Forced Air System

[samiam4]

I got my forced air system working a couple of days ago and everything was wonderful (1st keg- Smuttynose IPA) until the next morning when I checked the temp in the fridge. I have a super insulated 3 inch PVC pipe running 6.5 feet up through the floor of my kitchen ending at a double tap on the counter. I have a small blower in the fridge running through a small 1.25" hose to the taps. It really works well, beer is perfect from glass to glass EXCEPT the motor on the blower does put out some heat, raising the temp in the fridge. MikeF asked about this problem before on a different thread, and no one answered. Should I use a larger blower so it doesnt work as hard? It was a hypothetical question at that point, but now it is for real. Also, the insulation inside the tap tower itself could use to be replaced. It is very thin. Does anyone know of sheets of neoprene or some other insulation that can be cut up and put inside a tower? Thanks anyone/everyone...

[ANT MAN]

i dont know what to tell you about the fan/heat thing, but find a carpet installer and ask him for a scrap of padding."new stuff"
i would say a 1x1 square would be plenty for the tower

[Scott Zuhse]

If this is a 15 CFM blower it should not put out a significant amount of heat. The major problem is the additional cubic feet demand placed on the refrigerator. Try to adjust to maintain 38F liquid. The amount of insulation in the tower is spec. You can put thicker material inside but you will risk air flow problems at the tower. Carpet pad is a great idea. Be careful on how thick it is.

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute

[samiam4]

It is a brand new 15 cfm blower that is actually very warm to the touch even after being in a 38 degree fridge. The carpet pad is a great idea... Thanks!

[mikef]

I would thing the heat load would be greater than the volume load. For most refidgerators, wouldnt the volume of tubing be sufficiently less than the volume in the fridge?

Do they make duct fans that can move air, but sit outside of the fridge? That way, you only heat up some of the air it is pushing, but you dont dump all the heat into the fridge itself since some can convect to surrounding ambient air. This is what I thought Id like to try for my set-up.

[flashlite]

i'm really surprised you think letting beer sit inside your line is ok! i can't help but taste the diference between fresh beer and stale beer that has been sittin in the line overnight! yuck! do you feed it to the dog or hold your nose and swill it down. haven't you realized the beer taste will differ on how it is served? the best is still the closest to the sorce! long live the kegarator

[mikef]

The amount of beer that sits in the line and gets warm is only 2-floz. Sure, that frustrates me to pour out that beer, but not enough to rank it high on my priority list. Besides, I have a controller, thermocouples, and relays at home I can piece together in a control system so that the poor fan doesnt have to run continously, putting an excessive heat load on the fridge. Once I get the time, Ill set that up. Until then, I just need to drink fast!

[Scott Zuhse]

As I noted earlier, these blowers are used in thousands of coolers at retail successfully. The biggest issue they face is the bartendars use the kegerator for refrigerating just about anything the can including pickled turkey gizzards! Everytime they open the door, the unit absorbs heat thus affecting the performance of the dispensing.

If the heat of these blowers is a concern, try using a fan from a computer hardrive and maybe point into a funnel to the flex tube.

Also, vinyl tubing is highly permiable. The carbonation can leach out resulting in flat beer if it sits in the line to long.

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute