Chiller Winter Tricks & Tips

As we roll into the cold winter months, making sure that your G&D Chiller is running smoothly is crucial for your business. Here are some things to look out for as we move into the new year. Also check out our Remote Monitoring solution today! You can track the status of your chiller in real time at anytime, anywhere you are. This service will allow you to receive email and text alerts for any abnormal conditions offering you peace of mind that your equipment is in “tip-top” shape.

Here are some important things to look out for to keep your chiller up as ambient temps go down:

• The most important thing you will want to keep an eye on when temperatures get cold is your reservoir’s glycol mixture. If your chiller’s location is somewhere that gets into the single digits or below this is even more important to keep an eye on. G&D Chillers are designed to operate at a glycol concentration between these values depending on how you are measuring it: 25-27 brix, 35%-40% by volume, or a freeze point of 2° F to -6° F. The glycol mixture can be anywhere between these ranges, but as your ambient temperatures go down you may want the extra assurance and to be on the higher end of these scales. Consider checking your glycol mixture to your quarterly chiller maintenance.
• Airflow is crucial to your chiller’s operation. On colder days your chiller fans may not be running but keeping the condensers clean and clear is still just as important as in the summertime. Making sure that there is no snow built up in front of it is one thing and something that should be checked daily (if you have a lot of snow). Be mindful of overhangs or roofs — snow or ice can fall from up high onto the chiller, causing physical damage.
• In case of a power event that shuts the chiller down, there are some precautions you will want to take when restarting your chiller. Depending on the length of shut down, you should ensure there is nothing frozen in the chiller from the pump being off for an extended period of time. At the proper glycol mixture, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue, if ambient temperatures are above single digits. If you expect to or are having an extended power shut down, bringing in a generator to at least keep the pump running is not a bad idea. It is harder to freeze flowing fluid, and the friction of the pump will add some heat to your glycol as well. A last resort to prevent freezing would be to pump the glycol out of the reservoir. This would be to protect the reservoir tank itself. Think about putting a glass bottle full of water in the freezer: it will expand and can rupture the tank.

We hope these tips and tricks keep your chilling operations running smoothly this winter. On behalf of all of us here at G&D Chillers, stay cool!