Air Cooled Design - Your Thoughts

[tony95]

Looking for thoughts on this design. I have a new kegerator in my basement and I am going to cut a hole in my kitchen floor to bring a tap 12 feet up from the basement kegerator. I am going to use 3 inch flexible duct inside 4 inch flexible duct and a 160 CFM fan. I am not using a tower, instead I am attaching the 4 inch duct directly to a board with the faucet and shanks sticking out of it. This will all be mounted on the kitchen wall. I am going to insulate the duct with R-5 insulation (probably going to cut up a coupe of water heater blankets). My beer line will consist of 13 feet of 3/8" line from the keg connected to 1 foot of 3/16" line to the shank. My beer will be Miller Lite @ 10-11 PSI. What do you think?

[Scott Zuhse]

Target 38 F and if you are at sea level (1-2000'), set pressure at 14 degrees F. Duct work sound good other than use two inch inside of three inch or better yet one inch flex inside of two inch. You do not want to add any more additional cubic feet of space than necessary for the cooler to maintain. If the unit has to run harder to keep this additional area chilled, it will burn up prematurely and run colder than desired.

Route the beer line inside of smaller flex and try to insulate outside flex as much as possible with the blankets. You want to simulate your keg cooler insulation. stop the inch inch flex just short of the shank. Be certain that you seal the entry point of the beer line just past the blower (60 CFM may work better) and the air returns back through the large flex with no obstructions and no air leaks.

Use 13.5' of 1/4" ID with .5' of 3/16" choker. Less beer between the keg and the faucet, the better. You could also use 8' of 5/16" ID with 6' of choker to the faucet.

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute

[tony95]

Thanks. I will use three inch duct I saw at Lowes with some 2 inch conduit I have on order from ebay. Smaller diameter duct is very hard to find locally and I don't want to wait on an order. The 160 CFM fan is something I had laying around. It runs cool and hopefully will do the job. The extra flow can't hurt?

Set pressure at 14 degrees F? Do you mean PSI?

[USMC - Retired]

I hope Scott means PSI and not to drop the keg temp to 14 degrees F prior to setting the PSI! LOL!!! Good to see even the mighty Scott has a typo now and then!

Semper Fi,
The Gunns

"Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin

[Scott Zuhse]

Hey! I was tired and it was late. [)]

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute