Kegerator on speed......Home made kegerator

[brenmurph]

Just in case ye didnt spot it earlier the dividers are removable..if I need the ales colder I can whip out a divider in 2 seconds. If I add another warm keg I can either blast it in the icy section or leave the divider out to the temp equalises

[johnrm]

I was going all rocket ship there wasn't I?
The movable baffle I understand, but just don't get how the temps are controlled.

[brenmurph]

Ill try explain again in a different way. I mentioned originally I didnt finalise thermostats yet, right now its the origianl fridge thermostat controlling the main compartment.

The unit has one  thermostat set at anywhere between 10 and -10 depending what I want to do
If set at -10 the beer will chill very quickly compared to if it was running at lets say 8c. Thats the first principle keeping in mind if i forget about it the beer will freeze, so I wont I will only use it for super chilling. (bigger temp difference greater the heat or cold transfer as I understand it.
If I set the thermostat at say 2- 5c for lagering I use the coldest part of the refrigerator. I could just as easily put in 4 kegs and 4 slabs of coors if I want.

So if i want to blast chill I can set the temp to what I want and  leave the dividers out ot keep product at coldest end.
If I want lager lagering and ale drinking I insert insulated dividers which significantly restrict the air flow (cold flow) and allow a small amount of cold through to the next compartment to keep cold rather than blast chilling

Ok the theory is (in practice it works) a small amount of cold  flows / diffuses from the cold segment to the warmer segment at a rate  that will maintain the temp I want. While it may seem like the whole thing will equalise temp ( and it might after aweek)  eventually it wont because once the panel is in place only a small amount of cold can travel net door while there is some cold loss through the wallk.

Ive tried and tested this simple system on my last kegerator which used computer fans and dividors. The difference is a much bigger kegerator, much smaller fridge unit, extremely well insulated machine and dividers to seperate the sections relating to their proximity to the coldest part of the unit. There is also a full panel to save energy if only using 1 or two kegs I simply insert a full divider and reduce size of the active kegerator.

In summary. If you stand beside the fire you will be very warm..... move further or put a divider between u and the fire and you will be cooler. Thats what Im working off.
Option for the ones who want a complicated (but more automatic) kegerator is to install fans , sluices and other gismos which will give a lot of fine control over temp in each compartment. I may at some stage use 3 thermostats and an external pipe that blows into each compartment its not a major undertaking but not necessary for now

[JD]

...Fan pushes cold, less dense air from base of current chamber UP ...

Just like to point out that cold air is more dense than hotter air. I would like to enter this hot air balloon as exhibit A, M'Lud. 

/J

[brenmurph]

back to basic lads, for the majority of homebrewers on this forum.....keep it simple so that everyone benefits on such a simple topic as a cold box for our beer.

It works and works very well for a simple setup with no complicated gadgets required to run it just like my homeade fully adjustable pressure relief valve for a fiver (not 40-50 euros). Worst scenario if I forget to keep an eye on the kegerator is that the ale in the 2nd or third compartment may move a bit closer to the first compartment's temp  over time..........result ....even fresher beer  ..... no harmful consequences can result.

Its simple, versatile, effective, economical and very efficient at cooling / chilling / blast chilling beer if necessary.

Sometimes we can risk over-complicating things for no reason. Keep it simple and effective, that includes the beer we make as well!

[Ciderhead]

saw the pics, I'm impressed, but would the V be better off at the bottom or are you workjing on a sluice type system for transfer of the cold air?
I guess a a few temp probes at various locations will help you build up a temp profile.
as to how it performs.

[Eoin]

I did a similar job with a fridge and thermoking to make a fermentation fridge, but I found that the motor on the fridge burned out faster than it might have as I had bypassed the internal thermostat on the fridge as it was extremely in accurate and I ran it directly off of an ATC-800+.

I like the simplicity, as said I had something very similar myself.

[brenmurph]

Hi John, and thanks john. The V is at the bottom if necessary. or top as required (versatile) Cold drops hot rises so if the v is at bottom more cold will drop and then pass by the V slot into next segment ( I used a V because it was yet again simple to cut out vs a square or circle).
If V is up there is less cold transferring to next segment.

The pics show the rough job not polished finished product yet. Will be finished by next kildare brewday Ill be proud to show it in detail then. I started with simple idea and aim to keep it simple. I even made a plywood base with castors for ease of movement.

Ive already tried and tested by trial and error temp over a 12-24 hour period stays remarkably correct 2-6 c in freezer part controlled by original fridge thermostat and the rest stays 8-10 c remarkably consistent over the whole day. If necessary or by personal desire a simple 2 inch duct can recycle air from freezer bit to cool compartment with a simple single computer case fan and a fridge thermostat. Total cost is less than 100 euros, 120 with a PC fan and fridge thermostat.

We (kellie and I) are converting our main room to a bar and brewing area with wet floor/ tiled area for brewing tasks, that will be ready for next Kildare brew day as well

[brenmurph]

I did a similar job with a fridge and thermoking to make a fermentation fridge, but I found that the motor on the fridge burned out faster than it might have as I had bypassed the internal thermostat on the fridge as it was extremely in accurate and I ran it directly off of an ATC-800+.

I like the simplicity, as said I had something very similar myself.

Reason for a mainly 4 inch insulated wall, saves energy, preserves the motor, and keeps temp way more stable.
Anyone building a kegerator consider 4 inch walls, virtually nothing gets through, its down to how often you open it, in my case very little as I serve my beer from outside (piped vis wall) and gas line via regulator permanantly piped thru too.