Possible Kegerator Alternative: Glycol + Cold Plate?

[ryan_george]

Hey all,

After moving to 1/2 barrel kegs, I find that my chest freezer kegerator is just not big enough anymore. I can only fit two 1/2 bbls and one corny, whereas before I could fit about 6-7 cornies. This is hurting my beer selection and I would like to come up with a solution, other than just buying a bigger chest freezer.

My thoughts are to build a glycol system with a cold plate. Since this is a staple in our house, I don't just want to use a jockey box and keep stuffing it with ice I'd use an insulated bucket/vessel (ie. a cooler) filled with a glycol/water mix with the evaporator coils of a 5000 BTU window AC unit submerged in it. The cold plate would also sit in here. I'd control the glycol temperature to my desired serving temperature. A few submersible pumps would be used to circulate the glycol.

My kegs would just be sitting out in room temperature and fed through the cold plate and then to the taps. I understand that to carb them I would need to use significantly higher pressure, but with enough restriction in the line I could still feasibly serve with this pressure.

I guess my question is, has anyone done this before? I tried searching but came up with nothing. Are there any obvious "gotchas" that I haven't considered?

Cheers

 

[ryan_george]

No comments on the feasibility of this system? Seems like it could be a nice solution to store the kegs remotely and only chill the beer at/near the taps.

 

[chocotaco]

My two cents:

1) How much will this system cost? More than an additional chest freezer? Window AC runs about 100-150 which is about the same as a chest freezer and nets you a much more complicated system where more can go wrong.
2) If the beer isn't cold in the kegs, you will need a much higher CO2 pressure to keep them properly carbonated. If they aren't carbonated in the keg, they won't be carbonated at the tap even if they are chilled at the last minute. If they are stored in a location with a lot of temperature fluctuation, this whole thing is unfeasible because the carbonation will vary based on the ambient temperature (unless you adjust the CO2 pressure several times a day)

That's what I think, but I'm not an expert on these matters. If it was me, I would take whatever funds I was going to invest in this project and just buy a second chest freezer. You could even put them side-by-side and run the lines from the additional CF to the taps on your existing kegerator with a little project work (drilling and insulation). Or you could sell your kegerator and use the money from that plus your funds for this project and buy a larger kegerator.

 

[ryan_george]

I do agree that this is going to be a more expensive option than buying a bigger freezer. But my issue with bigger/more chest freezers is that they are big, unsightly, and take up a lot of real estate (did I mention they were big?). I also like the idea that I'm not restricted to a set square-footage with a freezer. It would be nice if I could stack kegs to the ceiling in my basement, and then just run the lines to where I would be serving it. If a freezer had a "flexible" perimeter where I could take a few inches here and give a few inches there, then that might work. But alas. This idea seems like a better option in terms of packaging.

I'm not too concerned about ambient temperature swings. A keg full of beer has a lot of thermal mass and it will take a while for the temperature to change a significant amount (for CO2 absorption levels to vary). I am considering storing the kegs in my basement (utility room) where temperature swings are much lower, anyway. And to be honest, if my carbonation changes slightly, it likely won't ruin my enjoyment of the beer

I do appreciate the feedback and criticism!