Grainfather Glycol chiller User manual

INSTRUCTIONS
GLYCOL CHILLER
IMPORTANT: BEFORE OPERATING PLEASE SEE
INSTRUCTIONS ON PAGE 5

CONTENTS
Key features................................................................................................p.1
Product contents ........................................................................................p.1
Safety information.....................................................................................p.2
Maintenance............................................................................................... p.2
How it works...............................................................................................p.5
Priming pump before rst time use..........................................................p.5
Topping up the glycol tank ........................................................................ p.6
Preparing cooling connections..................................................................p.8
Connecting the chiller to a fermenter ......................................................p.8
Operating and using the chiller.................................................................p.9
Connecting more than one fermenter ...................................................... p.10
Temperature control.................................................................................. p.11
Setting fermenter temperature ...............................................................p.11
Troubleshooting.........................................................................................p.12

01.
KEY FEATURES
• LED displays.
• 6 L (1.6 US Gal) glycol tank.
• Cools a Grainfather Conical Fermenter to a minimum temperature
of 4 - 6°C (39 - 43°F)*.
• Connect up to four fermenters and ferment each one at a dierent temperature.
• Glycol temperature controller.
• 3 pin power connections for fermenters.
• The R600a refrigerant used is an environmentally friendly replacement
for other refrigerants causing no eects to the ozone layer or the
greenhouse eect.
*Minimum temperature will vary based on external factors such as
ambient room temperature, the number of fermenters connected and other
environmental conditions.
INCLUDES
A 1 x Glycol Chiller
B 1 x wall outlet power cord (with plug based on country of sale)
C 2 x cooling connection couplers
D 2 x 2 m (6.5 ft) hoses
E 1 x glycol funnel
F 1 x silicon tube (8 mm inner diameter for priming pump)
G 1 x 3 L (101 US  oz) propylene glycol.
H 1 x Conical Coat (2 parts; body & cone jacket)
ALSO SHOWN (not included):
Z 1 x M12 power cord (included with Conical Fermenter)
C
Z
A
B
D
F
G
E
H
Propylene
Glycol

02.
SAFETY INFORMATION
1. When transporting, keep level and lift from the base.
2. Never tip the unit on its side or upside down. This will void the warranty as it will damage the electronics.
3. Always operate on a at surface in a well ventilated environment.
4. Keep the sides of the unit where the vents are clear of any objects as it requires uninterrupted air ow
to operate.
5. Avoid getting any liquid on the controls area.
6. Use food grade propylene glycol. Seek glycol manufacturers specications for more information.
MAINTENANCE:
1. Turn o chiller before cleaning.
2. Regularly clean the ventilation louvers using a soft brush.
3. DO NOT clean the stainless steel or plastic casing with a wire brush or steel wool.
4. Use water or washing liquid that does not contain alkali or chlorine.
5. DO NOT spray water onto ventilation louvers.
6. Regularly check the glycol mixture level to make sure it is not too low. For optimal performance it is
recommended to replace the glycol mixture every 6 months.
PRODUCT NAME: GLYCOL CHILLER
Rated: 300W - 3.0A max
220-240V ~ 50Hz
110-120V ~ 60Hz
Dimensions (mm) - 390W x 405D x 656H
Total Weight - 28.3 Kg (63 lb)
Made in China
Intertek
Z988
Intertek
Z988

03.

04.
Control your fermentation
temperature accurately.
Every time.
Temperature control is one of the most
crucial elements for producing a good
quality beer. It needs to be regulated
and stable throughout the whole
fermentation process to ensure the
yeast doesn’t get stressed and ferments
correctly to get the right flavour profile.
With the ability to individually control
the temperature of up to four Grainfather
Conical Fermenters, each with their own
fermenting schedules, the Grainfather
Glycol Chiller is the perfect addition to
your brewery to ensure superior results.

05.
HOW IT WORKS
This product cools a Grainfather Conical Fermenter to a minimum optimal
temperature of 4 - 6°C (39 - 43°F)*. The cold glycol can be used to keep the beer in a
fermenter at a desired temperature.
The glycol chiller includes a pump with 4 connections to make it possible to connect
and control the temperature of up to four 30 L (8 US Gal) Grainfather Conical
Fermenters in total.
PRIMING PUMP BEFORE FIRST TIME USE
IMPORTANT
Make sure the chiller has been standing upright for 24 hours before turning it ON. Before using the
Glycol Chiller, you must prime the pump by carefully following the instructions below.
IMPORTANT
Make sure to leave the power to the unit o while completing steps 1 to 4. It is vital that the chiller’s
compressor does not start until there is water/glycol in the glycol tank.
1. Place the Glycol Chiller close to your Grainfather Conical Fermenter so that all connections can be
made without the need to move the unit again.
2. Open the cap on the top of the Glycol Chiller. Using the included Grainfather Glycol Funnel with
mesh lter, pour 4 L (1.06 US Gal) of water into the tank. Close the cap and let the chiller rest for a
minimum of 5 minutes (the longer the better).
3. Connect a Grainfather Conical Fermenter, via an M12 power cord, to your chiller’s 4th port (at
the back of the chiller under number 4). Your fermenter will also need to be tted with a Conical
Fermenter Digital Controller.
4. Connect the included silicon hose to the glycol mixture outlet connection (silver in colour with blue
cap) under number 4. Open the cap and insert the free end of the hose into the opening of the glycol
tank (shown in the image).
5. Turn your chiller on by pressing the power button. The power cord will need to be plugged into the
back of the chiller to provide power.

06.
TOPPING UP THE GLYCOL TANK
NOTE: If this is the rst time adding glycol into your Glycol Chiller, please refer to the Priming Pump
Before First Time Use sub-section instead (page 5).
Once your Glycol Chiller starts pumping glycol to your fermenter (when the corresponding number
button lights up), the glycol level will drop. We recommend topping up the tank until it is FULL
to maintain optimum cooling performance. The FULL level is slightly over 6 L (1.5 US Gal) and is
indicated by when the liquid level is high enough so that the glycol just submerges the cross bar (the
at metal piece that the oat indicator slides through).
NOTE: Please follow topping up instructions exactly as instructed below.
The glycol mixture used to top up should always consist of the following proportions:
- 33% propylene glycol
- 67% water
i.e. 1 part glycol, 2 parts water
1. Turn the Glycol Chiller o.
2. Make up the necessary amount of glycol mixture in a clean jug as per the above proportions.*
Always combine the glycol and water in a jug prior to adding into the tank.
3. Open the cap on the top of the Glycol Chiller. Using the included Grainfather Glycol Funnel with
mesh lter, slowly pour the glycol mixture into the tank. Pouring too quickly may cause air
bubbles to be trapped.
4. Replace and tighten the cap.
5. Wait a minimum of 5 minutes prior to turning the unit back on. This lets any air bubbles that
may have been trapped in the mixture to escape. Trapped air bubbles can prevent the pump from
operating correctly.
* We recommend making up in a jug more than enough mixture, then storing the remaining unused
glycol mixture in a bottle to top up next time. As a guide, the approximate volumes required to top up
the tank until it is FULL are as follows:
- 1.2 L (40 US  oz) of mixture (consisting of 400 ml (13.5 US  oz) glycol & 800 ml (27 US  oz)
water) if you have just primed your pump and then connected one fermenter.
- 600 ml (20 US  oz) of mixture (consisting of 200 ml (6.7 US  oz) glycol &400 ml (13.5 US  oz)
water) if your tank was FULL and then connected an additional fermenter.
6. Your Grainfather Conical Fermenter Digital Controller should have just turned on (it is powered by
the chiller). Set the fermenting temperature on this digital controller to 4°C (39.2°F). This causes
the fermenter to send a cooling signal to the Glycol Chiller, and ensures that when the pump is
started, the 4th port will be opened.
7. Ready 2 L (0.53 US Gal) of propylene glycol in a jug.
8. Press the number 4 button to start the pump. This should cause the number 4 button to light up
blue; if not, check that you have followed steps 3 to 6 correctly. After 2 minutes, press the number 4
button again to stop the pump. Immediately pour the pre-prepared 2 L of propylene glycol into the
tank (using the funnel with mesh lter). 1 minute after the pump was stopped, press the number 4
button again to start it. You should start to see bubbles and liquid in the hose owing from the outlet
connection to the opening of the glycol tank.
9. Repeat the cycle of having the pump on for 2 minutes, then o for 1 minute until only liquid (no
visible bubbles) is owing in the hose. Then, press the number 4 button to stop the pump and close
the port.
10. Turn your chiller o, disconnect the silicon hose and close the cap. Wait a minimum of 30 minutes
prior to turning the unit back on. This ensures that any potential build-up of ice within the glycol
tank will melt.
Your pump is now primed, and your Glycol Chiller is ready for use.
NOTE: To avoid ice build-up within the glycol tank, try to keep the time between turning the chiller on
(step 5), and adding propylene glycol (step 8), to no more than 5 minutes.

07.
It is important to look at the glycol level (see Topping Up Glycol on page 6) around once per week and
especially when connecting to additional fermenters. Every time a fermenter, which does not already
have glycol in its cooling sleeve, is connected to the Glycol Chiller, the glycol level will decrease. Other
factors such as water evaporation can also aect this level.
NOTE: For optimal performance choose to replace the glycol mixture every 6 months. First you need to
pump out of the glycol tank all the existing glycol, then rell it with new glycol mixture (see page 5).
If contaminants enter the glycol tank, they can cause blockages. To prevent contaminants from entering
the glycol tank ALWAYS follow these steps:
• Use a clean vessel free from any foreign matter when making up the mixture.
• Use the included Grainfather Glycol Funnel to transfer mixture into the Glycol Chiller.
• Replace the cap immediately after adding the mixture into the tank.
IMPORTANT

PREPARING COOLING CONNECTIONS
A cooling connection kit is included with your Glycol Chiller (see page 1). This consists of brass couplers
and hoses. Firstly, connect the couplers to the fermenter:
1. Take the threaded section of the coupler and connect it to one side of the Grainfather Conical
Fermenter. Make sure it is screwed in rmly. Use a spanner if necessary, but do not over tighten.
2. Connect the other end of the coupler to the section you just used by pushing the spring-loaded sleeve
back and sliding it over.
3. Repeat these steps on the other side of the fermenter.
It is possible to cut the hoses shorter if necessary; this will also increase maximum cooling eciency.
Place the chiller and fermenter in their nal place, measure and cut the hoses accordingly.
CONNECTING THE CHILLER TO A FERMENTER
On the back panel of the Glycol Chiller are the connections for the hoses. You can connect up to four
fermenters to the chiller. The outlet connections from the chiller are silver in colour and the return
connections are gold.
The buttons on the front of the chiller labelled 1,2,3,4, match up to the connections on the back labelled
accordingly.
1. Make sure the unit is turned o.
2. On the back panel of the chiller locate the glycol mixture outlet connections; these are silver in colour
with blue caps. Connect the blue hose to the rst silver connector labelled with number 1. This hose
then connects to the coupler on the fermenter that is attached in the lowest position.
08.

09.
3. The glycol inlet connection is where the glycol is returned to the chiller to cool back down; these are
gold in colour with red caps. Connect the red hose to the glycol return inlet connection labelled with
number 1. This hose then connects to the coupler on the fermenter that is attached in the highest
position.
NOTE: Make sure that your glycol outlet connection (blue hose) is connected to the coupler in the lowest
position, and the glycol inlet connection (red hose) is connected to the coupler in the highest position. The
glycol needs to be pumped into the cooling sleeve from the bottom to maximise cooling eciency.
OPERATING AND USING THE CHILLER
1. Plug the power cord into the back of the Glycol Chiller and the other end into a wall socket.
2. Connect the M12 power cord from your Grainfather Conical Fermenter to the connection under
number 1.
3. Turn the power to the chiller on by pressing the power button on the front panel, the button will light
up red.
4. The fermenter will now get its power from the Glycol Chiller and also turn on.
NOTE: Using the chiller with your Conical Fermenter eliminates the need for a separate fermenter power
supply; the chiller provides power to all fermenters through their respective M12 power cords.

10.
CONNECTING MORE THAN ONE FERMENTER
The glycol chiller can allow up to four 30 L (8 US Gal) Grainfather Conical Fermenters to be connected at
one time. When connecting more than one fermenter, repeat the connection steps (see page 8) for each
additional fermenter that needs to be connected by matching the remaining connections labelled from
2-4. Then complete the following:
1. Top up the glycol tank as per the Topping Up the Glycol Tank sub-section until it is FULL. For each
additional fermenter (which does not already have glycol in its cooling sleeve) connected, you will
need approximately 600 ml (20 US  oz) of additional glycol mixture.
2. Check that each fermenter is plugged into the correct connections. Take care to make sure that
each fermenter is plugged into the correct numbers on the Glycol Chiller. It is a good idea to label the
fermenter and hoses to the matching number on the chiller to avoid any confusion.
NOTE: To prevent the pump from running dry, if the glycol level is too low, the pump will automatically
switch o, the chiller will make a “beeping” noise and the power button on the chiller will ash. When this
happens, rell the glycol tank until it is FULL (see page 6); this will restart the pump.

SETTING FERMENTER TEMPERATURE
1. Set the desired fermenting temperature on the Grainfather Conical Fermenter’s controller.
2. Press the number button on the glycol chiller that corresponds to the connections that will be in use.
3. The fermenter will now signal to the glycol chiller if it needs any additional glycol.
NOTE: Once the number button is pressed, the button will light up blue ONLY if it is receiving a cooling
signal from the connected fermenter. The chiller will only pump glycol if it is receiving a cooling signal.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
NOTE: Please read this thoroughly rst before use.
We have congured the unit to the optimal settings, as to provide the best cooling eciency from the
chiller to a fermenter for ANY required fermentation temperature. We highly recommend to not change
these settings, as this could result in poor cooling performance and in extreme cases the glycol mixture
may even freeze, which has the potential to cause damage to the chiller unit.
If your controller is required to be reset please see below the factory settings and method to complete this.
OFF TEMPERATURE =
- 4.5°C ( - 23.9.°F)
ON TEMPERATURE =
- 4.0°C ( - 24.8°F)
1. Press and hold the ‘OK’ button to unlock the controller.
2. Press the ‘O temp’ button.
3. Use the ‘Up/Down’ buttons to set the temperature, then press ‘OK’.
4. Repeat with the ‘On temp’ button.
11.

12.
TROUBLESHOOTING
PROBLEM CAUSE TROUBLESHOOTING
Unable to start normally Wall outlet error Detach from wall power socket and
plug-in again
Failed to press power switch Press power button and it should
light up red
Power switch failure Contact your retailer
Failed to cool or cooling
speed is low
The Chiller’s on and/or o
temperatures have been
set higher than the
factory settings
Reset the temperature
(see page 11)
The ventilation inlet/outlet
were blocked Clean and clear blockage
Unable to supply glycol
mixture to the fermenter
Connecting lines were
clogged or bent Check pipelines
Corresponding glycol outlet
port not open
Identify and press the number button
which corresponds to the connections
in use
Connected the hoses to the
wrong inlets/outlets Recheck hose connections
Low liquid level of glycol
mixture in the tank Add more glycol mixture (refer to page 6)
M12 power cord is not
connected to fermenter
correctly
Check whether the power cable connection
is tightly screwed in
Temperature controller
warning
Code: E1
Thermometer probe failure Please contact your retailer
Temperature controller
warning
Code: E2
Interference with memory
data of the temperature
controller
Turn o the power supply for ve minutes
and then restart

06. 01.
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