Stupid keezer question

Yakima 728
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.
Greyhound

Greyhound

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
364
Reaction score
20
Location
Shirley, MA, USA
Almost all of the keezer builds I've seen involve making a collar and attaching the tap handles to the collar. I'm thinking of just putting a 2-tap tower through the lid. Is there a reason I don't want to do this? Will I be able to open the lid all the way, or do I need to keep my beer lines too short to allow the lid to open?
 
first off, beer line length is not a big issue, you may need slightly higher pressure to dispense

here are some pros and cons

pros
it looks cooler
you can put an extended top on it so its like a bar you can sit at
the height is higher for taller people
its easier to install a drip tray

cons
you have to move the keezer away from the wall to open it
you have to figure a way to blow air up the tower to cool the lines


there are probably more but I haven't had my coffee yet....if I think of them I will edit the post
 
Greyhound said:
How is this done with a typical kegerator? I'd expect those to have the same issue.
Click to expand...

theoretically you really don't have to blow air up there, but it helps with foaming.... what you should do is make one of those "irish coffin boxes" like many have done on here, and skirt the keezer with wood, then you can just put a small computer fan in the box to circulate air

lots o ideas here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/show-us-your-kegerator-29053/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/show-me-your-keezer-165677/
 
The main reason for the collar is to allow room for the kegs and co2 tank to fit on the hump usually found in the freezers.
Tap handles in the collar makes for one less thing to buy as there is no need for a tower.
And if you decide you want another tap and have room for the keg you just drill another hole in the collar vs buying another tower if you dont have room for another tap in it.
 
Shackled said:
The main reason for the collar is to allow room for the kegs and co2 tank to fit on the hump usually found in the freezers.
Tap handles in the collar makes for one less thing to buy as there is no need for a tower.
And if you decide you want another tap and have room for the keg you just drill another hole in the collar vs buying another tower if you dont have room for another tap in it.
Click to expand...

I like the looks of the towers better, but those are all good reasons to go with the collar. Thanks for the reply.
 
One technique I've seen for keeping tower lines cool is to sheathe them in copper tubing that extends ~6" into the body of the freezer. Beer line and air are terrible conductors of heat, but copper is pretty good.
 
abernat said:
One technique I've seen for keeping tower lines cool is to sheathe them in copper tubing that extends ~6" into the body of the freezer. Beer line and air are terrible conductors of heat, but copper is pretty good.
Click to expand...

If I decided to go the tower route, I was thinking of doing that exact same thing! I guess it wasn't a crazy idea.
 
if you go with the tower, make sure you reinforce the lid before you mount the hardware. the tops of the lids are very thin sheet metal. if you do not reinforce it your tower will wobble and may break free.
 
I have a 3 tap tower on my freezer. I used a copper pipe which goes from the inside of the freezer to about halfway up the tower to cool the bev lines. Every beer i pour has perfect foam and temps.
Also, I turned my keezer so that it's perpendicular to the wall, so I can open it completely w/o needing to move it at all.
 
DSC_0131.jpg


There you can see the cooling pipe. You can also see the piece of wood that I used to secure the tower. I used bolts that go from the toilet flange on the top to sandwich the lid. It is quite secure.
 
I prefer the collar over a tower. I have my freezer in my kitchen and space is at a premium. A tower would get in the way when opening the lid as it would hit the wall behind the freezer. I also like using the top of the freezer as additional work space. I plan to add a laminated wood (butcher block syle) top to it soon. I mounted the taps on the side of the freezer instead of the front. This makes accessing the inside of the freezer easier when cleaning and keeps the taps out of the way when working in the kitchen.

4187313347_c089ea8e64_z.jpg
 
3 tap tower for me. Out of reach of pets and small children. Brushed stainless with SS perlick faucets. I've got the copper tubes sticking down which helps cool the lines a bit. My keezer sits out from the wall far enough to not be a problem, had one beer shower before I learned about that problem.

I tried making a collar first and I am wood working failure so I went with the tower. Happy with the results.
 

Similar threads

sweets17
Oops. Keezer filled with water.
Replies
5
Views
626
sweets17
sweets17
sadbuttrue1982
Need help with keezer part list
Replies
18
Views
1K
Yesfan
Yesfan
K
Beer Tower
Replies
8
Views
1K
Kerednai
K
Clint Yeastwood
Keezer Fan
Replies
9
Views
2K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
S
Two Kegerators? Or one Keezer
Replies
3
Views
1K
wsmith1625
wsmith1625
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top