Help needed please - Coffin access panel

[OkanaganMike]

Hey shout out to all coffin folks. Having difficulty getting my head around the best way to make the rear panel removable while maintaining a good seal for the recirc air design within. Can anyone help me by showing what you did, what you like about it and what you don't?
Thx!

 

[smarch0]

Are you sure you only want it accessible at the back? Are you saying the top of the coffin would be fixed in place? Would make it pretty hard to disassemble the taps if you ever needed to (cleaning / leak, etc.). Mine just has a removable top with rigid foam insulation glued to the wood. Check the build thread in my signature, there are some pictures of the coffin further down the first page of posts.

 

[OkanaganMike]

Are you sure you only want it accessible at the back? Are you saying the top of the coffin would be fixed in place? Would make it pretty hard to disassemble the taps if you ever needed to (cleaning / leak, etc.). Mine just has a removable top with rigid foam insulation glued to the wood. Check the build thread in my signature, there are some pictures of the coffin further down the first page of posts.

Thanks Smarch0 - I have admired your build in the past. I went through all my saved reference links but must have missed your detail on the coffin access. I've seen both top and back panel access and now trying to find details on how they did them. What I like about the back access is you should be able to fasten it tightly through mechanical fasteners or tension type of latch to squeeze the weather seal. That said I'm having challenges trying to figure out how to do it. Maybe the tightness isn't that important?
I think I can access the taps fine from the back but now considering removing the fastened and caulked top to mimic your style. How do you find the tightness of the seal? I'm very concerned with maintaining a good seal and not allowing warm air in to condensate.

 

[smarch0]

My seal is not even all that tight and I don't have issues. That is mostly on me for not working to make it tight, I'm sure if you had some weather stripping or rubber type gasket around the edge of the lid it would be VERY tight. You could always look for some small 90 degree latches if you really want to lock it down. If they are small and a darker color I don't think you would notice them under the lid / on the side of the coffin. Something like below.

I also have 2 Eva-Dry Wireless Dehumidifiers in the freezer that really help with any minor condensation. If you don't know what they are just google them, they really do pickup quite a bit. I just recharge them every month or 2 when swapping a keg.

Anyways if you do really want rear access go for it, just pointing out the potential trouble of getting at the taps. I fully disassemble my taps every 2-3 kegs for cleaning, but if you are not crazy like me, it would not be as big a deal.

Cheers

 

[OkanaganMike]

Ha! Way more lazier than you, I really should take them apart more but get complacent with the perlick forward sealing units. I guess here is a good time to mention I'm moving from kegerator to keezer so I have all the gear. Just got tired farting around and fighting with the lines all the time and prefer the look of the keezer anyways. Cheers for the latch idea, that kind of hardware is like what I had in mind. Before I move forward though I have to source some fans to recirc the air. Found some cheapies at Princess auto (3 3/4" and move 51cfm) Don't think they powerful enough though so gotta do a bit more research, get the fans then I'll have an ideas of chamber size.

 

[smarch0]

For what it is worth, my fan crapped out years ago and I never replaced it. I find very little, if any difference. But I also run very long lines at ~15ft of BEVLEX 3/16" ID line. It makes for a slightly slower pour at 10-15 sec for a pint, but it does come out perfect every time so I don't mess with it.