adding a tower to a home built bar?

[gec5741]

I am going to be building my bar in the next few months once I get my basement wrapped up. My plan is to build my own kegerator with a tower conversion kit. Now my question is if the tower is mounted onto the bar top and the kegerator is underneath the bar how do I keep my lines from simply being left out in the open from the bar top to the kegerator? I would want those lines to be kept cold wouldn't I? Does anyone have any insight into how to do this properly?

I was thinking if I build up the kegerator so it's not to far from the underneath of the bar then insulate the lines well I may not have to worry about it getting warm in the line? That way there wouldn't be much line that isn't in the kegerator or the tower. Or should I add a pvc pipe to span the space then use a small pc fan to blow cold air up in the tube? Would I really need to go through all that?

Thanks in advance!

 

[duboman]

I know some people use a piece of PVC to bridge the gap between the bottom of the counter and the kegerator. You can also use slightly larger PVC then you need and sleeve it with pipe insulation foam to prevent condensation.

 

[twofieros]

to keep the lines cool you need a glycol cooling system. The lines can be hidden under the cabinet. The tower is hollow. The lines run up the center. Just drill a hole in the counter where you will mount the tower,

 

[slarkin712]

I did exactly what you are talking about with a three tap tower and an existing kegerator underneath my bar top. There was a 1 to 1.5 feet gap and it the tower hole in the bar top didn't line up vertically above the hole in the kegerator top. I used soft copper pipe for each beer line and bent it such that it extended into the kegerator 6-8 inches and to the top of the tower where the lines meet the taps. Then I wrapped the copper lines in foam pipe insulation. I think I used 2 layers of insulation. I used aluminum tape around the whole thing to further insulate it and to help hold the insulation on. The tape was also used to seal the entry of the pipes into the kegerator and tower. It's worked great for me. The beer stays perfectly cold with kn foaming issues. I load a picture up later if I remember.