Fan CFM for kenmore 8.8 keezer

Gonna be building a keezer from the tried-and-true kenmore 8.8.

I'm planning on adding a fan to help with circulation and keep the beer lines cool. How many CFM should I shoot for? There's a bunch of different 120V computer fans available on ebay for various sizes and raning from about 50-100 CFM. I'm gonna be powering the fan directly from the TSX3 love controller so speed isn't really adjustable... though I guess I could always throw on a pot if i wanted later.

How much CFM is necessary for getting good circulation with the keezer?

Thanks

80mm or 120mm should be more than plenty. on average 120mm will push about 80 CFM, your fridge is 8.8 cf, so it can move all of the volume of air in about 9 seconds, also when you put in few kegs you'll displace a lot of the volume, so the actual volume of air to move will be much lower. Also these fans run on 12v DC not 120v hope that was a typo

Bartp said:

80mm or 120mm should be more than plenty. on average 120mm will push about 80 CFM, your fridge is 8.8 cf, so it can move all of the volume of air in about 9 seconds, also when you put in few kegs you'll displace a lot of the volume, so the actual volume of air to move will be much lower. Also these fans run on 12v DC not 120v hope that was a typo

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nah these are 120v AC fans. I checked. that way i can power it directly from the love controller w/o an adapter.

mcubed45 said:

Gonna be building a keezer from the tried-and-true kenmore 8.8.

I'm planning on adding a fan to help with circulation and keep the beer lines cool. How many CFM should I shoot for? There's a bunch of different 120V computer fans available on ebay for various sizes and raning from about 50-100 CFM. I'm gonna be powering the fan directly from the TSX3 love controller so speed isn't really adjustable... though I guess I could always throw on a pot if i wanted later.

How much CFM is necessary for getting good circulation with the keezer?

Thanks

Click to expand...

It's not at all critical and most any 120mm fan should have enough power. There would be nothing to gain by slowing the fan. I'm running a 120mm 110V AC fan full time in my serving freezer. IMO, this was a major improvement for very little cost.

Catt22 said:

It's not at all critical and most any 120mm fan should have enough power. There would be nothing to gain by slowing the fan. I'm running a 120mm 110V AC fan full time in my serving freezer. IMO, this was a major improvement for very little cost.

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cool cool. from what i've been reading, having a fan makes a pretty big difference in stabilizing temps. more so than insulating the collar an stuff.

is noise a problem at all? i know it'll be inside a freezer but just wonderin. the 120 on my computer's aftermarket cpu cooler is pretty noticeable when i crank it full blast.

been lookin at this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/110V-115V-120-V...ltDomain_0&hash=item4cf421c248#ht_1406wt_1139

110cfm

mcubed45 said:

cool cool. from what i've been reading, having a fan makes a pretty big difference in stabilizing temps. more so than insulating the collar an stuff.

is noise a problem at all? i know it'll be inside a freezer but just wonderin. the 120 on my computer's aftermarket cpu cooler is pretty noticeable when i crank it full blast.

been lookin at this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/110V-115V-120-V...ltDomain_0&hash=item4cf421c248#ht_1406wt_1139110cfm

Click to expand...

I like that the fan keeps the beer lines and taps much cooler. The temps are more uniform throughout the freezer. I have a small commercial freezer which has a fairly large OEM fan. That's what prompted me to install one in my converted freezer.

The compressor will likely cycle more frequently as the circulating air will increase the heat gain. You can set a wider differential to counter this. I'm currently running a 10 degree differential. The off part of the cycle is about 60 minutes and on for about 20 minutes.

Insulating my 2 X 6 collar reduced the power consumption on my freezer by nearly 40%. Not a big deal as these units don't use much power at all. So, I highly recommend insulating your collar.

The fan noise is noticeable, but about the same as a refrigerator running. That type of noise does not disturb me, so I never give it much thought, but you can definitely hear the fan running. I'm sure you could find a super quiet 120 mm muffin fan without having to resort to speed control. There might be a way to muffle the fan noise.

I have to 8.8 freezers, one for my keezer and one for a fermentor. I put a 120 mm fan in each of them, running continuously. They move enough air to keep everything at an even temperature no problem. My fans make some noise for sure but with the lid closed up it's barely noticeable. You can get really quiet fans but I just used what I had from a leftover computer build.

OP... did you get your TSX3 wired up correctly? I'm having a hell of a time getting my TSX3 to intervene and cut off the compressor in my black Kenmore 8.8cf chest freezer. I am pretty certain the wiring is correct, though I am having serious issue programming the controller. Any assistance/advice would be appreciated! Cheers!

SpoonBrew said:

OP... did you get your TSX3 wired up correctly? I'm having a hell of a time getting my TSX3 to intervene and cut off the compressor in my black Kenmore 8.8cf chest freezer. I am pretty certain the wiring is correct, though I am having serious issue programming the controller. Any assistance/advice would be appreciated! Cheers!

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yep runs fine. haven't decided if i like the fan better running continuously or just w/ the compressor.