I'm looking to beef up the insulation around my keezer collar. It's growing mold on the outside due to moisture/transfer of cold air. I'm hoping I can use a can of insulation on the inside and let it dry. (Like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YW0W0?keywords=spray insulation&qid=1445779764&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1) Has anyone done this before? I'm hoping to stay away from the precut insulation because the base of the freezer is not going to be flat and will be difficult to work with otherwise.
Great Stuff is closed cell foam. It will form a vapor ******er. That is a bit less than a true vapor barrier, but if it is thick enough it will work to stop vapor transmission. Great Stuff is messy as most of us are aware. Acetone will clean it up, but only immediately after it is applied to your hands. the catalyst for expansion is moisture, so a first a very light mist on the wood, spray the foam, and then a very light mist on the foam will speed up the process. it works better that way too. you might not care what the inside of your collar looks like though. if you have mold on the outside it is likely not only caused by any vapor transmission issues though that could also contribute to the problem. you just have ambient air in contact with a cold collar. a bit of bleach cleaner (bathroom spray cleanser) sprayed on a rag and wiped down will work well. another easy fix is to carefully staple 6 mil poly to the inside of the wood collar, seal every gap and overlap the seams of the poly. 3M spray glue in a can will bond the poly. Cheers. edit- yet one more of my bullshit environmental specialties is air assessment and mitigation. including mold.
Thanks for the advice. You continue to impress. For some reason, I assume that other brewers don't have to clean their stuff and don't worry about mold. Why should I? I'm sure I made this up. The collar itself is only 1/2" oak. It deserves to get beefed up a bit and I'll hit the outside with a bleach mixture shortly after I get the insulation in place. I'm betting I'll have to let the keezer warm up for this one, yeah?
i get some mold on my keezer collar. it is in the basement. lots of things get a coating of mold. as a brewer i am appalled but as a home owner. meh. bleach is mold eraser. like magic. just don't let it sit on anything stainless for too long. i imagine it isn't the best thing for chrome either. check the outside of the collar, how cold can it get? good luck.
I'm about to find out. My furnace is down. No colder than 40F. That's the temp I have the thermostat (for the keezer) set at.
