Cooling the tower

I know I've seen a thread around here about a DIY draft tower cooling system using an old computer fan, but I can't seem to find it. Can anyone out there point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

(BTW, just kegged my first batch ever, this rocks! :rockin: )

This might help a bit.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=26504&page=2

Also, see post #22 in this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29053

Thanks, guys!

I could not find suitable tubing, so I cut a piece of 3/4" air hose (yes it's heavy).
Planning on running that up to top of tower.
Will let you know if it works.

I found a 2" computer fan, mounted it so it blows into the tower (screwed it into the top of the insode and left about 3/4 inch space above it..so it "hangs" on two screws). Works great and is enough to also circulate the air in my danby.

I get adequate cooling using a 40mm fan and takes up very little space. No box or tube needed.


The tower is divided in two halves so the air blows up one half and then down the other, making for a nice cooling loop. More build details here: http://www.pbase.com/mrfebtober/kegerator_build&page=2

what is the point of cooling the tower? i keep my kegarotor in the garage where temps hit 100+ on a regular basis during the day and have yet to pour a hot beer because the tower is not cooled. i only drilled 1 1/8" holes for my lines so not alot of cold air gets up there. is this just a modification added for "coolness"(no pun lol) of your kegartor?

The issue is that the beer in the tower lines is warmer than the beer in the keg and CO2 will come out of solution more readily at warmer temps. Without tower cooling you're more prone to the first pour being foamier than subsequent pours.

Does it matter? Not necessarily. Is it cool to pimp the fridge? Most definitely

hmm, ill have to pay attention to the foaminess of my next first pour of the day compared to pours after that. i just thought it was to keep the 2oz's of beer in the tower cold lol.

if it works as you say then i think im going to add a tower cooling fan lol

That and the faucets will stick if the beer os left untouched for a few days, and sometimes that first couple oz'z can tase a bit funky if it's been sitting for days.

I also use plugs on the faucets when they are not in use. Pastic champagne corks (hollow) fit perfectly over my faucet tips. Cost was about 25 cents each.

Denny's Evil Concoctions said:

That and the faucets will stick if the beer os left untouched for a few days, and sometimes that first couple oz'z can tase a bit funky if it's been sitting for days.

Click to expand...

That is likely to happen with standard faucets regardless of chilling because the valve actuators for the faucet are 'dry' meaning that they are not in the beer when the faucet is closed. The beer then drys on the valve pieces and can make them near impossible to move.

If you get forward seal Perlick style faucets, they dont' stick because the enture valve assembly is 'wet' even when the valve is closed.


I plan to cool my tower now that I've moved the kegerator out to the garage.

kornkob said:

If you get forward seal Perlick style faucets, they dont' stick because the enture valve assembly is 'wet' even when the valve is closed.

Click to expand...

kornkob - THANKS for sharing that info, just what I needed to know.:rockin: