G20 Glycol Chiller with Twin Pumps

The G20 is a compact glycol chiller with 500W of cooling power, enough to hold a fermenter up to 300L, or several smaller ones, at a set temperature. It is quiet enough for a garage brewery and it ships with a duotight push-in sight glass.

Two pumps, two temperatures

Two pumps and two temperature controllers are built in and already wired, so two fermenters can run at once at different temperatures. The usual approach is to hold the reservoir near -4°C and set each fermenter's controller to whatever that beer needs. The controllers can also be configured to heat the reservoir, though submersible heaters are not included and a trained electrician should install them.

Compressor, not thermoelectric

Thermoelectric chillers cost less to build, but a compressor is up to six times more electrically efficient and it keeps working when the ambient temperature climbs. If you want to crash chill rather than only hold a temperature, that difference is the whole argument.

Chilling wort

Tap water takes wort from 100°C down to about 50°C quickly and then stalls, because on a hot day the tap itself can be sitting at 35°C. The G20 covers the last stretch to pitching temperature. Bring the wort under 50°C with water first, otherwise you overload the compressor. It works with an immersion chiller, a counter flow chiller or a plate chiller.

Specifications

• Cooling power: 500W, 0.67hp, rated at 22°C
• Power consumption: 155W
• Refrigerant: R600a isobutane
• Reservoir: 16.42L
• Pumps: two, each 5m maximum head and 600L/hr maximum flow
• Outlet barb: suits 10mm ID tubing
• Dimensions: 510 x 300 x 460mm, L x W x H

Leave 100mm clear around every air vent and keep the radiator free of dust, or the unit loses efficiency. Run it on propylene glycol, ideally at about 30% concentration; a 20% glycol to water mix gives a freezing point of about -8°C.