Hi All, I posted a while ago about buying a kegarator but due to the odd shape of my house and the small area I have for a bar I've decided to do something else instead: Put a small (5 cubic foot) freezer in the hall closet on the opposite wall of where the bar will be Should hold 2 cornelius kegs Build a collar, drill large holes (for maybe 1" PVC pipe?) through collar and wall (straight line run through collar to wall) - planning on two faucets Estimate wall is 6" thick, and collar thickness+ space between wall will add ~3", so 9" total run. I will mount a wooden panel (3/4" thick) on the bar side of the wall to mount the faucets. Lines go through the PVC pipe to the shanks. Questions: Any pitfalls I should worry about? What is the best way to keep the lines cold - should I try a small fan for air cooling, or maybe put the lines in copper pipe within the PVC (and insulated) so the inside of the keezer can cool the copper pipes? Let me know what everyone thinks - any advice is appreciated. Pete
1” is not a large enough conduit, you need room for a cooler line plus two beer lines and then return air. Think about a tower - min diameter is 2.5”, many are 3”.
A couple of concerns come to mind: Placing the keezer in a closet with one side adjacent to a wall will comprise the unit's cooling. Feel the body of the unit while running, typically it'll be warm on front/sides and maybe back. You really want air to circulate freely all around. Closets are the worst place for a keezer. This may not be fatal to the unit, but is far from ideal. Not clear how you planning on mounting shanks, but they'll need to be cooled as much as the lines. Normally they are inside the keezer with the only portion not receiving direct cooling is the amount through the collar. You'll also need access to remove tailpiece/beer-line. I've heard others mention the potential of copper tubing for cooling beer lines but no one has ever come back and said it actually worked. The theory sounds good, but I would be suspicious (and have a plan B). If you use a fan for cooling I would have a return path so the cooling air is circulating as mentioned by Doug. Oh yeah, you'll need a drip tray.
Thanks to both of you for the replies. OK - to address your concerns: Freezer clearance: Understood that definitely not ideal but I don't have too many other options. I think it is generally recommended to have 3" clearance. I will have only 1.5" on the back wall, and and other 1.5" to the closet door. The sides have more room. Note that this is a double door closet, so I plan to mitigate this by (a) leaving the opposite door open, so you cannot see the keezer, but air can get in and out, and (b) have a fan inside the closet to circulate the air, maybe pointing to the sides. So maybe instead of the PVC pipe, I can cut a decent rectangular hole in the drywall (maybe 6"X12" maybe? need to see where the studs are as well) and put in an insulated box connected directly to the keezer through the collar. This way the shanks can be mounted directly into the box, which will basically be an extension of the keezer. I would of course still need a fan to make sure the air in the box circulates to the rest of the keezer. For the drip tray - on the bar side of the wall I will be mounting the taps and drip tray on an oak board I will attach to the wall. Pete
For the fan(s) in the closet, you can have the temperature controller control the fans so they're only on when the compressor is running. I would also suggest maybe adding a wall vent near the freezer to help with air circulation.. An insulated box in the wall for the lines/shanks sounds like a good idea. 2 pieces of maybe 2" PVC - one to carry the beer lines to the wall box and one to carry the return air for cooling. Mount a computer case fan on the return pipe blowing towards the freezer so it sucks the cold air into the pipe carrying the beer lines.
This design can work. We did a similar set up for a graphic designers office in trade. I'll share with you our observations after that build. We also have completed some Bev Airs under bar units for top mounted towers. Ill post a picture of one we did 3 years ago. A 5.0 cu ft freezer may be a bit too small for 2 corney kegs. It may be just enough but you should know at best it will be a really tight squeeze. Flexible duct is big help. Rigid PVC is permanent and requires precise planning. And then nothing can move. Use insulated HVAC duct and you'll have more freedom to move the unit a bit when needed. Friction fit the ends of the duct into the collar with foam tape. Wrap the tape until it is thick enough to hold the duct in place. It will be air tight. Get a good fan. Amazon sells very good AC muffin fans. It will be running 24/7 so you need a good and quiet fan. Low pressure is ideal. https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-Cooling-Ventilation-Projects/dp/B07CZRKTBZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2PQCQP3GYK7ZJ&keywords=ac+fan+muffin&qid=1556884230&s=gateway&sprefix=AC+fan,aps,296&sr=8-3 We use this brand, they have many varieties. You don't need very high cfm either. Less than 100 is plenty. A bigger fan turning slower is preferred. The air flow must wrap around the shanks and return to the keezer. You can't get any cooling if the fan blows in to a dead end. This is a requirement. Insulate the tower and anything exposed to ambient air. Use a vapor barrier as needed. Plan to have water condensing inside all the time. The bottom of your keeze will always have a puddle and it can get out of hand if you do not have a maintenance plan. Buy good shanks and a good draft arm. Forced cold air will escape from every small gap. Poorly fitted equipment won't work. A high pressure fan will make it worse. Try to pitch the air shaft back towards the keezer. Water vapor will sit inside if you don't. Wrapping anything in copper with an air system is a waste IMO. Copper is a good conductor of heat and a poor insulator. That's all well and good but with a forced air system, you can never cool anything below the air temperature. And that is the primary disadvantage to air systems. Anything that gets in the way of the cold air contacting the beer lines is not helping. The copper will never be any colder than 38 or whatever temp you have selected (make it 37 btw), and it is not going to magically make the beer lines colder than they would be with direct air contact. Copper helps with a 28F glycol loop though, since you want the cold liquid to be in direct contact with the beer lines. Good luck.
