A couple questions

[RickDel]

I plan to build a freezer conversion and remote dispense two different beers to a tower from the next room approx 5 feet away, which means I'll probably need about 10 feet of beer line. My current questions are:

1) What will work better, PVC or flexable metal duct tubing (collar to tower)?
2) Do I need to insulate the pipe, and if so, what should I use?
3) What diameter beer line should I use for 10 feet of beer line?
4) How do I hook up the power to the blower?
5) Other then looks, are there any differences between 4" and 3" towers?

I could also use some advise on a good two tap tower and drip tray for my bar... Thanks

[bonefish]

If there is a drain hole, you can use it for your fan's power supply. A cellphone charger works well. There are plenty of threads of good fan setups. I like the word "fan" rather than "blower", because all you need to do is move some cold air, not create a weather pattern.
SEAN

[THE ICEMAN]

Use PVC. It will hold the cold better. And insulate it with Armaflex or something similar. You might be able to find it at Home Depot or a plumbing supply house.

You might look into finding some flexible A/C duct. It is already insulated & can be found in 3" or 4" dia. if you look hard enough.

I would think the 4" tower would allow better air flow.

[bonefish]

... quiet around here.
Must have solved all the problems, and everyone, including me, is happily drinking cold BEER.
SEAN

[RickDel]

Thanks for the replies.... Great Advice!

Must have solved all the problems

Not quite all but I'm happy with what I've got so far.

** one more ** What size PVC would you recomend to hold two beer lines and still have enough room for air flow.

[RickDel]

Iceman, so should I use PVC and flexable A/C duct?? Or is that overkill?

[Scott Zuhse]

Be careful of the amount of extra cubic feet space you are adding to the existing piece of refrigeration. It may not be able to handle the heat exchange. If you are confident that it can, a recommendation would be to limit this space requirement by using three inch pvc with at least 1/2" inch closed cell insulation on the outside.

Then thread the two lines inside an inch or inch and a half flex tube through the three inch insulated PVC and then inside a three inch tower. The flex tube should extend inside the tower just below the shank. Be certain to seal the entry point of the line into the flex tube with tape. Assure that there are no air leaks anywhere.

If you are utilizing 14 PSIG to keg, build your ten foot line to - 7-1/2' of 1/4" ID line from the coupler attached with splicer to 2-1/2' of 3/16" ID line to the shank. This will result in a flow speed approximately 120 oz. / min.

[RickDel]

Scott, Thanks for the EXCELLENT reply!!!

I'm planning on a freezer conversion so I don't think I'll have any problems cooling an extra 5 to 6 feet of 3" PVC.

Whan you say, "at least 1/2" inch closed cell insulation" do you mean thicker is better or is that enough.

I also plan to use a 15 CFM blower. I see the micromatic FAQ's pages states that the max length for this size blower is 5', but do you think I can push it an extra foot or two if necessary? (I'm still no exactly sure about my lenths until I put the PVC and tower together)

I totally understand your second paragraph, but I'm a little shaky on the line lengths, diameters, PSIG's, and flow rates. I was planning on getting a Dual Primary CO2 Regulator because if I understand correctly I'll be able to have two different kegs/beers with different PSIG. Am I correct?

Thanks

[Scott Zuhse]

Thicker is better (higher "R" value). 15 CFM should do it if you have confidence in the freezer. The dual will allow you to adjust two different PSIGs.

The two line combinations are based on system balancing such that you utilize two distinct pressures in a system against each other. This was based on an estimate that you would be using 14 PSIG at the keg. The combination of lines has approx. 14 PSI against the beer as it passes through it along with 2 PSI of gravity.

Pitting the 14 PSIG against the 16 PSI is not an exact balance such that your flow will be slower than a gallon a minute. If they did match, you would have very close to a gallon per min. flow speed. If the flow rate is two slow, cut a few inches off of the 3/16" until flow speed is desirable. This procedure is performed often by beer techs with retailers' systems.