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Author Topic: Fill a chest freezer with water  (Read 9310 times)

Offline troybinso

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Fill a chest freezer with water
« on: August 28, 2014, 06:59:33 pm »
Would it be possible to fill a chest freezer with water to use as chiller water for wort chilling?

Offline Stevie

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2014, 07:16:32 pm »
I would say that's a bad idea. The corners in my chest freezer don't appear to be water tight. There could be other reasons.

If you want cold water, throw a couple of buckets in there.

Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2014, 08:33:00 pm »

Would it be possible to fill a chest freezer with water to use as chiller water for wort chilling?

I had the same idea a few years ago but decides to go different direction.
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Offline Jimmy K

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2014, 08:39:09 pm »
I can't imagine it would work and it would be expensive to be wrong. But filling buckets would work. My HLT is raised so I've filled it with ice water and gravity fed through my chiller.
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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2014, 08:41:57 pm »
Brine the water and it will stay liquid below 32ยบ. Id rinse out my chiller afterwards tho

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2014, 08:43:33 pm »
Or mix with antifreeze. You'd have to keep it batch to batch, but you'd probably do that with brine anyway and antifreeze doesn't corrode.
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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2014, 08:44:43 pm »
Could probably find some nontoxic stuff these days.

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2014, 08:48:19 pm »
RV antifreeze is safe for water lines.
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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2014, 09:14:15 pm »
Well there ya go. I knew I was smart, just needed some help

Offline Stevie

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2014, 09:16:35 pm »
Salt shouldn't hurt copper. They use it in ship paint.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2014, 05:49:16 am »
Could probably find some nontoxic stuff these days.
Propylene glycol is on the GRAS list, and is used in some foods IIRC.
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Offline Vin S

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2014, 06:10:23 am »
I believe this was in a zymurgy gadget issue. Where they made a chest freezer into a glycol chiller. Go for it and post results. Edit **** found in November / December 2009 issue in conical ferment chamber.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2014, 06:35:59 am by VinS »
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Offline Stevie

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #12 on: August 29, 2014, 06:33:40 am »

Could probably find some nontoxic stuff these days.
Propylene glycol is on the GRAS list, and is used in some foods IIRC.
Used in all sorts of foods. Basically anything that uses food coloring or flavorings. I'm sure loads more as well.

Offline troybinso

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #13 on: August 29, 2014, 06:46:09 am »
I was thinking of just setting the chest freezer to 40 degrees or so and that way I wouldn't have to worry about it freezing the water.

I guess my main concern is the integrity of the freezer itself. Will the walls of the freezer hold up to the weight of the water?

Offline Stevie

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Re: Fill a chest freezer with water
« Reply #14 on: August 29, 2014, 07:04:31 am »
A 7 cf freezer holds about 52 gallons. At 8 pounds per gallon, you're looking at 416 pounds. I imagine it would hold, but they are designed to hold items from the bottom, not top.