Balancing lines running from basement

[Lefe21]

Hey,

Looking for a little knowledge from those who know something about line balancing. I'm trying to set up having my kegerator in my basement and having it pour directly above... somewhere between 10-15 feet of line. What would be the best diameter for this? I plan on insulating the lines to see how cold it is, and if needed, set up a fan to blow up some PVC pipe. Also, since it'll be pumping up about 10 feet vertically, does that usually require more PSI?

TIA

 

[spotter]

I've not done a ton of line balancing on different systems, but I have do have a balanced setup with 20' runs, about 12' of which is outside my fridge, and my advice is based on my research and setup.

You'll need 1/4" line, but due to the extra PSI to push up, I'd recommend a low resistance line. I use 1/4" Bev-seal ultra 235 which is lined to keep off tastes away, a side effect of the lining is it lowers resistance (about .45 PSI/linear foot), so you might want to consider something similar. That's 6.75 PSI for 15'. My notes say you'll need about 0.45 PSI / foot of rise, so about 4.5 PSI to overcome the 10' vertical, plus add in .5 for the keg and you can set your regulator to about 11.75 PSI and fiddle from there.

I'll save you time and say you will need a cooling solution unless you want a glass or two of foam before first pour. Since you're fighting gravity you'll need a pretty good sized solution, which means more expensive, louder, and hotter (keep in mind the motor will be probably be inside your kegerator). You might do air, but I think 10' is outside the recommended length, plus the hot air will rise to the top near the taps. I use a glycol reservoir in the freezer hooked to a pond pump, and highly recommend something similar. Others here with shorter runs use water reservoirs in the fridge.

Before buying I'd take try to get really accurate measurements of line length and rise from top of the keg to faucet. If you need a couple more feet of rise and a few extra feet of line you're PSI will start to get too high.

I considered a similar vertical rise (even got SWMBO approval) but after dealing with my modest horizontal setup I'm glad I didn't. You also want to consider raising your fridge above floor level to reduce issues. Less pressure to overcome, less distance to cool.

 

[Lefe21]

Thanks a lot for all that great info. I'll be using it as reference once I get things going!

 

[Bobby_M]

Since you're fighting gravity you'll need a pretty good sized solution, which means more expensive, louder, and hotter (keep in mind the motor will be probably be inside your kegerator).

Just to clarify something here, if you pre-prime the coolant loop and leave the return line under the reservoir level, it's a closed loop so you don't need a big pump capable of great head pressure. A simple pond/aquarium pump should do it.