Glycol Information

[kbedient]

I have a company in Tucson, Arizona where I have many restaurants on pm services. I have a couple restaurants that have glycol systems- they have always had another company take care of their glycol units where I have taken care of low temp and a/c equipment. The owners want to get rid of the "other" guy in order to have one company taking care of everything.
I am not familiar with glycol at all... of what I know I have gathered off of forums and just doing research. One of my customers is currently experiencing a problem with their beer being too warm and an obscene amount of head. I went out there this evening and my glycol was steady at about 30 degrees. Beer is at about 45... I think their should only be an 8 degree drop for a line of about 80 feet is that right?

The unit is installed above a walk in- which is a no no from what I have read... They are sending a three tap line about 80 or so feet. The insulation on the lines appear to be in good shape. It is a 404a system and unfortunately I have no clue what the make/ model is- there is no name plate once so ever... to me it is similar to the MMPP4301-EP- but the pump is located on the side like a chill rite 32.

I checked the recirc pump and it was in fact working, I cleaned the condenser coil and their hardly was any buildup on it. The unit appears to be working fine.

I am unsure as to when the glycol was changed out. Should this be done once a year, and when it is changed out how is this done? I did not see any ice buildup in the holding container, is that the only time when you know it has to be changed out?

In Tucson right now there is a great amount of moisture in the air due to monsoon season- could this be attributing to my excessive head?

I appreciate your time and assistance.

[TAPMAN]

What is the storage (liquid ) temp of the kegs? The glycol cooler's purpose is to maintain keg storage temp to the faucet. Keg temp should be 36-38.

[kbedient]

The Kegs are at 38 to 40 degrees.

[DCullender]

Recommendation: if you are going to get into glycol service, get a refractometer. This baby will tell you the glycol concentration. This is the best way to know the condition of your glycol.

Yes, glycol service should be performed about once a year.

Trouble shooting:
Check walk-in temp
Check glycol temp
Check beer temp at faucet
Check beer temp in keg (if not possible, check temp of bottle water/soda/beer that has been inside cooler for at least 24 hours)
Check if recirc pump is actually pumping (look for return of glycol solution, it is possible that pump stops working and motor continues to run)
Is trunk line run underground in a chase? If so, check to see if chase is flooded, this will saturate trunk line insullation and raise the temp of beer.

Dennis