Combo kegerator and fermentation temp control

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I've been tinkering with the idea of getting both a kegerator for serving, and a keezer for fermentation temperature control.

The problem is that my garage space is limited, and that the temperature in my garage is darn hot in the summer.

So my brain got in second gear and I came up with this idea:

Have a kegerator that holds 4-5 cornies, and use one of the cornies as a cold-water refrigeration system.

Essentially, the last keg holds water, which gets transferred by a pump with a Johnson control, to a fermentation vessel.

I'd probably use 2 containers (call em buckets) larger than the 6-gallon fermenters I use, and fill them with water. Each bucket has an outflow which is T'ed (to keep the level the same in both buckets), and that T is used as the input to the pump. The pump flows from the T, to the keg inside the fridge (or it could be a copper coil, but a keg is cheaper).

The buckets would then be in an enclosed styrofoam box to prevent cooling loss.

There probably would have to be a one-way somewhere to prevent drainage, unless of course the buckets' water level is the same as the level of water inside the keg.

Am I just nuts?

M_C

 

[nm999]

Am I just nuts?

You're nuts.

 

[MalFet]

Sounds like you're talking about something roughly like this. It certainly would work. To my mind it would probably be a lot easier to pick up another small chest freezer, but convenience is a pretty subjective thing.

 

[Beer_Guy]

I too have been tinkering with some way to use a cold chamber to cool a separate fermentation chamber.

What I thought about is molding a large block of plaster around some heater duct tubing routed to and from the chamber. The block would cool the air in the duct work and that would be blown into the fermentation chamber as needed. No liquid is used so less chance of a leaky messes.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I appreciate the honesty

M_C

You're nuts.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

That's what made me think of my contraption. The idea of adding bottles of ice every other day doesn't appeal to me, as I sometimes go out of town for a few days at a time...

M_C

Sounds like you're talking about something roughly like this. It certainly would work. To my mind it would probably be a lot easier to pick up another small chest freezer, but convenience is a pretty subjective thing.

 

[MalFet]

That's what made me think of my contraption. The idea of adding bottles of ice every other day doesn't appeal to me, as I sometimes go out of town for a few days at a time...

M_C

I haven't done the math on this, but I suspect you'll have to find a way to insulate the ale pails reasonably well (especially if it is hot in your garage). 5 gallons of water has a fair bit of thermal mass, but if you're running through hoses and the open air you might find your kegerator can't keep up. That's just a hunch, though.

Then again, I'm amazed that design in the link I sent you works, too. Seems like you'd lose all of your chill out the top of the gatorade cooler. But, apparently not!

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Well that's the beauty with cold, it stays down low instead of going out of the top like heat

I did mention that I'd use a styrofoam box to contain both buckets. I could easily use water-line insulation on the lines...

M_C

I haven't done the math on this, but I suspect you'll have to find a way to insulate the ale pails reasonably well (especially if it is hot in your garage). 5 gallons of water has a fair bit of thermal mass, but if you're running through hoses and the open air you might find your kegerator can't keep up. That's just a hunch, though.

Then again, I'm amazed that design in the link I sent you works, too. Seems like you'd lose all of your chill out the top of the gatorade cooler. But, apparently not!

 

[MalFet]

Well that's the beauty with cold, it stays down low instead of going out of the top like heat

I did mention that I'd use a styrofoam box to contain both buckets. I could easily use water-line insulation on the lines...

M_C

Ah...missed the bit about the box. That sounds good then.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Or I could get really creative with a fridge that has a cold water dispenser! Just hook up an on-demand pump to the back of it so that it recirculates...

M_C

Ah...missed the bit about the box. That sounds good then.

 

[Beer_Guy]

I was thinking about my post all day and remembered that I SHOULD have said Dryer ducting instead of heater duct. Since no comments on the idea, I figured I’d post a quick sketch. It would isolate the air in each chamber and yet still provide cooling. A simple rectangle mold on its side with the ducting laid out in it sticking up at the ends. Use coat hanger wire to steady the duct work while pouring. A lot easier than plumbing anyway. IMHO!

Oh yeah, it could be as tall as the fridge to pick up plenty of the cold. It would take up only about 6" X 12" X H of space in the fridge too.