Can I use a old watercooler to cool a keg?

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.

Varroa

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2010
Messages
187
Reaction score
2
Location
Ottawa
Can it be done some how? I have a old watercooler that we no longer use, could I adapt it somehow to cool a keg? Maybe I could put the keg inside it somehow and wrap it with insulation and place cooling elements placed directly on the keg? Has this been done before?
 
I can imagine doing this, but I expect what you'd basically have to do is gut the water cooler, and use its refrigeration loop in mini-fridge size box. Probably easier to just start with a used mini-fridge.
 
I already have the cooler so I am going to give it a try since I have nothing to loose. I was thinking about gutting the unit, mounting the cooling coils directly on the outside of the keg, wrapping the keg and coils in that silver bubble wrap, and then attaching a new draft tap to the top front of the cooler. I may also add some insulation to the unit to help with the cooling. The co2 tank will probably have to be external (or maybe on-top where the bottle use to sit).
 
That's worth a shot, I suppose. I think I'd try to go about this in a way that makes it possible to switch out the keg, though, or you'll find that cleaning it and switching beers becomes a pain in the neck.
 
I wasn't going to permanently connect the coils so that shouldn't be a problem (just going to use pressure to hold them in place, maybe a strap or something). Tomorrow night I will take the cooler apart to see how much room there is and what I have to work with, thanks.
 
The only issue I see is the keg switching ability, it won't be as quick as a fridge, but it could be very cool. Take pics and document your process.
 
I plan on making it removable so it just depends on what type of cooling unit it uses. Apparently some use copper coils and some use a submersible probe. The keg jacket will be made from reflective bubble wrap either way (the type you put around a water heater).

Well my other hobby outside of brewing is computers, specifically gaming computers that are liquid cooled. If my watercooler uses a probe then I already have an idea of using a copper coil around the keg with quick disconnect tubes connected to a pump. I can then either just connect the lines directly to the existing water reservoir OR make a new reservoir filled with glycol or something and cool that instead. If my watercooler uses a copper coil for cooling then I will adapt then to make direct contact with the keg itself. I will take apart the cooler tomorrow and see what I have to work with (Pics to come as well).
 
I just pulled it apart and there is enough empty space to just fit a keg. Now the question is what type of cooling element does it use. I think this may just work if I put the taps on the top and remove the reservoir.
 
I use a watercooler to cool a homemade jockeybox I installed in a Gas pump. Just tear her down and carefully maneuverer the tubing without kinking it. Easier to swap out a disconnect then wrestle a 40pound cylinder in and out of a harness.
 
Had a few minutes last night to grab the cooler and do some measurements (and some crappy pics). I certainly looks like the corney will fit inside once I remove the reservoir. I have to take apart the reservoir in order to see what the cooling element looks like but here is a pic:

http://tinypic.com/r/w8u5qd/7

the red line in the pic shows the approximate size of a corney. I will take better pics tonight when I dismantle it.
 
I gutted out a curb find hot / cold water cooler, hot tank split. The evaporator coil was 9" diameter by 1/4" by 8' long that freezes up. The compressor only draws 94 watts, my findings it was too small as a chiller unit
the evaporator sat in a tub of water with a 15.5 keg on top in a tight fitting 2" thick pink foam box. After 30 hours the keg dropped from 72*F to 58*F, a no go in my book but again a free and wild idea. Busting the cooler apart was the biggest PITA without breaking anything.
Same thing ripping apart a drinking fountain cooler, again too small of cooling capacity.
 
Well, I had some time so I went to work dismantling it and I ran across one problem:

17364cec5733ef7e4.jpg


17364cec576a63513.jpg


17364cec576a6480e.jpg


17364cec576a654cb.jpg


The copper coil is soldered and I cannot spread it open to fit it around the corney. Any ideas?
 
Shawn,
your dissecting almost the same cooler that I murdered, my coils are loose and can be coiled around any diameter.

Are you sure it's soft solder or silver soldered, go check?
If soft soldered use a propane torch and quickly heat one
joint at a time, once apart use a spray bottle with water to keep
the heat to a minimum quickly cooling it down. Repeat each joint
at a time then move forward with your build.
 
I think it is not soft solder. I tried with a low power torch and I didn't get any softening of the solder at all.
 
I was thinking Shawn as they silver soldered the assembly why switch just to hold the coils together with soft solder?
You feel lucky?
I'm thinking use a fiberglass reinforced Dremel cutoff disc and very very carefully go between the coils cutting thru those welds, no hissing sounds or game over.
 
They were soldered together on the one I dissected as well. That tubing will bend so you can place the coil in a small cooler and toss in a chill plate though. The compressors are small, takes about 4 hours for it to get my 6 liters of glycol down to serving temps. Would take a very long time to do a keg even if jacketed it.
 
Thanks guys, I will see if I can dremel them apart, otherwise I may just scrap the idea.
 
Low BTU cooling is why my water cooler remains aka guts are sitting on a table over a year now but powered up with the temp probe insulated next to the evaporator coils. It makes frosed coils plus the LED lights on when cycling.
I'll try and gut an old spare side by side Sears fridge next having more cooling capacity. Madman with power hand shear this time.
 
Just found this thread. What a great idea!!! What about a soldering iron held to the soldered joints? That might get hot enough to melt them. You can pick them up for pretty cheap in hobby shops or eBay. Just an idea. If you do stick with this project, please, keep the pictures coming!:mug:
 
Just found this thread. What a great idea!!! What about a soldering iron held to the soldered joints? That might get hot enough to melt them. You can pick them up for pretty cheap in hobby shops or eBay. Just an idea. If you do stick with this project, please, keep the pictures coming!:mug:

if the joint is braised like it seems like it is if Torch can't melt it I doubt a soldering iron can, however I many be wrong

-=Jason=-
 
Interested to see how this turns out.

Not sure how to separate the coils in it's current state. One slip with the dremmel and you get a face full refrigerant or worse.

Word or words of caution!

The only way I would use a torch on a refrigeration system is after all refrigerant has been removed.

I don't recommend putting a torch to a closed refrigeration system. 1) Pressure follows temperature. 2) Heating refrigerant too high can cause it to change into acids that are not good.
 
Thanks for the tips. I only tried a short amount of time with a low powered torch. I may try the dremel if I feel risky.
 
Back
Top