My New Chest Freezer Setup For 6 X 19l Kegs

[Ross]

Nice work Tom, great looking setup.

I small piece of advice - install a cheap computer fan at the top of your wooden collar, facing downwards. If you measure the temp at collar level, you will find it remains at ambient & you'll have continual problems with foaming beer during warm weather. It also gives a nice even temp over the whole freezer.

cheers Ross

 

[tomsawyer]

Tom, I cant believe the Missus let you destroy a brand new freezer even though it has been put to perfect use.

Where is this party being held.

Rook

Had to kick the missus out - priorities is what its all about........

Now to top up.

 

[tomsawyer]

Nice work Tom, great looking setup.

I small piece of advice - install a cheap computer fan at the top of your wooden collar, facing downwards. If you measure the temp at collar level, you will find it remains at ambient & you'll have continual problems with foaming beer during warm weather. It also gives a nice even temp over the whole freezer.

cheers Ross

thanks Ross i already have the tempmaster sitting low in the freezer, do you think i will have issues with temp over the expected dry summer?

 

[tomsawyer]

Top job, looks excellent.

I'm thinking of one in the next few months and like the idea. I know coldness settles to the bottom of the freezer, but do you think a bit of insulation inside the timber may help the efficiency?

Its hard wood and its sealed, life expectation, 10 to 15 years.
By then i might have my own pub.

 

[Ross]

thanks Ross i already have the tempmaster sitting low in the freezer, do you think i will have issues with temp over the expected dry summer?

Tom, if you measure the temp at collar height, you'll find it never cools - my freezer is set up the same way & the temp at collar height never dropped much below ambient ie mid 20c's. This will cause warm lines & taps = foaming beer. Once I discovered the cause & inststalled the fan, not more than 1c variance throughout the entire freezer.

cheers Ross

 

[tomsawyer]

thanks Ross i already have the tempmaster sitting low in the freezer, do you think i will have issues with temp over the expected dry summer?

Tom, if you measure the temp at collar height, you'll find it never cools - my freezer is set up the same way & the temp at collar height never dropped much below ambient ie mid 20c's. This will cause warm lines & taps = foaming beer. Once I discovered the cause & inststalled the fan, not more than 1c variance throughout the entire freezer.

cheers Ross

Thanks Ross, i will rig up a fan. Do you run yours on a timer or just when the tempmaster goes on?
I might have to get a second weather station to keep an eye on it.

Any photos of your setup?

Tom

 

[Ross]

I have fridge fan running all the time, but just having it run inline with the compressor would be just as good I reckon & use a little less power.

 

[therook]

I'm a bit lost on this.....are you saying the temperature varies inside the freezer?

rook

 

[Ross]

I'm a bit lost on this.....are you saying the temperature varies inside the freezer?

rook

Hi Rook,

A freezer cools from the sides - From where the wooden collar starts there is no cooling & cool air is heavier than hot air. Without any air movement the top stays hot. In my freezer with the temp probe set at 6c in a small bottle of liquid mounted at about mid height in the freezer, avarage temps recorded where as follows:
Bottom of freezer 4c - top of freezer (below collar) 8c. Top of freezer (Mid collar) 24c. So not only Did I get foaming, but beers running low in the keg were being cooled even greater & hence they'd tend to over carbonate as well. I also started to get ice forming in sections of the freezer. The fan solved all these problems

Hope that makes sense...

cheers Ross

 

[therook]

Makes perfect sense Ross, I had beeter keep all these comp fans i have laying around at work for future use.

rook

 

[muga]

I found that a fan in my chest freezer helps stop condensation also.

Great setup.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

How do you guys go about wiring up your fans?

PZ.

 

[Ross]

How do you guys go about wiring up your fans?

PZ.

Connected to a small transformer that plugs straight into the mains.

cheers Ross

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Yeah, I just thought maybe you were using a 240V fan tied into the compressor circuit...I've got a big 240V one and was considering that.

BUT, I found a small Slot 1 processor fan with handy little legs that I used to secure it on the underside of the lid:



Works great, now between the FridgeMate nine minute pause it only gets one degree over the set temp, as opposed to about three degrees above set before...sure to increase the compressors life span :super:

PZ.

*EDIT* - Running 24/7 is obviously better than only when the compressor kicks in...otherwise I doubt it would make any difference when using the FridgeMate.
Oh, and the power supply is an old mobile phone charging transformer someone gave me, so if you discount about two cents worth of heat shrink tubing and solder, it was all free

 

[Thunderlips]

They are Ultra-Flo, which i think are a type of Ventmatic.
GMK will know them.

Ultraflow taps were made by Ventmatic, before they went bust. I've got some myself.
I've been looking at getting a freezer for ages but other things keep coming up. What size did you end up buying? It's pretty close to what I'd want to get.