My seltzer keezer build

[ChickenRob]

Well, it took a long time, but I learned a lot, and the results were worth it. I completed my seltzer keezer build.

I spent too much, bought things I didn’t need, waited a long time for things I did need, and it was all worth it.

I thought I’d pay back all the help I gained on this site by posting my build and lessons learned for the next person to try.

My build centers around a new 5 cu.ft. freezer and a 2x6 collar.

I wanted this build to live in the basement below the kitchen, and that’s where it is. The utility room is right below the kitchen.

I’ll leave a full inventory in my next post.

First thing after buying the freezer, and while waiting for other parts to arrive, I started in on the collar. I built the collar with a single 2x6 8’, and painted it with a mold resistant paint. Using construction adhesive and deck screws, I glued and screwed the frame together and did a trim piece with 1x4 poplar around the outer edge to keep it on the freezer. Some adhesive foam weather seal on the bottom of the 2x6 to keep the cold in. Painted the 2x6 frame before adding the pre-painted trim.

I decided to insulate despite the numerous posts that said don’t bother. I used pink rigid foam on the inside of the collar, and 3m 77 spray adhesive. I sprayed both parts, put the foam on. Put some sand bags down to hold them in place while they dried. I then covered the foam board with tempered hard board as its thin durable and reasonably moisture tolerant.

i then drilled a large hole for the run to the sink for the beverage lines, put bulkheads through for incoming gas and water lines, and holes for an AC power line and temperature sensor, which were fed through cable glands. I added some L brackets and outlet boxes with gfci outlets. The cable glands were attached to scrap hardboard and sealed to the 2x6 face and screwed down.

 

[ChickenRob]

I then used some 1” ID flexible PVC and cut it a little oversized. I pulled through 2 9.5mm evabarrier lines to deliver the beverage runs. This hose would be run through 2” rigid PVC from the keezer to the sink cabinet. I swaged a small piece of copper pipe on the end of the flexible pvc. This allowed me to insert it in a cable gland in an electric box with a fan and create a seal. The electric box had 2 additional smaller cable glands to allow the beverage lines into the box and out through the pvc. The fan draws air from the keezer, pushes the cool air through the 1” flexible pvc, which also has the beverage lines, and then the air returns through the rigid 2” pvc.

I then added industrial Velcro to the L brackets and fan box and put the fan in face down, pulling the cold air through, and began adding the rigid PVC.

I used 45 degree elbows and a screwed on flange and glued just this much. The pipe that goes in straight up here is not glued. I then glued the rest of the pipe up through the floor into the kitchen cabinet.

 

[ChickenRob]

In the kitchen cabinet, I fed the pipe through a hole, and ran the pipe with insulation through a flange. The pipe is tight in the flange due to the insulation and just held by friction. It’s solid. It doesn’t move. At the top of the rigid pvc, the flexible pvc was cut 1”-2” short so the cold air could return. Putting cable glands in a pvc cap keeps the air in and allows the beverage lines out.

I then connected the beverage lines to the taps with some duotight fittings to some evabarrier pigtails I clamped on the barbs of the tap.

 

[ChickenRob]

Back in the basement, I connected the temperature controller, plumbed the inside of the keezer, connected the water and co2 lines, installed the kegland continuous carbonator lid on one of the kegs, and put a 1 quart mason jar with a lid with a hole drilled through for the temperature probe. I added insulation to the rigid pipe. Attached the lid to collar. Oh, and built a mobile base for the freezer before plumbing the rigid pipe.

 

[ChickenRob]

Because I run my water through an RO system the pressure coming out is only 30psi. Too low. So I added a large pressure tank and put a pressure booster pump between the smaller RO tank and the larger on demand tank. I also run the RO water through a remineralization filter on its way to the first tank for flavor, and through carbon after the last tank. The pressure pump boosts the pressure to 90psi.

because the pump is not adjustable, I have an inline pressure regulator lowering the water pressure to 65psi going into the carbonator keg. This is a duotight with the 150psi gauge. I have the CO2 pressure set for 47.5psi (I like my water fizzy!)

I set the inkbird controller to 35 degrees with a 2 degree differential. The fan for the cooling line seems to circulate the air well in the freezer, and is strong enough I can feel the air return from the hole in the collar. When I fill either my chilled flat or seltzer water glass for the first time in the morning, the water is 45 degrees for the first 2 ounces with no insulation over the last 2 feet of tubing yet. The next 2 ounces are 39 degrees, and the next pint is 37 degrees. Colder than my kitchen fridge.

If I haven’t used it in a while, I open the seltzer tap and let an ounce or so sputter out with co2 that has bubbled out of solution and then stick my glass under it. By the time I fill my glass it’s well fizzy and under 40 degrees. Throw in some pebble ice from the pebble ice machine and head into the sauna with a drink that’ll stay cold for a 45 minute sweat.

 

[ChickenRob]

Extra thanks to @sodium11 for a lot of help figuring this stuff out. Happy to answer any questions or provide more details. Complete parts list coming soon.

my childhood dream is now realized. Soda tap on the kitchen sink!

 

[ChickenRob]

Oh, and this is a 2 keg system. One to pre-chill the water for the carbonator keg and provide chilled still water at the tap, and one to carbonate.

 

[ChickenRob]

Lessons learned:

Don’t insulate the collar right to the top, you then have to cut some out for the inside of the lid.

Don’t glue every joint on the rigid pvc. I’m so glad I didn’t. After my first attempt, I found one of the evabarrier lines had been cut on the copper tube and sprung a leak under pressure. It was not that hard to disassemble and pull a new tube. Trying to pull a new tube without disassembly would have been tough. I left one joint unglued and the final flange just screwed to the collar.

Do buy extra stuff. Not exactly what you need. Things like insulation and tubing and fittings are nice to have extras when you need them, especially if you are buying mail order and paying shipping. Plus leaves some extra parts for repairs and servicing down the road.

Need to find a way to quiet the pressure pump. Thinking about putting it in the keezer. It’s a little noisy when it runs. Mounting it to a rigid surface makes it worse, with or without soft foam behind it.

I’m not yet sure if I can run it inside the keezer yet. Both because of opwrating temps, and because I don’t know if the water supply will keep up without pressurizing a pressure tank. This is an experiment for another day. I’m ready to live with it as is for a while and enjoy it. The pump runs for 3 seconds when I dispense a liter of seltzer or water. For now, it’s not a problem. If I start hosting poker in my finished basement, the noise and the frequency of use may demand action.

I’m considering a sound baffle box and vent fan to enclose it in and keep it cool, and leaving it where it is in the setup since it’s working so great.

Need to move the pressure regulator on the water line earlier in the chain to protect the ice maker solenoid valves. Feeding 90psi to the ice maker is probably not a great idea. I really like the flow rate I get from the still tap at 90psi though. My GF hates it. She thinks it’s too strong a stream.