Heating up coolant lines to bend?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

sk888smooth

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2012
Messages
109
Reaction score
6
Location
Elgin
Hello all... I'm poppin the cherry and asking about/suggesting my first idea. I have a Upright Freezer with coolant lines in the shelves. I'd like to bend them in order to make room for my kegs.

Has anyone tried a hair dryer to warm up the lines and get them nice and hot for bending? Any rules of thumb besides going slow and trying not to kink the bad boys?

Obviously I'll leave the freezer at room temp until it is completely warmed up, but is a hair dryer to warm up the lines a good idea? Anyone try it?

Thanks

ElginBrewer
 
Bending old live refer lines, I don't think your going to it without kinking. If you do kink a little, you can take a crescent wrench and use that to get the roundness back. I'd were gloves and eye protection, refer burns suck, it just takes a second. Also find out what kind of coolant is use, in-case it's deadly. I don't think heating it would make it bend any easier, when we braze copper it glows red and still holds it's shape.
 
I am in the same boat, lines built in to the shelves, havent tried it yet tho. I would suggest using cutters to get the shelf wires away from the tubes and getting a small tubing bender in there. Just a single peice hand one that helps the tubing hold its shape, has a U groove the tubing goes in
 
Careful, guys!
I have a small Sanyo fridge, too short for std. kegs. Had same idea, but, too likely to rupture lines, and, coolant may suffocate you. Will try to sell or trade on craigslist. There's more: In this state, and undoubtedly the entire country, before trash collection, you are required to have coolant collected by a tech. This cost me $30 ten years ago. The tech tapes a form to the drained unit, as proof.
So, what do you think will happen when you show up with an illegally-drained unit? One big, fat $$fine$$, probably.
 
Back
Top