Glycol Freezing Beerlines?

[Bugglz]

I have my font and beer taps about a meter and a half outside my fridge (the lines are insulated) and this works fine for me but the first pour is always about half head. i was thinking a glycol mixture being pumped from the freezer section of the fridge around the beer lines and through the font could be a solution but as the glycol would be at -1.5c wouldn't this just freeze the beer in the lines when it isn't being dispensed?
Is the better option to run the glycol from the fridge at the same temp at the beer? And if so then wouldn't water be just as good as it will be above freezing temp?

Cheers

 

[Bugglz]

Just realized that beer doesn't freeze at 0c like water so that kinda solves the problem, but if i have a low alcohol beer or soda water on one of the taps that will freeze while not in use. So I'm still back to my original questions. Anyone?? :unsure:

 

[Adamt]

Your font will absorb enough heat from the surroundings so that your lines will not get chilled below freezing.

 

[Bugglz]

i'm worried about the beer in the lines between the font and the fridge, not the line in the font itself.

Does anyone out there use glycol? and if so how does your system work?

 

[LethalCorpse]

You could put a thermostat in the system with a probe in the font (the beer in the font will be at the same temp as the lines) and the thermostat controlling the pump. If it gets below a certain temp, turn the pump off. I reckon it won't get cold enough to freeze the beer though, as a general rule. Why not try it and see? If it freezes, then you need to come up with a solution, if not, you don't need to overcomplicate things.

 

[Bugglz]

You could put a thermostat in the system with a probe in the font (the beer in the font will be at the same temp as the lines) and the thermostat controlling the pump. If it gets below a certain temp, turn the pump off. I reckon it won't get cold enough to freeze the beer though, as a general rule. Why not try it and see? If it freezes, then you need to come up with a solution, if not, you don't need to overcomplicate things.

Thats quite a good idea, but instead of going through all that effort i think i am just going to skip the glycol and use just plain water running from the fridge so it's never below freezing point.

Thank you for the replies.

 

[LethalCorpse]

Ah, now that I wouldn't recommend. Glycol does more than just antifreeze, it also prevents bacteria from growing in your water, and prevents corrosion. Use it from the fridge if you like though.

 

[Bugglz]

Ah, now that I wouldn't recommend. Glycol does more than just antifreeze, it also prevents bacteria from growing in your water, and prevents corrosion. Use it from the fridge if you like though.

Ah of course, maybe I'll stick to the glycol then just to be on the safe side, i think I'd also feel safer running it from the fridge, just in case.

 

[reg]

In my mums pub they run there glycol 24 hours a day and only shut it down to clean their beer lines.
The beer in the lines doesnt freeze yet the fonts are always iced up.
I would say run the glycol and insulate the beer lines around it.
If you want to run soda or anything else then perhaps run them on the outside of beer lines so as a secondary line.
Worth a try ..

 

[Bugglz]

Ok so most beers freeze at about -4c so if i run glycol at about -2c from the freezer it should be ok and I'll get an iced up font. But if i wish to have soda water or anything with a freezing temp of over -2c then i have to run the glycol from the fridge.

The obvious answer is two glycol systems :icon_chickcheers: !

but alas, to much effort, so i think I'm still gonna run it from the fridge.