=1564194173&s=gateway&sr=8-10
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing Fantastic! I was able to pair it with Kamtop Digital Thermometer Dual Channel Thermometer and now I can have and monitor two such probes. Thanks a million :-)
I am personally against wasting water to cool such things like a still the most videos you can see they take the cool drinking water. And the drinking water is full of things which make the condenser verity dirty. So i decide to test - with some used items. I have found a small motorcycle watercooler - dismounted the original fan - fixed 12 small PC-Cooling fans (less noise) and let run the water in in the overflow - to the cooler. So i can reuse the cooling water - and for example you can also use a car water cooler. And you can use for example Rainwater to fill up the cooling system.
That’s a very interesting piece of equipment