Keezer build - Font or Collar?

[Beers Gone Wild]

My upright freezer i used for kegs is dead and I killed it. I stupidly drilled a hole through a coolant line when attaching a new gas manifold.

 

Anyway I dipped into the boat fixing funds and bought a chest freezer, once home i realised it was actually quite low... maybe to low, even with a bigger collar. I think I need it a decent height in order to pour beer comfortably.

 

I am thinking Ill have to get a font and mount it on the lid. Probably 3 tap holes.

 

Any ideas or tips I could use for this project?

 

Do i need a font snake?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

If you're gonna use a font you only need one hole. The beer lines all go up through it, to the shanks at the top where the taps fit onto.

 

I have a kegerator, and originally I had the normal font that they come with, with a font snake to cool it, but I've since switched to a cobra flooded font which not only looks better but all the taps are the same height, and it does a much better job of keeping the lines cold. I've experienced much less foaming since using it. It's a heavy brass thing, and often feels cold to the touch even without being flooded. I just pump cold water through it that sits in a small reservoir (read: 3L milk bottle with the top cut off) in the back of the kegerator. Sometimes I put ice in the water to make it even colder, when there's no keg in the way at least. That usually results in a bit of condensation on the outside of the font.

 

If you do use a font with a font snake, don't put the conduit hose right up into the top of it. It doesn't work. Keep the hose close to the bottom of the font, so it blows the cold air right up into it.

 

Cheers

 

Kelsey

[Beers Gone Wild]

Thanks Kelsey. That saved me alot of pain and $$.. One hole for the font sounds good.

 

I think I will go with the Cobra font you mentioned and flooded. Just had a look at them, not cheap but I am sure it will be worth it. Ill google on how to flood it...

 

It gets really hot here so I will need to cool the font properly..

 

I am thinking I may put a small collar on the freezer as well so I can pop my CO2 hose through and attach my manifold to the inside. A bit paranoid about drilling into freezers now after my last effort. I have a large CO2 so it wont fit in the keezer.

 

 

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Well you can either get a glycol system that costs about a grand, or use ice water. I went with the ice water for obvious reasons. Either way it's done the same way - the fonts come with a U shaped piece of stainless tubing that gets shoved up inside it. You just run some hosing from each end of the stainless tubing; one piece of hose connects to the pump, the other piece just sits as a return flow in the water or whatever you're using to cool it.

 

A small collar for that sounds like a good idea. You could either have the manifold set up as you mentioned, or drill a hole that'll fit all the gas lines through it and put the manifold on the outside. I've got mine on the outside and it's a lot easier not having to open the kegerator door all the time (although the thing wouldn't fit inside it anyway).

 

If you haven't already I'd be removing the valves and any other screw in parts from the gas manifold, coating the threads with silicone, then putting them back into place. Just some insurance against gas leaks, and a lot less painful than losing half a bottle overnight.

[Beers Gone Wild]

Ta for the info. I think Ill go with the iced water and pump like you do.

 

Just been searching for prices, the cobra font seems expensive but well worth it, I would have ended up buying something cheap and then find out it isn't fit for purpose.. I am better off spending some dollars to do it right the first time.

 

Ive pulled the manifold apart, man it was tight. Now just got to silicon as you suggested.

 

Ill post some pics once I get to work on it..

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah, I find the iced water works pretty well. It might not make the font look like it's frozen like you see in pubs and bars, but it does a serviceable job of keeping the inside of it cooled, which is all that really matters.

 

They are more expensive than the standard kegerator fonts, but I do think they're worth it. It's a thick walled thing evidenced by its weight, so it probably doesn't allow as much heat ingress as the thin walled other ones do. The most challenging bit was working out which stainless tube ran from which tap.

 

I had that issue with my manifold too. After I lost half a bottle of gas I went looking for a leak and found it in the manifold on a gas valve. 3 of the valves came out pretty easily, but the one that had the leak in it was in very tight, upon observation it was a full turn further in than the others for some reason. However, I took them out and gave them the silicone treatment, along with the inlet barb and the stopper at the other end and have had no leaks since.

 

[Beers Gone Wild]

Kelsey, after me getting all excited about a flooded font, searching for prices and enjoying the hunt for new brew gear the missus put a stop to it.

 

In the end I made a collar for the Keezer cost $50. Took me about 4-6 hours. Finished it last night, kegs are chilling ready for a beer afterwork

 

I went for functionality with this build, I guess it was a test build to make sure all worked good before I lash out on good timber. I found a few mistakes I made as I went, so next one will be easier.

 

I made the collar so I can remove it if needed, for when I build a new one or want to add modifications to it.

 

One thing I notice is the lifting the kegs is a bit more work compared to my upright keezer, but easy enough.

 

I can fit three 19litre kegs and my party keg in it.

 

The next job is to install a computer fan inside, tidy up the lines and stick the temp controller to the lid.

 

The End result.

 

 

Gas Manifold attached.

 

 

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Looks good mate! I think a collar is probably a better idea with a keezer, because it will be a lot easier to keep the beer lines cold all the way to the tap. I likely would have gone down that route myself but didn't have the room for it here, so the kegerator it was. Those fonts aren't cheap no, I paid over $200 for mine including the spacers to fit the taps to it, but it's much better than the old one. I'll bet you are itching to get back and pour a beer from it now!

[Beers Gone Wild]

I think the collar was an easier/cheaper option for me, but, damn I love them flooded fonts hahaha.

 

Yep, I eagerly headed home from work to test the keezer out..

 

I had the kegs sitting in the freezer for 24 hours. I had my first beer last night, and it was warmish and foamy. I was spewing. Bottom of freezer cold but top area warm... Had my temp probe insulated and attached to the keg and it said 1.5c.. but beer in the lines wasnt.

 

After a bit of reading I grabbed an 80mm computer fan and mounted it to the collar pushing air downwards, used a mobile phone charger to power it.

 

The difference is HUGE! I opened the keezer and super cold air rushed out at me and yep the beer is now cold as and pouring nearly perfectly..

 

Beauty.

 

Fan:

 

 

Added Drip tray.

 

**admin assist**

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah you're probably better off measuring the ambient temp in a keg fridge/freezer like that rather than the actual keg temp. That's how the kegerators work and I never have any issues with warm beer. It does foam a bit when the taps are warm but that's expected. Just set the STC for a difference of 2 or 3 degrees; the temperature of the beer in the kegs will stabilise.

[Beers Gone Wild]

Ah ok, cool. Thanks for the tip!

 

That sounds so much easier than leaning into the Keezer and trying to attach the temp probe around the keg. I am thinking I will sit it up around the collar area.

 

 

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Cool setup. Its what i aspire to.

 

The fan tip is well worth noting. It will save myself and others a lot of trouble if we do it at the start and learn by others experience.

[Beers Gone Wild]

Gag Halfrunt - if you need any advice before you build give me a shout. I learnt by mistakes so next one I do should be a piece of cake

 

I am loving this keezer setup, with the gas manifold in place I am able to have one keg for drinking and two or three others slowly carbonating. My beers are pouring perfectly now, no issues with over or under carbed kegs.

 

I am running about 3.5 metres of beer line.

 

Carbonating and pouring @ 12psi.

 

Kelsey, I have the temp probe just sitting in the Keezer now and it appears to be a nice and stable temp.

 

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Nice work mate, glad it's all working as it should and you're enjoying it! Now all you need to do is get a couple more taps for some variety

 

I don't use that shaking quick carbonation method much, if at all anymore. Normally I put 3 full kegs into the fridge at the same time. They get hit with gas at 45-50PSI for about 20 hours before having the gas disconnected and allowed to settle for a while, usually about 5-6 hours, maybe a little longer. At this point they are burped, hooked up at normal serving pressure, connected to taps and are nicely carbed and pouring well. Beats waiting a week or more for them to carb up at serving pressure, but avoids shaking up all the sediment in the bottom if they've been sitting around waiting for a while.

[Wobbly74]

Had a little weekend project since the missus is away for work. Had bought a cheap 200L freezer a few weeks ago. The trim on the front was busted so decided to make up some new trim with a bit of wood and some stainless angle.

 

The evaporator and condenser lines seem to run all the way up to the top of the walls so decided to try mounting the taps in the lid itself. I also wanted to keep it low to fit under a workbench in the shed. Since I was doing that I figured I may as well stick the STC there as well.

 

Testing it now and seems to get down to temp fairly quickly and the cut out on the temp controller works ok. Will fit up the gas lines and stick a keg in tonight to see how it goes

 

[Wobbly74]

Ok, so it's not pretty but it does appear to work well

 

Connected up the gas lines to my little regulator and sodastream bottle (yes, povvo I know) and stuck a couple of corny's in it. Chilled them down fairly quickly and after stuffing around with line lengths a bit it's pouring a nice pint. I was worried that the taps being in the lid would cause it to froth too much to begin with but seems fine at the moment, running about 1.4m of 4mm ID hose from the taps to the kegs.

 

Now I just need to work out how to sneak it out of the shed and in to the house without SWMBO finding out

[Beers Gone Wild]

Nice Custom job there mate, sounds like shes pouring well too. Think I have 12 ft of line and run @ 12 psi pouring pressure.

 

I like mine in the shed, handy for when doing jobs

 

Also like the way you got the Temp Controller in there. I should really pop mine in the collar, just never got around to it.

 

Maybe throw a few big Coopers stickers on her.