Keezer in a freezing garage

[MatchstickBrewingCo.]

Anybody have any experience with their keezer or kegorator in a detached garage in an area that gets down to single digits during the winter? I want to build one to keep in the garage but I'm afraid that my beer will freeze out there and mess something up. I know that beer has a lower freezing point than water but I don't think its THAT much lower since the alcohol content isn't so high.

Thanks!

 

[NewBrewB]

If you use a temp controller that has the capability to cool AND heat, you can attach a small heater (can light bulb, etc) and whenever the temp inside the freezer gets BELOW the target (+/- set allowable variance), the heat will kick on (just like the freezer does when the temp rises above the target temp.

I'm planning to use this method for my fermentation setup, using an STC-1000 with hot/cold control. Posting the link--I'm not affiliated with his sales process and I have not yet bought one from him--but I plan to... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/fe...0-temp-controller-fermwrap-thermowell-500032/

 

[HiImBrian]

I've unfortunately experienced the negative effects of having my keezer in the garage. Usually here in Colorado we don't get too cold, and especially because my garage is attached, the temps stay relatively warm. A couple months ago we had a really cold week and the day after I put my 10% Espresso Stout on tap to carbonate, the cold temps caused the pressure to rise and ended up blowing the seal in my tap and dumping the whole 5 gallon keg onto my garage floor while I was at work. Emptied out my CO2 tank as well

I still have my keezer in the garage, but have thought about bringing it inside. I've just made sure to disconnect CO2 and purge the lines if I know it's going to be excessively cold. I've had a keg freeze before and once thawed out it was totally fine!

 

[kombat]

I had one last winter. I bought the freezer in the fall (used, off Craigslist, $50). It cooled just fine, and I did the "light bulb in a coffee can" trick for heat through the winter. Everything worked great. Then in the spring, the temperature inside the freezer wouldn't get go below 50° F or so. The STC-1000 was perpetually on the "cool" cycle, the freezer just wasn't doing it.

I've read that it's bad for fridges/freezers to be kept in freezing temperatures. It messes with the compressor or something. I figured it was worth a try, but turns out they're right. It'll kill your freezer. Next one I bought, I moved it into the basement.

Incidentally, it cost me another $50 to have the old, busted freezer hauled away for scrap.

 

[MatchstickBrewingCo.]

NewBrewB - I actually purchased that from him earlier this year for my ferm chamber and it works great. Thinking about trying to use it for my keezer in the garage but I'm just worried that if its close to 0 outside that the heater might not be enough, but I guess we'll see!

Brian - thats exactly the kind of thing that I'm worried about, I might just wait till early spring and just not use it at all during the winter to avoid something like that.

Thanks guys.

 

[kombat]

The light bulb will be enough to keep the beer inside above freezing. I've done it myself in a large freezer with 5 kegs. The problem wasn't beer freezing, the problem was the cold killed the compressor/condenser/whatever in the freezer's mechanics.

 

[smithabusa]

A dual temp controller (see my signature I have some links to the ones I build) with a 40 or 75 watt light bulb will do the trick. It's been below zero in Michigan for many days in a row and my attached garage door is open all the time and extremely cold, but I have my controller on the fridge and use they light bulb to keep temps where I need them.

 

[grathan]

I've had troubles with compressors freezing up. I guess that wouldn't be a problem for the beer, but one freezer died that way.