Kabooby's New Bar

[kabooby]

I have been busy over the xmas period setting up my outdoor bar area and it's getting close to being finished. I have installed a 4 way flooded font and have the kegs inside a 350L chest freezer. The beer and glycol lines are about 3m long and are insulated with foam between the freezer and the font. I have a fermenter sitting in the chest freezer with 20L of water and a pump to pump the water through the glycol lines.

The problem I am having is that the water in the fermenter gets down to about 3C with the pump off. If I run the pump for an hour the font chills down but the water in the fermenter can get up to about 12C which is not ideal.

I have room under one of the benches and I was thinking of putting in a 100L bar fridge with a freezer compartment and use this to store the glycol. I am estimating that the freezer will hold about 10L.

Questions
- Has anyone done this before and was the freezer compartment enough to ice a font?
- Would I be better of using a radiator or plate chiller in the freezer comapartment instead of a small jerry can?
- Am I better of just getting a small chest freezer and using it as a dedicated glycol unit?

I would prefer to use a bar fridge because the extra fridge space outside would be handy to store glasses and beer, but I don't wont to do it if it is not going to work properly.

I am planning on using the glycol to keep the lines and font cool at around 5C but have the ability to drop the temp and have it ice up over night if i'm having a party the next day.

Any advice from people that have attempted this or similar would be appreciated

I will post some pictures when its finnished.

Kabooby

 

[kabooby]

Anyone got any info for me? I would really like to get something soon

Kabooby

 

[reg]

I havent done anything like this but you can get little upright freezers that are the same size as a bar fridge.

Perhaps that will help with your problem.

You could have a larger glycol reserve which may also help.

 

[kabooby]

Yeh good point. I just think the extra fridge space will be handy in the bar fridge if its capable of doing the job.

Kabooby

 

[mrpolly]

I am trying to work out the best method for this as well. I am going to be using an 3 tap flooded front on the 250L chest, I want to try and keep this bar as moblie as it can be, but still want the front to ice up. So i was thinking that maybe if i can find a 12/24v portable freezer (at the right price) i could put that inside the chest for the glycol. Has any one been able to ice up there front in a chest freezer but still keeping it moblie.
Thanks
Graeme

 

[mrpolly]

I'm guessing its such a stupid question not one wants to reply.

 

[mika]

So many variables on this. I remember reading threads where the people have messed around for ages o get this right and in the end some of it was down to temp probe location for the controller running the glycol. Some of it was down to pump flow rate and using the right type of Glycol. Either way I think you're up against the cooling power of your fridge/freezer if you expect it to keep ice on a font sitting in 40deg heat.
The one thread I can recall was something like 'I froze the flippin font' ' I finally froze the font', something like that. Try the google search and see how you go.

 

[David Sinclair]

I'm guessing its such a stupid question not one wants to reply.

Probably more of a case that no one smart/experienced enough has read it yet, i certainly can't help you. I'm happy with the taps out of the fridge, for now.

 

[kabooby]

So many variables on this. I remember reading threads where the people have messed around for ages o get this right and in the end some of it was down to temp probe location for the controller running the glycol. Some of it was down to pump flow rate and using the right type of Glycol. Either way I think you're up against the cooling power of your fridge/freezer if you expect it to keep ice on a font sitting in 40deg heat.
The one thread I can recall was something like 'I froze the flippin font' ' I finally froze the font', something like that. Try the google search and see how you go.

I read that post a while ago but couldn't find it again. I'm not really expecting ice on 40C days but was more hoping to set it to freeze overnight when it is cooler and have a nice amount of ice for the next day.

I will get a bar fridge and I'll report back with how I go. At the very least I should be able to keep the font cool

Kabooby

 

[kabooby]

I'm guessing its such a stupid question not one wants to reply.

Not really sure of the best way for you to do this. I would imagine that having the compressor inside your chest freezer would cause your chest freezer to heat up.

You may have to do what I am about to do and just trial an error

Kabooby

 

[mrpolly]

Ok I am going to have to think about this abit more. Is there a formula to work out how much glycol will be needed and what temp if front has X surface area and you want to keep front at X temp. I understand that the out side temp and the cooling capacity of the glycol freezer and the amount of beer dispensed will come into play, just something to get it in the ball park.

Thanks all for your input so far

 

[kabooby]

Im sure there is a formula but I dont know it. Personally I don't think you would get results with less than 10 litres

Kabooby

 

[gibbocore]

while on this topic, i've been thinking of hooking up a little computer fan and some ducting inside of my barfridge come bar (bar fridge that hold two kegs with double font on top) and blowing cold air from the bottom of the fridge into the font chamber, i know i wont get ice or anything but just to have it switched on when i was entertaining to switch it on to have the lines in the font kept cool. reckon this would work?

 

[kabooby]

I have read about other people doing this and it is meant to work good.

Kabooby

 

[gibbocore]

Cool!

Cheers dude.

 

[kabooby]

Here are some photo's of the bar to date. I still need to: -
- sand back the timber and give it a coat of oil
- Trench out the power, natural gas and water
- Put the backing onto the frames
- Finish the timber screening on the chest freezer frame (not shown)
- Install some better insulation for the beer lines from the chest freezer to the font
- Get some glycol running through the bar fridge freezer to keep the font and lines cool

So i'm getting there

Kabooby

 

[reviled]

Sh*t mate thats the business! Very nice!!!

 

[Pumpy]

Outdoor living you cant beat it Well done Kabooby it looks Awesome


Pumpy

 

[mrpolly]

WoW looks great!

 

[Screwtop]

Hey Kabooby that does look schmick, as for the flooded font, did you check out Bindi's arrangement when you were up last time. Pretty sure he has a fairly small container in the freezer, too much iceing up at times, maybe a PM to him would help.

Cheers,

Screwy