Frozen keg while pressurizing

[Featherfreak]

Hi everybody I’m new to home brewing and kegging. I setup a new kegorator to what I thought was around 35 degrees f and put about 12 psi on the keg for about 6 days. I left for a few days and when I got home the keg was frozen.
I guess my question is will c02 diffuse into frozen beer or do I need to start this all over again?
I can seem to get any beer to come out of the tap.
Thanks

 

[ratinator]

Not sure if you opened the keg, but in the past it's not the keg but the beer line going to the tap that had a bit of frozen beer in the line for me. I just inspected the line and put it in a bowl of hot water until I could pull from the keg again

 

[Gnomebrewer]

CO2 can't diffuse into ice, but if it's a bit of a frozen 'slurry' it will. The only way to find out how much carbonation there is, is to thaw it out and try it. If beer won't come out of the tap, you probably have frozen beer line. Let it all warm up above freezing, then try again.

 

[Featherfreak]

Alright thanks. The lines aren’t frozen I’m guessing I’ll just have to wait a few days. I appreciate the response!

 

[Chek]

Hi there,

My buddy repeatedly froze his keg and it ruined the beer. But he kept trying to get his beer cold and that was the problem he was in a hurry and didn't use a thermometer.

This deviates from your question but I'm going to throw in my 2 cents because my buddy has wasted a couple kegs.

My suggestion for next time, put in thermometer set to 10 degrees C slowly work down to 4 degrees C let it stand for a few days watch temp. Then go lower if you like but let it stabilize.

I used a black felt marker on my setting dial so I don't go below freezing. I used a thermometer and checked temperature every couple days until I knew exactly where to set the dial. Then over the next few kegs I attached a thermometer to make sure.

I had learned from my buddies 300 dollar mistake.

Now I can unplug my kegerator when not in use or to thaw the ice build up and then when I plug it back in I make sure the dial is on the marks I created. And no issues with keg freezing.

My buddy has frozen 2 kegs because he never marked his dial and couldn't remember...

For me I can just throw in a keg in and let sit in the cold without worrying and never have to check.

I keep my beer at 2 degrees C. and about 2-4psi on the CO2. I only increase the CO2 when I dislike how the beer is flowing/tasting.

My friends and I find the taste is better when the best CO2 level is reached but if you start too high its takes away from the flavour. And you have to drink a number of pints to get it down...

Have fun

 

[Qhrumphf]

Are you sure it's frozen? Beer shouldn't freeze until well below 35F.

If your only observation is no beer coming out, it's more likely you've got a clog somewhere. Cornie poppets and quick disconnects are easy to clog up.

 

[bracconiere]

another frozen keg?

no i don't think it will carbonate while frozen, you will have to thaw and start over....

(and there seems to be a run of bad temp controllers, put a thermometer in it to double check temp...china trade war and all, f'in with our homebrew )

 

[Robert65]

[A]nother frozen keg? ... [T]here seems to be a run of bad temp controllers....

Clearly, Elbonian hackers have launched an attack on America's kegerators over the holiday weekend. Code embedded in our temp controllers for years just waiting for their moment.

 

[bracconiere]

Clearly, Elbonian hackers have launched an attack on America's kegerators over the holiday weekend. Code embedded in our temp controllers for years just waiting for their moment.

and damn it, now i have to party like it's 1999, without music match working anymore! lol

 

[Featherfreak]

Clearly, Elbonian hackers have launched an attack on America's kegerators over the holiday weekend. Code embedded in our temp controllers for years just waiting for their moment.

Fake news!
Just kidding,

Are you sure it's frozen? Beer shouldn't freeze until well below 35F.

If your only observation is no beer coming out, it's more likely you've got a clog somewhere. Cornie poppets and quick disconnects are easy to clog up.

Yeah it froze but turns out that wasn’t my problem. You’re right and I had suspected this from the start. Hops clogging the pop it. It never seemed to settle, so I got frustrated took out the curved dip tube and put a gas dip tube with a piece of hose attached to it so it wasn’t sucking from the bottom. Now she pours like a beaut!
I also ordered one of those clear beer draught system things for future hoppy beers.
Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it!

 

[Robert65]

Are you sure it's frozen? Beer shouldn't freeze until well below 35F.

True. Should *start* to freeze between 26°-28°F, if that's of any reassurance to anyone else with dodgy temperature control. Not just a function of alcohol, but all substances in solution lower its freezing point.

 

[Chek]

Hi all,

I had a little experience with frozens kegs, my buddy froze his....

My kegerator was/is empty and I wanted to know exactly how low I could make the temperature go...

I set the kegerator as low as it would go. Overall it would only read ad 2.6C, well that's well above freezing. So I added a thermometer, it read lower???? hhhhhmmmmmm

So I took a full glass of water and put a thermometer in it and placed it in the kegerator.

The results of my test are:
- the kegerator thermocouple will always read higher because it is at the top of the fridge.

****hot air rises****

- the glass of water at the bottom of the fridge read just above 0 C. So there should be no freezing.
- the thermometer I left laying at the bottom always read around 0 C or less.**!!!!!!**

- this showed freezing ability​

I moved and tested the thermometers in various position so they all would have a chance to measure in the same way and spot.

Conclusion
- the built in thermocouple is in the wrong spot for effective temperature control as it is at the top front of the kegerator.

- the door opens there and lets in warm air there
- its at the farthest point from the cooling element​

****hot air rises****

Problem:
- the cooling element at the back of the kegeraotor is capable of creating freezing temperatures.
- if the built in thermocouple does not sense the temp then it will continue to cool...

****hot air rises****

- so my buddy froze his beer because the KEG took up the majority of space in the fridge which

- impeded air flow and temperature changes to the front top of the kegerator​

where thermocouple is.

The kegorator not being a human beer drinking with half a brain kept trying to cool down the keg.

Because the info received by the thermocouple was from the giant warm mass closest to it [the keg]. The kegorator was:
- freezing the keg at the back and
- freezing the keg at the bottom which then propagated through the precious beer.
- This froze the keg enough to not let the beer flow

In Short:
- with nothing in the fridge and on max

- the bottom is below freezing
- the top is >2.5 C higher than the bottom​

I won't try what I wrote above with a full keg because my buddy froze his keg twice, so if you conduct the experiment with a full keg leg me know the results.

1 2 3 Yo, thats what my buddy says when he drinks

 

[Gnomebrewer]

- the thermometer I left laying at the bottom always read around 0 C or less.**!!!!!!**

- this showed freezing ability​

0C is freezing for water, not for beer. The exact temperature depends on the beer (alcohol and sugar content as well as pressure) but is likely to be somewhere around -3C. I sometimes lager at -1C and don't get frozen beer. At -2C there might be a bit of an ice slurry on the surface.