Were should I go from here? Help me spend my money

[ATLJack]

Background: I am a novice all-grain brewer with about 10 batches under my belt. I use a 10-gallon cooler to mash and I have a decent kettle that I boil with outside using propane. I ferment in a chest freezer with temp control in buckets and carboys.

I have a 3-keg keezer built from a chest freezer with a collar. I am not very happy with my keezer. It sits in my garage and the collar gets mildew on the outside during the summer. I also get a lot of foam during the pour and I cant figure out why, I have plenty of length in my tubing. I think the problem might be the fact that due to the collar design the beer lines are a higher temp than the beer.

I just picked up a large upright freezer off craigslist. My initial plan for this freezer was to use it as a fermentation chamber for a conical, either stainless or a fastferment. Now I am wondering if I should use it for a new keezer and lagering chamber (I havent attempted a lager yet)? I dont envision wanting more than 3 or 4 taps at a time so I would have a lot of extra space in the freezer to lager in a carboy.

I also want to eventually buy an electric Blichmann Breweasy. But, I only have about $1,200 right now.

I see my options as:

1. Use upright freezer as keezer and lagering chamber. Save money for Breweasy and conical. I would need to buy another upright to fit the conical.

2. Use upright freezer as fermenter, buy a fastferment, and save for breweasy

3. Use upright freezer as fermenter, buy stainless conical, and save for Breweasy knowing it will take longer.

4. Something I am not thinking of?

I think I am leaning toward option 2 or 3, but, I would love to get your thoughts on the topic.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Here are my questions to you.

How are your batches of beer right now? If you are making good beer, no need to invest in the Breweasy. You can go to a all-in-one setup for much less and go electric.

1. You can fix your freezer by adding a fan and fan box that draws from the bottom of the freezer and circulates the air in there.
2. You can also insulate your lines a bit better and that will help.
3. Send me the left over money you saved as my consulting feee

OK but seriously now if you do that and possibly seal the outside of the wood with a good sealant, you should be in the money without having to spend much $$

And also since you are saving money now. You could wait and get a nice new Spike Brewing Conical that are in my opinion, super awesome.


So technically my response is option 1. but make some improvements to your Keezer.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Freezers run at warmer fridge temps can be a an issue in areas of high humidity. I stopped using freezers a few years ago and am happier using a refrigerator. My keezer was always damp with mildew. Fridge stays dry and clean. A Fridge also has fans circulating the cool air.

You pay for this luxury as a fridge is likely more costly to fun than a freezer at fridge temps.

Several solutions such as dehumidifiers, desiccants, fans and insulation. More mouths to feed IMO.

 

[DurtyChemist]

If your keezer gets mildew currently why do you think making a bigger keezer will fix the problem?

Use the frost free freezer for fermentation temperature control. You'll have to figure out why your keezer is making mildew but it may be due to your environment. I would be shocked if the collar you installed was keeping the lines so hot they released CO2 because it's a popular design. What temperature is it set at? Have you considered adding insulation on the inside of your collar? Did you seal the collar really well?

 

[brandonnys]

You can fix your freezer by adding a fan and fan box that draws from the bottom of the freezer and circulates the air in there.

This is what I did. I went to a local electronics recycler and found a server rack fan that was 120v and just plumbed it into the bottom of my freezer. Since doing that, I have extremely consistent temperature control and never have issues with freezing, and certainly have never had issues with mildew.

You could also use NeverWet or another sealant to treat the wood to prevent anything from building up on the wood.

As for your foam, what's your serving pressure set to, and what's the average temperature at the collar?