Beer cooling line help!

[jcroucher]

Hi all,

I currently run a kegerator system that has been golden for the better part of a year. However, I've recently been fixing up the basement and making it the "hangout". In fixing up the basement I have built in an 8 foot long 3-sided bar. I am wanting to drop a keezer under the bar and have a tower system come up through the top. After reading several other posts, I am wondering if it will be necessary for me to put a cooling system in for my beer lines. The lines will travel straight up through the collar, through the bar top and into the tower. Am I going to be stuck with super warm beer or a foamy mess without a fan system? Or is this short enough to be a negligible difference in temperature? What is the maximum my beer lines can run without the need for a cooling system for them?

On a total side note: any links to good DIY tower systems? I wince at the price on some of the commercial ones with way less taps than I could have in my keezer.

Thanks!!

 

[burning_snowmans]

I had a system set up very similar to this, and I did have issues with foaming. A small fan pointed up the tower really did the job though and was all I needed to keep the lines chilled. I'd use just a computer fan or something of the same size, doesnt take much.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I run an under counter fridge through a bar top without any issues. First pour is a little foamy but expected and not much you can do about it. I used a basic 3" stainless tower. A PVC pipe fits perfect inside the tower and runs into the fridge filling the gap between the top of fridge and bottom of the countertop. Then run the lines inside the PVC pipe....works great.

Some may mention running the lines in a copper tube from the tower into the fridge. The idea is the copper gets cold in the fridge and transfers the cold up the copper chilling the lines in the tower. I did this for years then removed the copper during a remodel and it made no difference whatsoever....total waste