keezer collar insulation?

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Tiredboy

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I've been using a 7cuft chest freezer with temperature controller as a fermentation chamber and beer/wine store (when not fermenting). I've just bought a kegging setup so will be building a collar soon. Living on a hot island, insulation isn't something I can lay my hands on easily. Do you need to insulate the collar and if so, has anyone got any novel insulation ideas that don't incvolve popping down to Lowes/Home Depot and picking up a big sheet of insulation (not an option).

I'm thinking about a 6-8inch high collar (might be able to get away with 4inch if it will make the difference regarding insulation). I plan on using 1 inch thick wood but could use double (or triple) thickness if it is worth it. I had wondered whether laying sheets of kitchen foil between 2 peices of wood would affect the insualtion qualities enough to make it worthwhile.
 
Hi

Just about anything that's mostly air will work as insulation. It's a good idea on a collar. It keeps the compressor happy by not working it to hard.

Ideas:

1) Thin wall wood box filled with stuff (lint, shredded newspaper, chicken feathers, ...)

2) Multiple layers of very thin wood with air gaps between them. 1/8" wood with 1/8" gaps might work.

3) Styrofoam salvaged from anything anywhere. Packing peanuts, shipping inserts from appliance, fishing trap markers, dead coolers .. all styrofoam is equal for this application.

There are lots of other possibilities if none of those work.

Bob
 
You don't still have the packing material the freezer came in do you? There was so much styrofoam encasing my 7cu freezer, that had I wanted to go with that, I could have used that.

To bad I can't send some of the leftover HD pink foam board I have left over from doing mine this afternoon to you. I had the big sheet cut into thirds so I could get it home, and only ended up using 1/3 of a board. I wonder if I could just treat one piece like a giant pink post card and stick a couple stamps on it. ;)
 
Remember, the best insulation is a vacuum. That said, dead air space is the next best thing. Insulation simply serves to prevent air flow & conduction. My suggestion is to use some thin plywood or veneer. Use a furring strip top & bottom and a veneer sheet on the inside to create the collar box. You can fill the "box" with fiberglass if you can get it, you could use rice hulls, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, canned foam or just seal it up air tight.

Veneer | air space |veneer
 
How's your supply of newspaper? It's a good insulator in a pinch but it's pretty much useless if it gets wet so you'd have to protect it with some type of vapor barrier.

I like the idea of:
Veneer - airspace with loosely wadded newspaper - veneer.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like insulation is needed then? Oh well, I'd hoped to get away without. I'll have to trawl the DIY stores at the weekend and see what I can find. I had thought about ordering a big sheet of the pink board as it wouldn't be too heavy so shouldn't be charged too much to ship it down - the problem is they'd probably switch to a "estimated weight based on size" rather than actual weight and also screw me for an oversized item! I have also considered getting a roll of neoprene (like http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FVG3CM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) shipped down and then cutting it into strips and sticking to the inside of the collar (I'll just need to work out what thickness I'd need). Will have to put my mind to work (and find a good source of insulation information so I can see the reletive insulation offered by different materials - if anyone has one, please point me in the right direction).

EDIT - I wonder if I can increase the insulation properties by putting a layer of silicon sealant between an inner and outer collar. Any thoughts?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, the "insulate your collar" -vs- "don't insulate your collar" is another one of those debates that gets argued all the time just like Batch vs Fly Sparging, Stainless vs Aluminum, etc. people on both sides will argue vehemently about it.

Some argue that if you have enough layers of polyurethane sealing your collar you don't really need it. You're going to have to decide this for yourself, like all the other arguments on here.

I opted to do it, since I wanted a sheet of pink foam for other projects anyway.

One of my friends on here used adhesive backed camper insulation for his. He found I guess the widest type possible.

I think whatever you do, will be better than nothing. Even like you think filling a gap with some form of sealent. I would think spray expanding foam would work great. I used some of that to fill up some gaps in mine.
 
Revvy said:
Well, the "insulate your collar" -vs- "don't insulate your collar" is another one of those debates that gets argued all the time just like Batch vs Fly Sparging, Stainless vs Aluminum, etc. people on both sides will argue vehemently about it.

Some argue that if you have enough layers of polyurethane sealing your collar you don't really need it.
Click to expand...

I don't yet have a keezer, but it would seem quite simple. Hell, you really don't NEED insulation in your house. They didn't have it in the 1800's. Then again, we know that if you have it there is much less heat exchange.
 
Tiredboy said:
Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like insulation is needed then? Oh well, I'd hoped to get away without. I'll have to trawl the DIY stores at the weekend and see what I can find. I had thought about ordering a big sheet of the pink board as it wouldn't be too heavy so shouldn't be charged too much to ship it down - the problem is they'd probably switch to a "estimated weight based on size" rather than actual weight and also screw me for an oversized item! I have also considered getting a roll of neoprene (like http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FVG3CM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) shipped down and then cutting it into strips and sticking to the inside of the collar (I'll just need to work out what thickness I'd need). Will have to put my mind to work (and find a good source of insulation information so I can see the reletive insulation offered by different materials - if anyone has one, please point me in the right direction).

EDIT - I wonder if I can increase the insulation properties by putting a layer of silicon sealant between an inner and outer collar. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Hi

You are in a hot climate, no matter what you do the compressor will be working harder than it would in Nova Scotia. Adding an un-insulated collar will add even more of a load to it. The harder it works the shorter it's life span. No matter where you live, once the compressor goes the freezer is trash. You can't repair the compressor for less than the price of the freezer.

Anything that is heavy and solid will be a poor insulator. The stuff you want is light and flimsy. Silicone caulk is not a good insulator (it is flimsy though). Salvaged packing styrofoam salvaged is by far the cheapest way to go.

Bob
 
Last edited by a moderator:
cockybitz said:
I don't yet have a keezer, but it would seem quite simple. Hell, you really don't NEED insulation in your house. They didn't have it in the 1800's. Then again, we know that if you have it there is much less heat exchange.
Click to expand...

I'm just pointing out to the OP that there IS an argument about whether or not to do it. I'm not enterring into the argument....Just pointing out a fact that there ARE two schools of thought on it. I think I made it clear in one of the posts that I insulated mine....You don't need to engage me in a debate about it. I'm just reporting a fact.
 
Order some Great Stuff foam insulation spray cans from amazon. I can't imagine it would be too expensive. Or your local hardware store should have it (I can't see your location on the Mobile app).

And one other thing, insulation is just as important in warm climates as in cold. Unless there is no air conditioning where you live and just huts?
 
Whether you use insulation is up to you. As Revvy has stated, there a a variety of opinions on this. However, here are a few things to consider, a thick enough wood collar will provide a good amount of insulation if all the joints are caulked very well with flexible silicone caulk. Also, to seal your collar to the freezer, place the collar in a good bed of caulk. Lastly, to protect the compressor on your freezer, use at least a 5 degree differential before the compressor will run. Using something like a 2 degree deferential will cause the compressor to run excessively and shorten the life of the compressor.
 
Hi

Compressor run time is very dependent on sensor placement. You need to watch what is going on with your sensor and your controller. The temperature the controller is set to and it's differential likely will need to be "tweaked" to work best. On a hot day with a light load in the freezer, make sure the compressor shuts off for >15 minutes as it cycles.

Bob
 

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