My first keezer!

[JohnnySardonic]

Awesome build. If this is your first keezer I can only imagine your next one... EBay money!

The DIY section of HBT is becoming my favorite. I have NO woodworking skills, but watching you guys build beautiful pieces of art (and yes, keezers like this are art) inspires me to no ends. If only cutting wood wasnt dangerous to myself and others, I would use posts like this to build my own.

 

[reed1099]

Awesome build. If this is your first keezer I can only imagine your next one... EBay money!

The DIY section of HBT is becoming my favorite. I have NO woodworking skills, but watching you guys build beautiful pieces of art (and yes, keezers like this are art) inspires me to no ends. If only cutting wood wasnt dangerous to myself and others, I would use posts like this to build my own.

Thank you. If you ever give it a try everyone on here is more then helpful to give you any and all info you need, myself included. I couldn't have done it without the help (And design ideas) of others on here.

And iv already considers the "eBay money." I'd definitely build these and sell them if people were interested. I had fun doing it.

 

[kapbrew13]

I used button head bolts right through the top down. Then I added a sheet of 1/4 plywood and cut out the holes where the bolts are to countersink them. I needed the 1/4" ply anyway to make my tiles come level with the molding do it worked out perfect.

thanks. And that looks great!!

 

[kapbrew13]

Thank you. If you ever give it a try everyone on here is more then helpful to give you any and all info you need, myself included. I couldn't have done it without the help (And design ideas) of others on here.

And iv already considers the "eBay money." I'd definitely build these and sell them if people were interested. I had fun doing it.

Just a thought. Maybe make shells that people can put together quickly and pop in their own chest freezer. Next thing you know, it'll be manufactured in china and sold in every Walmart.

 

[carlisle_bob]

I'm really not cooling the coffin actually. What I have is a hole just small enough for the beer lines and the lines go through a small tunnel of insulation to their chosen shank. Enough air goes from the freezer to the tiny tunnel of lines to keep them cool enough for a few hours after each pour. After sitting for any period of time after I just discard an ounce or two of the beer in the lines. If I'm pouring a full pint (or more ) the beer gets cold enough quickly to counteract the ounce of warm beer. I'm ok with the setup but I'd like to cool the whole coffin with some circulating fans in the near future. What do you recommend?

Hi

The best way to cool the tower is to blow air up into it from the freezer. A couple of computer fans will do the trick. The downside is that you (may) cool the faucet shanks and faucets. They then have moisture condense on them and it drips on the face of the tower. That can make for trouble with the finish just below where the shanks come through the tower. Yes I do have empirical data to back this up ....

Bob

 

[reed1099]

Complete! Finally

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

Very nice looking.

Does the lid stay open by it's self?

Bob

 

[reed1099]

Hi

Very nice looking.

Does the lid stay open by it's self?

Bob

No it has a prop up stick like a car hood. I'm gonna add some pistons to assist it because it's pretty heavy.

 

[reed1099]

 

[kapbrew13]

Awesome!!! But -1 for , is that a Boston team banner? Lol

All done by hand tools. +10

 

[new2brew1221]

Looks great, makes me want to get busy trying to make one

 

[carlisle_bob]

No it has a prop up stick like a car hood. I'm gonna add some pistons to assist it because it's pretty heavy.

Hi

That's normally the issue with a tile top. Be careful with the prop technique. Hitting it while switching kegs can result in a less than optimum experience.

Bob

 

[reed1099]

Does the stc1000 temp controller I'm using have A Fahrenheit setting? Mines in Celsius...

 

[carlisle_bob]

Does the stc1000 temp controller I'm using have A Fahrenheit setting? Mines in Celsius...

Hi

If it's a STC-1000, no it only does C. There is a cheaper less capable controller from the same outfit that actually makes the STC-1000. I went with Auber PID's for the stuff I needed in F.

Bob

 

[reed1099]

So after a month finally time to fix the bugs. My main problem is that my coffin is getting too warm and on my first pour the cold beer hitting the warm shanks makes for some serious foam. I didn't think it's be as big a problem as it is.

So in adding a pc cooling fan. My main questions are do I just need one blowing up or also one blowing down? I figured I'd put one blowing up towards the coffin and then the open hole for my beer lines will allow the air to flow back down freely?

Also, is it beat to wire it or them into my compressor? Or maybe my stc-1000 temp controller box? Thanks everyone! Cheers.

 

[RVB]

I can't answer your question but wanted to congratulate you on a truly awesome job. As someone said in a previous post, that is art.

 

[reed1099]

I can't answer your question but wanted to congratulate you on a truly awesome job. As someone said in a previous post, that is art.

Thank you

 

[Hoppopotomus]

You will want an intake and exhaust, then creat a column within foam insulation for the air to travel up out of the freezer across the shanks and exhaust back down. It has worked like a charm. You can check out what I did on my thread, but it may take you a while to find that section, as my thread has gotten ridiculously long. I would also strongly suggest a TSS2 Love controller, so that you can control the coffin cooling independent of the chest freezer. I have found that when the coffin fans only cycle on when the freezer compresser kicks on, it's not enough to keep the shanks/lines cold. For the $75 on Dwyer.com, it's well worth the money and the frustrations with foamy pours. Let me know if you need any help!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/knotty-pine-cedar-log-keezer-build-223902/index9.html

Here ya go. Later in my thread, you can see where I swapped out the styrofoam insulation with rigid foam insulation, because I was sick of the styrofoam particles flying around inside of the keezer. Anyways, this should give you a good idea of what I did. It has worked fantastic, especially with the TSS2 temp. controller!!!!!!!!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/knotty-pine-cedar-log-keezer-build-223902/index26.html

.....and here is the inside of the coffin after I reinsulated it when I added my 4th tap. Hope this helps!

 

[carlisle_bob]

So in adding a pc cooling fan. My main questions are do I just need one blowing up or also one blowing down? I figured I'd put one blowing up towards the coffin and then the open hole for my beer lines will allow the air to flow back down freely?

Also, is it beat to wire it or them into my compressor? Or maybe my stc-1000 temp controller box? Thanks everyone! Cheers.

Hi

I've had great luck with one blowing in and another blowing out. I have a foam wall about half way in-between them to get the air up by the shanks. I run them all the time, but use quiet fans so they don't bug me to death. The tower is about 2' from where I'm sitting now and I can't hear them. They don't pull enough power to matter.

Bob

 

[davekippen]

A hero and a carpenter! I wish I had half the talent (and guts) that you do. Good job man, well done!

 

[reed1099]

Thanks so much. Fan installs will happen tonight. I'll post my success or horror story later.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

If you have a 2 1/2" hole saw and fairly normal fans, it all should go pretty quick and easy. Blast two holes, tack down each fan with two drywall screws, wire up to an old wall wart or something similar. I started out doing crazy things with grommets and foam, I now just screw them down to the wood. I can't tell any difference in sound level.

Bob

 

[reed1099]

Hi

If you have a 2 1/2" hole saw and fairly normal fans, it all should go pretty quick and easy. Blast two holes, tack down each fan with two drywall screws, wire up to an old wall wart or something similar. I started out doing crazy things with grommets and foam, I now just screw them down to the wood. I can't tell any difference in sound level.

Bob

Sounds easy enough. No hole saw for me though. Small hack saw blade should do the trick I hope.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

Anything that you can control that puts a hole in there is going to work. I find hole saws on great big drills easier to manage than hacksaws, that may just be me though.

How ever you do it, you want a hole that's slightly smaller than the frame of the fan. You need some lid material left to screw into when you mount the fan.

I use rigid foam in the freezer lid and I flare it back from the vent holes at about a 45 degree angle. I just hack at it with a knife, I suppose there are fancier ways to do the same thing. The less you restrict the air flow, the more air you will move, and the quieter your fans will run.

My towers are offset from the middle of the lid. I pull air in from the end that's closest to the middle of the lid and blow it out the end that's over by the wall. That moves the air in the same direction as the fans in the freezer. That all may be pure voodoo, but it seems to work ok.

Bob

 

[reed1099]

I just finished. Not the most beautiful work but it does the trick so far! First pour was already at almost no foam. Big step up from where I was. I used a 3" fan pointing up pulling air towards the top and used a block of foam in the middle to make a tunnel. The "exhaust" side is just an open hole where my beer lines run through. Should I put a fan on that side pointing down too? Seems to be working fine the way it is. The coffins about 10 degrees Warner then the bottom but it's working good in my opinion.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

For the cost of a cheap PC fan, yes I'd put in a second one. Since it's working ok, it's up to you. Ideally you would like the tower to be around 42 F when the freezer section is about 38 F.

Bob

 

[reed1099]

Keezer is officially for sale. let me know if you're interested.

 

[hoppedup75]

Hate to see you part with this!