Condensation in new Keezer

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HopHead73

Brewmaster at Jbyrd Brewing, Hophead
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
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Location
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Upgraded from a 5cu ft to 15cu ft chest freezer for by kegs (5cu ft becomes the fermentation chamber).
I have the a temp probe from a Johnson Digital Temp Controller fed through the bottom drain hole of the 15cu ft freezer that runs through some insulation foam in the hole to keep it plugged. The probe goes into a thermowell that is in a bottle filled with star-san water. (This worked great on my 5cu ft keezer).

I do have a power cord for a fan that is circulating air fed through where the rubber seal of the lid attaches to the lid. Used electrical tape to seal it off.

And in the keezer I have 2 Eva-drys and small bucket of Damprid as well.
I have the Temp Controller set to 40degrees and there are no air leaks around the seal of the lid.

The issue I'm running in to is when the freezer isn't running I'm getting condensation on the side walls that runs down and is puddling along the bottom edge.
My guess is that when I first tried to crash the temp down when I first plugged it in it started to slightly frost and now that that moisture is in the environment it will keep frosting when the compressor turns on and melt when it turns off.
However, its been up for 5days now and I keep getting condensation and the Eva-Drys and the Damprid should have sucked the moisture out. I only open it maybe twice a day to check condensation and to grab a beer, but don't leave it open.
It has been very hot and humid this past week and will be for another few weeks which could be leading to the issue.

Any other ideas on how to control the condensation?
I'm assuming once the humidity drops this won't be much of an issue.

ControllerWire.jpg


FanWire.jpg
 
Yup leave the lid closed. Avoid the temptation to periodically open and check it out. Eva dry humidifiers work great, sometimes I throw an old towel down there when I'm switching kegs out.
 
Occam's razor applies for new keezer builds.
Is it a flaw in the design / build?
Most likely, it's the fact that you're constantly opening the lid to gaze at your new handywork, and fretting about the condensation.:D
Keep the lid closed!
 
I'm only opening the lid once a day now to wipe down the condensation and grab some beers out of it.
I think the biggest culprit is the super high heat and humidity lately and the fact that there is only 1 keg right now and a bunch of bottles and cans so there is a lot of air space in there for moisture.
Once I start brewing in my new brewery (ie my new garage) the kegs will be filling up the air space.
Time to get to work!

NewBrewery.jpg
 
I'm only opening the lid once a day now to wipe down the condensation and grab some beers out of it.
I think the biggest culprit is the super high heat and humidity lately and the fact that there is only 1 keg right now and a bunch of bottles and cans so there is a lot of air space in there for moisture.
Once I start brewing in my new brewery (ie my new garage) the kegs will be filling up the air space.
Time to get to work!

Dude, now that I see your stuff is out in the garage, it's all over. With the heat and humidity we've had lately, you are looking at condensation city. You can probably see the water droplets forming in the air and dropping down into your keg each time you open the lid!!! It's the humidity! Just wipe it out periodically and don't worry about it.
 
It looks to me like the freezer lid is not sealing correctly.

Crane had a great idea--fill up as much of the space as you can with sealed containers. For starters, store your empty kegs in there. They aren't going to take any harm.

Anything else you can add which will eat up cubic feet will help immensely. The more you have taking up space, the less humid air can enter when you open the lid, and the less condensation you'll have.

If you have no particular jugs or such to put in there, take a cardboard box, wrap it with a garbage bag, seal with tape, and store that in there. Stack a bunch of them.

Really--this is a big part of the answer--that and making sure you're completely sealed.
 
It looks to me like the freezer lid is not sealing correctly.

Crane had a great idea--fill up as much of the space as you can with sealed containers. For starters, store your empty kegs in there. They aren't going to take any harm.

Anything else you can add which will eat up cubic feet will help immensely. The more you have taking up space, the less humid air can enter when you open the lid, and the less condensation you'll have.

If you have no particular jugs or such to put in there, take a cardboard box, wrap it with a garbage bag, seal with tape, and store that in there. Stack a bunch of them.

Really--this is a big part of the answer--that and making sure you're completely sealed.


And I knew someone would comment about the lid in that picture haha.
Trust me it's sealed now completely all the way around. I took that pic when I was setting that whole area up and before the freezer was turned on and the power cord was hanging in it so the lid wasn't closed all the way.
 
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