Copper tubing in a kegerator?

[spaceyaquarius]

I just converted a kegerator and want to keep the beer lines cool in the draft tower. I'm going to connect the PC fan into the tower, with a hose.

So does that mean I don't need to buy PVC pipe for the inside of the tower, and I know some people buy copper tubing as well that goes over the beer lines. Is that just overkill to do all three?

 

[day_trippr]

PVC is a rather crappy insulator, if that was the intended use. Lining the tower column with 1/4" foam sheet or neoprene would be much more effective if you have the room.

I run a tower cooler fan (40mm fan blowing through 1" ID thick wall vinyl tubing) with six beer lines tie wrapped alongside. No copper used or needed - that's really more of a passive solution that's obviated with an active cooling solution...

Cheers!

 

[Hovik]

I just converted a kegerator and want to keep the beer lines cool in the draft tower. I'm going to connect the PC fan into the tower, with a hose.

So does that mean I don't need to buy PVC pipe for the inside of the tower, and I know some people buy copper tubing as well that goes over the beer lines. Is that just overkill to do all three?

I built a kegerator this past summer and went with a passive cooling setup that I adapted from one I saw here on HBT and am very happy with it. No humming, loss of space or power consumption from a fan. Just good old copper piping and my first pour is always cold and delicious... Here are the photos from it:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/ke...ossibly-others-364119/index7.html#post5440306

Something to consider before going the fan route...

 

[robb884]

I too also did the copper tubing and only use that. Ever pour is cold and not foamy. No need for fans

 

[spaceyaquarius]

I built a kegerator this past summer and went with a passive cooling setup that I adapted from one I saw here on HBT and am very happy with it. No humming, loss of space or power consumption from a fan. Just good old copper piping and my first pour is always cold and delicious... Here are the photos from it:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/ke...ossibly-others-364119/index7.html#post5440306

Something to consider before going the fan route...

So, your copper tubing is not housing the beer lines at all? It just runs up into the tap tower? Interesting. Looks like a lot of bent tubing though.Hmmm.

 

[day_trippr]

So, your copper tubing is not housing the beer lines at all? It just runs up into the tap tower? Interesting. Looks like a lot of bent tubing though.Hmmm.

Look again: he has his two beer lines running through copper, plus he added a couple of copper "radiators" to those same two tubes - the two runs with all the fittings to get them out of the way...

Cheers!

 

[spaceyaquarius]

Doh! Now I see.

Thanks. It may be time to go to the hardware store...

 

[day_trippr]

Fwiw, the copper works pretty well for a tower with column mounted faucets as you can carry the copper almost the entire way to the 90° tail pieces.

Doesn't work so great for a big ol' t-type tower like I have. There's a lot of volume to keep cool and tubing fanning out left and right up in the t to get to all the taps that would be improbable at best to encase in Cu.

I tried running copper up the column to the base of the t where the tubing breaks out and first pours were iffy in the summer as the top of the tower and the faucets all warmed up. Otoh, with the active cooling and plenty of insulation I'll actually get condensation on the faucets in the height of summer and the pours are nearly as good as the dead of winter. That didn't happen with the copper, hence the blower. It only pulls around 80ma, and my Kill-O-Watt says the 13cf keezer and the three fans within only cost 10 cents a day to run. I'm good with that

Cheers!

 

[spaceyaquarius]

Great! Two feet of 1/2" inner diameter copper tubing at Home Depot is $4 and they will cut it in half for you. I didn't attach the tubing to anything, just ran the 2 tubes into the 2-tap draft tower. Next time, I may buy two 14" or even 15" tubes instead of 12" tubes because there's plenty of room over that back shelf for the copper tubes to come down just a little bit more and transfer more cool temperatures into the draft tower.

Without my PC fan on, the draft tower is cool to the touch on the outside for the 1st time. Of course, it's still winter so I may still need that PC fan when it gets warmer.

 

[spaceyaquarius]

THANKS HOVIC!!!

I've just added the passive cooling method mentioned above tonight. Seems to work great with no fan. My Danby 440BL needed 12" for the draft tower, 7.5" for the fridge ceiling, and then 10" down the wall of the fridge (and of course four 90 degree copper elbows. The whole thing cost less than $10 from Home Depot if you buy the long 1/2" outer diameter copper tubing and cut it yourself.








What do you guys think about filling up the rest of the tower with those styrofoam things that come in shipped boxes? Would that help to insulate the draft tower, or would it restrict air flow into the tower (no PC fan). I'm thinking the styrofoam would help.

 

[njxrinzler]

THANKS HOVIC!!!

I've just added the passive cooling method mentioned above tonight. Seems to work great with no fan. My Danby 440BL needed 12" for the draft tower, 7.5" for the fridge ceiling, and then 10" down the wall of the fridge (and of course four 90 degree copper elbows. The whole thing cost less than $10 from Home Depot if you buy the long 1/2" outer diameter copper tubing and cut it yourself.








What do you guys think about filling up the rest of the tower with those styrofoam things that come in shipped boxes? Would that help to insulate the draft tower, or would it restrict air flow into the tower (no PC fan). I'm thinking the styrofoam would help.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, spaceyaquarius, I have the same model danby as you. I see you secured the copper pipes by screwing into the side. There weren't cooling lines there? I bought copper pipes to do the same as you, but before I mount them to side I want to make sure.

I also have a tower cooling fan on hand, but may just use it to circulate air within the fridge itself. I have PVC going up into the tower, which has half inch neoprene around it, so the copper pipes will go up through the pvc pipe, and beer lines within the pipes. Debating on filling in the rest of the pvc pipe space with spray foam to insulate and close off or to leave open. Could even connect the fan to the copper lines with a t adapter and have air run through the copper lines, but If I close off the PVC with the spray foam, the air wont be able to travel back down and that would be bad I think. ¯\_(&#12484_/¯. Decisions decisions.