condensation in keezer

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rekoob

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I built a Keezer about a month ago after reading a lot of stuff on this site. Seems every time I log on here my "want" list is extended. All the GREAT idea's on here are fantastic.

Anyway, I built a four keg keezer with three taps in the collar and a box fan in the forward left corner to move the air around.

I get some condensation build up on the walls of the keezer, so far not enough to pool in the bottom. I was hoping the fan would take care of some of that.

Any idea's what I can do to minimize or eliminate the condensation build up?
 
Excessive condensation is an indication that there is an air leak somewhere. That somewhere is probably the lid gasket, but in this case, it could also be a leak in the collar. Some condensation is unavoidable, but if there is enough to pool up I would consider it excessive. Much depends on the ambient conditions, external relative humidity, frequency of opening the freezer etc. You can mitigate the moisture accumulation with Damp Rid or a similar dehumidifying product. Sometimes you can detect lid seal leaks if you put a bright light inside the freezer, darken the room and inspect the seal closely. It only requires a tiny pinhole air leak to cause problems. Sometimes collars are built less than square and true, meaning that anything more than minor irregularities in the collar where it meets the lid (or gasket) can cause a leak. I use a 120mm computer fan to keep the air moving in my freezer. I run it continuously. The fan probably won't help much with condensation build up. I did notice that my freezer walls ice up much less than without the fan running. A fan will cause your compressor to cycle more frequently, but that can be mitigated by setting a wider differential. I'm currently running mine with a 6*F differential.
 
I haven't tried anything to this point. I don't get any pooled water on the bottom that I can see but do notice the condensation pretty heavy on the walls. I am still planning on adding some more insulation and will give that light trick a shot to see if I can see anything but know for sure I have not sealed up around the CO2 line hole yet.

I don't run my fan all the time, I wan't sure if there was a real advantage to that when the compressor was not running so I just set it to fun when the temp controller turned on the compressor. right now I have a 1* differential and it doesn't seem to cycle to much.

is that Damp Rid availible and a box store?
 
Yes, the Damp Rid stuff can be found at Home Depot etc, sometimes even your local supermarket may stock it. It's normal to have some condensation form on the walls as that is where the evaporator coils are located and it's not unusual for some ice to form as well. Nothing to worry about unless it becomes excessive.

Running the fan continuously will help maintain more uniform temperatures throughout the freezer, but it will also cause the compressor to cycle more frequently. I do it to keep the beer lines, shanks and taps cooler.
 
Thanks for the info Cat and Shooter. I will take another peak at everything when I pour myself an IPA later today. :)
 
Did you fix this problem?

I've noticed a bit of surface-rust inside my keezer. In my haste to get to that first pour, I didn't take the time to sand the rusty spots and re-paint them but I intend to in the near-future.
 
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