Instead of killing ourselves trying to cool our towers and trying to insulate long runs of beer tubing, why not just create positive pressure at the faucette that blows any beer remaining in the lines back into the tank?
This could be accomplished by simply attaching a pressurized air line to the opening of the faucette and hitting it with a few PSI higher than your serving pressure. A better system would be a modified faucette that has another pressurized air line with a simple button that you push and hold for 2 or 3 seconds when you are done pouring.
I think one of the simplest devices I have seen put to use was one of those disposable tupperware containers with a muffin fan (one from your computer) rigged to it and a hose that ran up to the tower. It just sat stationary in the fridge, and always had cold air circulating to it. This to me seemed like a much easier solution.
-Me
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Ergo Bibo Sum - I drink, therefore I am.
I think one of the simplest devices I have seen put to use was one of those disposable tupperware containers with a muffin fan (one from your computer) rigged to it and a hose that ran up to the tower. It just sat stationary in the fridge, and always had cold air circulating to it. This to me seemed like a much easier solution.
-Me
LOL! That's my setup from my "How to convert an oster to a kegerator" thread!
For a kegerator that is fine, but for longer runs, something else is needed.
The volume of beer in the tubing is minimal. unless you have extrememly long runs it should not be much benefit to cool it.
Cross section of 3/16 ID tubing = 0.027 sq in
x 12 for one foot of tubing = 0.33 cubic inches
.33 cubic inches = 0.18 oz.
So one foot of 3/16" tubing contains 0.18 oz of beer.
The tubing in the tower is probably at most 18" (1.5') so that is a quater oz of beer that is not cooled. One that mixes with a full pint of cold beer you will not even notice it.
Last edited by Special Hops; 01-09-2009 at 07:40 PM.
Well it's not just the 1.8 oz of warm beer, but also any beer flowing through the tubing afterward will pick up heat from the tube itself, all of this contributing to foaming.
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Instead of killing ourselves trying to cool our towers and trying to insulate long runs of beer tubing, why not just create positive pressure at the faucette that blows any beer remaining in the lines back into the tank?
This could be accomplished by simply attaching a pressurized air line to the opening of the faucette and hitting it with a few PSI higher than your serving pressure. A better system would be a modified faucette that has another pressurized air line with a simple button that you push and hold for 2 or 3 seconds when you are done pouring.
Thoughts?
So you want to blow oxygen back into your keg after each pint? Does that sound like a good idea? Maybe if you used CO2 it might be something worth trying but I think I prefer the keezer with nothing extra to cool. But then again that is not nearly as finished as many home bars I have seen people build.
Also you will still have the problem with warm beer lines, contributing to foaming.
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Could it be this simple?
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