keg chilling time

[bracconiere]

so i kegged and threw two 5 gallon cornies in the fridge on monday....their just barley cold enough today wendesday....

is that normal? there were two full cold kegs allready in the fridge to help buffer it, but they just got warmer really....

how long does it take most of your guys kegs to get cold?

 

[Jag75]

If i keg beer about 70f it doesn't get down to 38f for about 24hrs. Depends on the ambient temp in my room as well.

 

[eric19312]

Do you have a fan running in the fridge? I used computer fans at first but have switched to the corded muffin fans in both my keezer and fermentation freezer. Air circulation really helps the heat transfer.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

What temp is considered as "cold"? As homebrewers we don't need our brews near freezing to enjoy.

 

[eric19312]

What temp is considered as "cold"? As homebrewers we don't need our brews near freezing to enjoy.

I dunno he is planning to brew beer with wine yeast I'd guess that might be best served really really cold.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, my two 17cf top-freezer fridges consistently require 40 hours - minimum - to bring two carboys with a total of 11 gallons of beer from ~68°F down to 34°F. Worst I've seen was 48 hours. They can only move so many BTUs per hour...

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

so 2 days to get to 40f, from 85f...isn't too bad.....

i would have thought it'd be quicker though....guess i could do the BTU math...thanks for the idea!

(and eric! if it actually works, i'm going to love my barley "wine", lol)

 

[AJinJacksonville]

Once I finally brew with some of these @bracconiere grains, I'll keep a scientific log for the keg cool down. Never really gave much thought to it, but it will completely bother me now.

 

[bracconiere]

Never really gave much thought to it, but it will completely bother me now.

i actually logged out of HBT for a bit to refresh my memory on BTU's....a btu can raise the temp of 1 pound of water 1 degree....in an hour i think, sooooo...i'm trying to do the math on lowering the temp from 85f to 40f.....10 gallons would be 80 pounds, multiplyed by 45 degrees...and i doubt my fridge is 3,600 BTU's.....so it's going to take longer than an hour at least....

 

[AJinJacksonville]

Are you taking into account the force continuum and Bernoulli's law?

 

[S-Met]

10 gallons would be 80 pounds

Water would be approx 80lb at a gravity of 1.000. Unless these are brut (which I know you brew sometimes) they will actually weigh a bit more - guessing probably close 4-8lb more if my inebriated mental math is close to correct.

 

[eric19312]

Seriously do you have air circulation in there or not? Makes all the difference.

 

[bracconiere]

Bernoulli's law

not sure? but a quick google tells me, that i need it cold before that comes into play?

 

[bracconiere]

Seriously do you have air circulation in there or not? Makes all the difference.

no i've always figured the fan that blows into it was enough? i got old computer fans and PS's though......

maybe i'll try throwing one in there next batch.....

 

[eric19312]

My kitchen fridge is a Samsung and has a “power chill” mode. Near as I can figure all that does is turn on a fan inside the fridge for 3 hours.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I have fans in my keezer and all three fridges. Definitely recommended, run 'em 24/7 if there's beer in the chamber...

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

where does the fan go? i could probably put it in the door...i don't have much room anywhere else in there, 6 kegs fills it up pretty tight....

 

[eric19312]

I position mine aiming at the freezer floor in a gap between the kegs. I’ve got the kegs held about an inch off the keezer floor on a wire rack so air can circulate under them.

 

[bracconiere]

i use a cheap refrigerator? as far as i can tell it blows cold air from the top freezer, down to the refrigerator section to keep it cold.....

I’ve got the kegs held about an inch off the keezer floor on a wire rack so air can circulate under them.

not a bad idea.....i could pull the crisper drawers out of it.....

 

[bracconiere]

well, i got one of my old computer fans, and 12v wall adapters, and stuck a fan in there....now my kegs will have LED lighting to keep them company in there!