Keezer temp set point

[lfc_ozzie]

Hey guys,

Just looking for some feedback, I have an inkbird which I use to control my chest freezer currently i have the temp set to 3.0c with a cooling difference of 1.0c now I think this is making the freezer toggle on too often, would I be better setting the difference to 3.0? Or set the temp to 1.5c and make a difference of 4.0?

What is everyone else setting to?

Cheers guys

 

[mtb]

Where do you attach your temperature probe? I had mine freeballin' for some time, but the temp varied too wildly, especially when I opened it. Make sure to attach it to the side of a keg, or immerse in a large full vessel of water.

If you already do that.. well I have no useful information for you

 

[lfc_ozzie]

Yea I currently have the probe in a 2l glass bottle. Might make up something over the weekend using a 2l plastic bottle to help suspend it more in the centre away from the walls.

 

[malt junkie]

With a keezer you really need continuous air movement to avoid hot/cold spots and condensation build up. There was an awesome thread on HBT where the guy used a bilge fan and piping under kegs to evenly distribute and move the air inside. Meaning consistent temperature and zero moisture build up.

 

[laxation]

Any chance you could find the link? I had a quick google for it, but only found this one

Interesting note from that, one dude said to lift up the kegs by putting them on a grill - helps the air circulate better.
Wish someone had told me that before my keezer was filled with full kegs tho...

 

[malt junkie]

Yeah found it, this will give some ideas. I'm in the middle of build keezer No2 and thinking of doing this to both.

 

[earle]

Some great ideas here. Can anyone explain the theory behind even temps preventing moisture build up, or why uneven temps cause condensation? I currently only have a computer fan to push air into my coffin top, and that is on a timer so it only runs for prime drinking times. It seems to depend on the weather but my keezer can vary from none to a lot of moisture.

 

[Fraser's BRB]

I run mine at 4.5 deg with a 1 deg lag. My probe is in a small plastic sealed test-tube filled with water and sitting in a small hollowed out piece of timber that is in turn magnetically attached to the keezer wall. It sits on the keezer wall about 3/4 of the way down.

I was running a simple computer fan arrangement to the coffin, but then I attached a flexible piece of pipe below the pickup point that runs in to the bottom of the keezer so that the air being pumped into the coffin is being pulled from the bottom, where it is coolest, and up through the coffin for maximum air circulation from bottom to top. Fan runs all the time.

The freezer doesn't kick in very often, mainly when I add a new keg that isn't quite at temp. Coffin is heavily insulated, but I still do get a little condensation on the back of it.

I found setting the keezer at any lower temp served my beer too cold and you had to let them warm up to get the proper flavour profile.

 

[rossbaker]

I know fans can be sourced way cheaper than this, but I have found this one really useful. No messing with wires and the magnetic stand allows it to be placed anywhere in the keezer and positioned at different angles as needed.

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/302088818131

 

[pcqypcqy]

To address the OP directly:

I dangle the prope between the kegs, and about halfway down, so it's a relatively constant temperature that doesn't swing too much. I have it set to 4 degrees with a 1 degree lag. I have an old freezer that lives outside, and an uninsulated collar, so it clicks on reasonably often, but doesn't need to run very long.

I should really put the meter on it to see how much power it's using. This is not a bad investment generally for your house, and will tell you how much you are using. You can then compare directly. https://www.jaycar.com.au/mains-power-meter/p/MS6115


Addressing the other comments:

I'm not buying the reduced moisture from consistent temperatures. Surely this only has to do with the relative humidity when you last opened the door? The moisture is going to condense out around the colder areas, so against kegs and against the coils in the walls.

As my collar is uninsulated I don't use a fan, as this would make the freezer run more often (i.e. it would more efficiently incorpate the heat from the collar to the kegs).

Personally I don't think a fan is neccesary, as kegs are good conductors, as is the beer inside. Corny's are tall and thin, so there's a lot of surface area presented to the cooling coils and the ambient air inside the keezer, so I reckon within a minute or two of the compressor clicking off, everything will be back at more or less the same temps. At least good enough for beer drinking purposes. If I did add a fan, it would probably only be running when the compressor is running.

 

[lfc_ozzie]

Thanks for the reply guys, might site there on Friday and actually see how often it clicks in. I prob just happen to walk in garage everytime its on haha

 

[pcqypcqy]

I've been testing my keezers and ferment chambers for the last few days.

My really old keezer that sits on the deck and has 4 to 6 kegs in it at any one time generally uses 1kW.hr per day. Clicks on often, but only for a short time. It draws about 150w so is running around 6.7 hours per day, so about a quarter of the time. Keep in mind this is a truly old shit house unit, picked up for free on the side of the road.

I tested a newer freezer that can fit 3 or 4 kegs. It used 1kW.hr to chill the 3 kegs down from 30 degrees to 4 degrees. It then only needs about 0.3kWhr per day to maintain that temperature. It draws about 90w, so it runs about 3.3 hours per day.

Both of these are with wooden collars that are uninsulated, and the day time temperatures weren't too hot over the time period measured.

I will check the real chest freezer I use for meat and try to get a handle on how often it clicks on/off under normal usage, and compare this to the keezers.

 

[earle]

Spreadsheet or it didn't happen.