I need some plumbing.

[Sy Bernot]

Recently finished my first keezer build. Was waiting for nukatap SS FC for almost 2 years. The keezer can accommodate 10 kegs but I built it around 4 taps because that's how many kegs I have right now. Was looking at some youtube content and it gave me an idea I'd like to execute on. Basically I want to add 2 ball lock ports to my keezer that will act as a cold loop for a fermentation jacket. My question is what do I need to do this? My vision is a ball lock connect on the outside to a smallish keg on the inside with glycol or just plain H2O. I've looked at inventory and found several ball lock fittings, the bulkhead ones being 1/4 BSP but I want to be able to connect that to some container of cold liquid inside the keezer through a whatever diameter by 2.5 inch long hole in my shroud. (it's basically a 2x6 with 1/2 inch foam insulation.)

When I outfitted my rig I did add in a ball lock to faucet adaptor thinking I could use it for line cleaning. Looking for something like that but without a valve, just a ball lock to something that I can run liquid through. I'll take all crackpot ideas at this point. Doesn't necessarily have to be food safe as the contents will never touch the beer so hopefully that makes it easier somehow. Though a food safe solution opens up usefulness as a jocky box so preference to a food safe solution.

 

[MHB]

Should work just fine, have a look at garden hose fittings, they are available in all sorts of quality, I would go with brass ones. They are all standard BSP threads so that will make getting fittings cheap and easy. Also gives you lots of parts to choose from. Grab a couple of bits of "all thread" (basically threaded pipe 150-300mm long).

Probably just a keg without a hatch would be a good coolant storage, a drop in pond pump that fits through the hatch hole should be all you need. Easy to pull the pump and lines out of the keg to top it up, change the coolant, move it around...
I would just use water as the coolant; glycol is expensive and messy and is only necessary if you don’t want the coolant to freeze, which isn’t at issue.
Mark

 

[duncbrewer]

Why not use the quarter inch bulkhead ball lock but take the poppet out?

But @MHB idea of hose fittings also a good plan, I have seen stainless ones somewhere. You could use johnguest fittings have a look at their site ( available at Bunnings in NZ so try your ones ) and they have foodsafe with valves on so you can isolate etc. Might be worth putting something in the water that you use as coolant to keep growth of bacteria down, not sure if bleach in an open keg a good idea as it could get across your other pipes perhaps.
UV would be better would find that kind of thing at an aquariam shop / petsworld etc including pumps for it.

 

[Sy Bernot]

Why not use the quarter inch bulkhead ball lock but take the poppet out?

But @MHB idea of hose fittings also a good plan, I have seen stainless ones somewhere. You could use johnguest fittings have a look at their site ( available at Bunnings in NZ so try your ones ) and they have foodsafe with valves on so you can isolate etc. Might be worth putting something in the water that you use as coolant to keep growth of bacteria down, not sure if bleach in an open keg a good idea as it could get across your other pipes perhaps.
UV would be better would find that kind of thing at an aquariam shop / petsworld etc including pumps for it.

Yeah that's the route I want to go but I need something to extend the shank on it to get me through the bulkhead which is made of a 2x6 and about an inch of foam board. The shanks on my taps are 4 inch and with the lock nut they only show about 3/4 inch of thread. I'm halfway tempted to go the cheap route and just run a couple of transfer lines but So far this keezer is looking pretty nice and and I feel like a couple of lines dangling is just going to make it look janky. My ideal is to not have anything hanging out when the lines aren't actually in use. Maybe I could hide them out the back.

 

[duncbrewer]

@Sy Bernot

You can get a connector that will screw onto the threaded part of the bulkhead I just plugged my Evabarrier into this, there is a bigger hole on the inside of the keg fridge to accomodate this so no dangly bits.

I used one of these but I think there is a john guest that would do it.

https://www.ubrew4u.co.nz/product/8mm-Push-Fit-1-4in-BSP-F

 

[MHB]

Where you are likely to run into problems is with your coolant flow rate. The amount of cooling you need to achieve will require a certain amount of coolant to be moved through your heat exchanger (by whatever name you want to call it). If you choose a small inexpensive pump like a pond pump it will have a much easier time moving enough coolant through bigger diameter lines. You might find if you want to use 1/4" lines or fittings you will need a much bigger, more powerful and expensive pump and will use more energy to run it.

I'm not sure what you use in the US for garden hose fittings, here there are a huge range that is easily available, some of the home irrigation equipment is also very handy.
Mark

 

[duncbrewer]

As @MHB says bigger pipe will be much easier on your system. Double the diameter you increase the flow down a pipe 16x. Never mind the length that's linear, it's the width that matters.