flash cooler - antifreeze??

[opentoideas]

I have just become the proud owner of a Maxi 110.

looking on the IMI Cornelius website I can only find manuals for their new models. from the reading I have done some people are using various antifreeze additives such as glycol but for the newer models the books say water only.

does anyone have the book for this model? I am only using water at the moment but would like to confirm this is correct.

I have a few modifications to make as I want to quieten down this cooler. for the near future, as I wont be using the recirculation loop yet, I will disconnect the pump as it is the loudest component (I think a quiet replacement will be in order for that!) also I am planning on swapping the cooling fan for a silent 120mm PC case fan. at 60cfm these should provide plenty of airflow and will run a lot quieter. also with one of the many transformers I have lying around I can vary the voltage to it to make it silent and still retain about 24cfm which I think is on a par with the fan in their at the moment

this should leave me with an almost silent cooler

[steve_flack]

I use water in mine. Be aware also that the 'glycol' used in cooling systems IS NOT THE SAME as the stuff in antifreeze. Ethylene glycol could kill you if you drink it. Propylene glycol (the food grade stuff) will probably only give you the sh*ts.

[opentoideas]

Thanks Steve,

thanks for the info on Glycol, hadnt even considered there were different types but adding a poison to a piece of food equipment was one of the reasons I am only using water! - just did not like the sound of that at all and the IMI site says water only.

although a dose of the runs is a slight improvement on death if not necessary I think I will still avoid it

[Oggy' Bar]

Anti-freeze is only necessary if your cooler is set to go down to temperatures approaching zero (if you disable the pump/stirrer) (or zero if you keep the pump/stirrer in service). The Maxi 110 is usually factory set at 10C or thereabouts. So anti-freeze isn't necessary. (This can be changed by adjusting the internal thermostat)

Don't use Ethylene Glycol, as not only is it poisonous but it provides a particularly slow and painful means of death, especially if taken frequently and long term (as through a leaking pipe)

You could add say 10% vodka to the water, this would lower the freezing temperature and a leaking pipe might be quite pleasant but you may need to top it up as the alcohol evaporates.

If you take the pump to bits, give it a good clean in washing soda and then lubricate the bearings with grease it can be quietened down considerably.

That's my experience anyway.

[opentoideas]

I will have a go at servicing the pump. it is disabled at the moment as I am not using it just yet.

I was not bothering with any type of antifreze as IMI's site say just water but I did want to check this was the same for the older models.

so far its a nice piece of kit

[Talisman]

do you have to take it apart to stop the pump?

ive just got a maxi 210 and have no need to run it as my beers are all maturing.

i have no use for the pump line and didnt think about turning it off.?

(has anyone found a link to an instruction manual for these... im still searching the net now)

[opentoideas]

yes, its not so much turning it off as disconnecting it.

unless you are happy with electrics just leave it.

I could only find the manual for the current range but suspect in operation there is little difference

[Talisman]

thanks, i may stick a switch into it then.

[SteveD]

I spoke with Norman when I got my Maxi 310 from him about the possibility of using food grade gycol to drop the cooling bath temp to below where ice would normally form. He asked around and replied that it would not be a good idea because these chillers were designed for water use and if gycol were used, it might drop the temp low enough for the cooler's own refrigeration circuit to freeze - and we wouldn't want that!

[SteveD]

do you have to take it apart to stop the pump?

ive just got a maxi 210 and have no need to run it as my beers are all maturing.

i have no use for the pump line and didnt think about turning it off.?

(has anyone found a link to an instruction manual for these... im still searching the net now)

Just jumper across the recirculation in/out ports with a bit of pipe. I think that the pump also keeps the bath water moving as it's the bath water being recirculated, which also retards ice formation. If you stop the pump, the thing might freeze up more easily.

[SteveD]

Blimey, freon freezes at -158 deg c, that's one helluva chiller he sold you Steve

Yeah - needed it for Labatts Ice - made with a Herms for extra blandness

Well, that's what he said - unless I misunderstood him which is entirely possible. Anyway, the pertinent point was he felt it wasn't a good idea, after consulting those that know. He did say it was because of the type of chiller it was, and that newer ones might be ok to gycol up.

[SteveD]

I think Norm worked for Schwepps, not sure if it was in a technical capacity though.

Rab has tried adding glycerine which proved to viscous for the pump, I believe glycol may cause the same problem. I think using a vodka addative is worth a punt. At least it's food safe and drinkable if it leaks.

I think I'll be ok with water alone as the 310 has an extra long product coil and a bigger bath for use with 'extra cold' lagers. When I tried it, the constant flow temp was 5c - cold enough for me.

[Talisman]

Just jumper across the recirculation in/out ports with a bit of pipe. I think that the pump also keeps the bath water moving as it's the bath water being recirculated, which also retards ice formation. If you stop the pump, the thing might freeze up more easily.

Ahhhh ok SteveD thanks for the tip.

[steve_flack]

The Maxi 110 is usually factory set at 10C or thereabouts. So anti-freeze isn't necessary. (This can be changed by adjusting the internal thermostat)

It's gotta be set lower than that as I use one to cool my fermenting wort down. When I'm dropping the yeast it's getting to 6-7C. I'm quite pleased with my insulated conical/chiller combo BTW. Over the last few days I've been cold conditioning a Belgian single. Even with temps in the garage topping 30C the chiller has kept the beer at around 7C.

[Aleman]

Jumpering the ports will result in condensation forming on the pipe . . .Don't forget to insulate it to get around this.

One thing to note with these chillers is that they are designed to form an 'ice reservoir' around the product coils, often the 'thermostat' is merely a contact switch that is closed when the reservoir is thick enough . . . The pump is placed in the middle of the coils and pumps the remaining liquid around, with effective insulation I am able to get to almost 0C in my FV's . . . . One alternative is to add salt to the coolant . . . . Brine freezes at a much lower temperature.

Freon is unlikely to be used now . . . the coolant in mine isR134A (1,1,1,2-. TETRAFLUOROETHANE), although it could always be R12