1/3hp Glycol Chiller Troubleshooting

If you are having difficultly with your Ss Brewtech gear, we recommend troubleshooting. Feel free to reach out to the Ssupport team with questions. Ssupport will run through the following troubleshooting to help identify any potential issues.

No Power / Not Chilling

-First, is it connected to a GFCI Outlet? If so, double-check another outlet to make sure it not just the outlet tripping. Is power going to the controller at all? Is power going to the compressor at all? Is the fan spinning freely?

-If not, let's check a few other things. Start by unplugging the unit and moving the starting capacitor (large black cylindrical object) and then remove the small plastic housing attached to the back of the compressor. You should see the compressor relay along with the temp cutoff switch inside. Also look for anything out of the ordinary, burnt connections, etc. while you are in there. After that reassemble everything to how it was found. 

After reassembling the control panel housing (while the power is still disconnected,) Remove the two screws on top of the temp control unit and pull up and out. Take a picture of the inside to help identify the style of the relay and switch you have. Look inside the control panel (and gray relay located in the bottom right-hand corner if applicable) for any melted parts or loose wire connections. Make sure all the connections here are sound. Reassemble the control panel again and plug in the unit to turn it on.

If you have a gray relay, place your ear near where the gray relay is. Try to listen to the gray relay click. If it does not click then that relay needs to be replaced. If it does click then we can narrow a few things down.

Let it run for a little bit to see if adjusting any of the internal connections helped. If not please see Part / Coolant Replacement section below.

If you notice any burnt or melted parts or wire connections, take a photo of them to help identify the correct replacement part. Feel free to reach out to the Ssupport team with any questions.

HA Code

"HA" is a high heat alarm. This is set to alert you if the glycol liquid basin temperatures rise above 100F or 38C. This can damage the glycol chiller. The most common situation for this to occur would be trying to coil down boiling wort (these glycol chillers are not designed to cool hot wort above 100F or 38C) or if you have a heat source (like a gas burner) too close to your glycol chiller. 

If the glycol in the glycol chiller is NOT hot, there are a few steps you will need to take to diagnose the issue.

1. Is the chiller connected to a GFCI Outlet? If so, double-check another outlet to make sure it not just the outlet tripping.
2. Is power going to the controller at all? (Is the screen lit up at all?)
3. Is power going to the compressor at all? (Do you hear the faint humming from the compressor (you may also see the compressor slightly moving/shaking?)
4. Is the fan spinning freely so nothing is blocking the blades? 

If everything looks correct, please check for a faulty temperature probe (see below.)

Incorrect/Inaccurate Temperature Probe

If your temperature probe is not reading the temperature or the controller shows a probe related error code, try the following.

1. Follow the temperature probe from the reservoir back to the controller.
2. Completely unplug the probe from the controller and remove the probe for cleaning
3. Check the thermostat controller, the wiring, and the temperature probe itself for any frayed wires, damage to the probe, or melting at the connections.
4. Securely reattach the wires.

Let it run for a little bit to see if cleaning the probe and adjusting any of the internal connections resolved the alarm.

If you notice any burnt or melted parts or wire connections, take a photo of them to help identify the correct replacement part. Feel free to reach out to the Ssupport team with any questions.

Part / Coolant Replacement

While the 1/3hp Glycol Chiller is designed to run for years without service or significant maintenance, eventually the time will come and you will need to replace parts or recharge the refrigerant. If you have determined the smaller electronic components need to be replaced, these are easy to purchase from a variety of retailers online, check out our 1/3hp Glycol Chiller Replacement Parts article for part numbers. These are easy to replace, just remove the wires from the old part and swap in the new part.

If you have narrowed down your coolant (not the glycol mix) as running low, we recommend reaching out to a local HVAC technician to "tap into the coolant lines, recharge the refrigerant, and check for leaks" (you can tell the technician exactly those words.) This is not user-serviceable and is similar to working on Air Conditioners or Refrigerators. Ss Brewtech does not offer this service. The first generation 1/3hp Glycol Chiller (NOT the second generation vertical Ss Glycol Chillers) runs on standard R134a Refrigerant.

If nothing else listed here helps, it is likely the compressor.

These compressors are built to last a very long time and are typically very resilient. However, if the compressor is run shortly after moving the unit (without letting it sit) or if the glycol chiller has sat unused for a long period of time, or if it is an older unit, the compressor may die. Unfortunately, the cost of the compressor is the majority of the original price glycol chiller and is not user-serviceable. Depending on the seller, the retail price of new compressors (plus the price of installation from a certified HVAC technician) may cost more than a new glycol chiller. At that point, you will want to contact a local recycler and consider your replacement.

If you are a homebrewer you may want to consider our new generation of Ss Glycol Chillers. The 1/5hp Ss Glycol Chiller chills up to 1bbl of beer (30 gallons) across 3 fermenters, which is perfect for most homebrewers.

For commercial brewers, we offer two sizes of glycol chillers that can handle up to six of either the single-walled, chilling coil tanks, as well as our double-walled, glycol-jacketed fermenters and brites. Our 3/8hp Ss Glycol Chiller chills up to 4bbls worth of beer and our 3/4hp Ss Glycol Chiller chills up to 8bbls worth of beer.

It may also be time to pick up a much larger glycol chiller from someone like G&D Chillers.