I recently put a 2x12 collar on a 5 cf freezer. I can fit 3 kegs. I had to make a stand to raise one keg over the height of the hump and one keg sits on the hump. I have two fans running inside of it to keep the taps cool. My temp control is with an STC build. I have it set to 4.44 degrees C and I taped the probe to a can of beer and set it on the hump. The two keezers that sit above the height of the hump are not cold enough. Do I need to insulate the collar or should i put my probe in a different location? I would think with the fans going that the location of the probe would not be as important. TIA
I never had an issue with my collar. did you **** the collar all around, plug up any holes? I guess I'm not sure what the fans are for. I never had an issue with my taps either. I suppose if you feel its not cold enough you could adjust the temp control down more but all my kegs were always the same level so the same level of temp...
The keezer is in a warm garage so idk if that has anything to do with it. I put silicone caulk on the freezer top before setting the collar. I also have weather stripping on top of the collar. I put the fans in because the beer was foaming on the first pour before the shanks chilled.
yeah sounds like you are doing everything right. I never had the shank problem but probably because my basement was cooler? It was a perfect fermentation basement, rarely had to use temp control for fermenting. If it were all three kegs I'd just say adjust for the different and turn the control lower, but I'm not sure how to account for the difference in keg temps...
You need plenty of air circulation in a chest freezer. The temps are not uniform, and you'll need a fair amount of air movement. We have built 6 over the years, and by far the biggest obstacle to a good pour is getting cold air up to the shanks. It can be a bit cumbersome to shove all of the mechanical equipment, and tubing, and regulator, and gas and blower into a chest. Cold air sits in the bottom of the freezer. Supermarkets even use open top ice cream freezers, no lid at all. The freezer is efficient though because unlike a refrigerator, the cold air stays put and does not "fall out" when the door is open. But we have found 38 at the bottom is more like 48 at the top. So, try to route a blower from the bottom to the top. 60 cfm is a lot, but you will need it. You should also put the t-stat somewhere in the middle. Cheers.
The taps are usually sweating. I have two of these fans in the top of the freezer. one blowing down and one blowing up at the shanks. I will place them at the bottom when I get home and see if that works. Thanks! https://www.walmart.com/ip/4-Mini-Personal-Fan-Blue/34136725?variantFieldId=actual_color
FWIW, I have my temp probe in a bottle of oil to try and keep the keezer from cycling on and off so much. I also do a couple fans and some of those rechargeable moisture sucker uppers. I have considered adding some insulation around my collar but have been too lazy to do so as I believe I am getting cold foam appropriate beer.
