Which draft tower for chest freezer

I have been working on setting up a keezer since I got a 15 cu. ft. chest freezer. I know there are people that don't recommend a tower on the top, but I think it is going to work for me. I just ordered 8 more cornies, and I still need a second regulator and manifold, but right now I'm looking at what tower to get. I think 4 taps will be enough for me and I'm not sure if I should just get the basic tower, or some of the cooler ones that I have linked below. So I am looking for any suggestions. I think I want to get some forward sealing faucets also, do you think I can buy a tower with them installed if I pay a little more? I also had a question about the cooling. I know that I want air cooled, but does that mean that I just attach it and enough cold air gets into the tower by itself, or does it require a fan? And the last question, does someone have recommendations on where to buy them from?

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/towers-pid-CT902-4CH.html
Most expensive http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/towers-pid-CT500-4.html
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/towers-pid-MTB-4PSS.html
The one I'm thinking about http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/towers-pid-MTM-4BR.html
T style http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/towers-pid-DS-354-PSS.html
Basic http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/towers-pid-DS-144-PSS.html

Some of those are really pretty, but the prices are ridiculous. If you have enough know-how to convert a freezer to a keezer, you can definitely install/upgrade your own faucets and should absolutely know how to do so.

One word: eBay

Such as this one... Lookie Here
Yeah, it's only 3 faucets, but for the price, you can buy two of them.

Here's one with four taps

Sir Humpsalot said:

One word: eBay

Such as this one... Lookie Here
Yeah, it's only 3 faucets, but for the price, you can buy two of them.

Click to expand...

wow. that's freaking great deal!!!! Have you bought from that seller before?

A4J said:

wow. that's freaking great deal!!!! Have you bought from that seller before?

Click to expand...

I bought my tower from them. It was as advertised, and the transaction went smoothly.

I wouldn't waste one minute trying to chill the beer lines. An 8 foot section of 3/16th line holds just under 2 ounces of beer. The section you're talking about is probably 2 feet long and will hold maybe 1/2 an ounce.

Cooled or not, you'll want to flush that first few ounces when drinking begins. The CO2 will accumulate at the top of the lines and foam your beer.

Several other considerations before you mount (a tower on) your freezer.

• Drip Tray - Any time you want to get into your chest (and I'm inside mine several times a night) your drip tray will have to be removed. You'll be surprised how much you are inside that freezer moving lines, bleeding pressures, swapping kegs...etc.
  
• Testing a beer with the lid open...can't be done.
• Flushing sanitizer through your lines using a keg outside the freezer...can't be done. (unless you want to take up valuable cold space by storing your sanitizer keg inside).
• Opening the lid without pulling the freezer away from the wall...risky business.

I hope you understand I'm not trying to be a naysayer...but you have a keezer that can hold (I'm guessing) 10 or more kegs. I'm pretty sure you'll wish you had more than four taps set up.

But...that was not the intent of your post so feel free to disregard. I'm sure some pro-keezer-tower folks will chime in too.

I hear what your saying, and know that it will be somewhat of a pain opening it however often I need to, but the main thing I was worried about was the tower holding up and staying in place with the door open, and people have said that part is not much of an issue. I hadn't thought about the drip tray before, but I think it would be easy to get around my mounting the tray permanently, and making it so that it drains somewhere down below so there is no standing liquid to spill when the lid is opened.

So how many taps would you recommend? I don't have all the kegs yet, but I'm thinking it will fit 8 cornies at a time. I brew 10 gal. batches, so I was thinking of having 1 of each type of beer tapped, which is how I can up with the 4, but I'm open to any advice right now.

Browse through this thread if you haven't already. A whole variety of different keezer styles including some with towers.

The other advantage of building a collar instead of a tower is the collar will allow you to run a gas line into the freezer from outside. I like my CO2 tank on the outside of the freezer and you don't want to mess around with drill holes in the walls of your freezer.

I just think a collar/tap system is nice and clean looking...certainly sturdier and is just less of a PITA when it comes to daily beer chores.




Oh...and just for the record...I do think towers have there place...

I have to politely disagree with biermuncher, cooling your lines is so necessary. I got tired of pouring 1/2 to 3/4 of a glass of foam out every first pour. For a couple of bucks get a computer fan, dc converter and some flex hose to run up into the tower, it's as easy as that. A friend bought a fancy kegerator and his beer foamed like mad (even though the tower was hooked into the fridge). We hooked up a fan and perfect pours everytime.

Does anyone else have some advice for me? I know I have seen some people on here with towers on chest freezers that might have some more information for me.

Somebody... was it evan? Made a really nice irish coffin out of a keezer