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Basic Keg Setup-Considering Options for Future

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  • #31
    You can use a chiller plate but remember that if your keg is warm you will need to keep it under more pressure to carbonate the beer, this will mean you you will need to readdress your balancing (ie more beer line).

    It is cheaper and easier to just put the whole leg in your keezer.

    Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

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    • #32
      I had a few reasons for wanting to keep the keg chilled
      - Prevent further fermentation, without having to add yeast inhibitors or pasteurize
      - Single system, keep everything together and out of sight
      - Cold beer, on tap

      My understanding is that a 2m beerline per tap is sufficient, but not all beerlines are created equal. The bevlex 3/16 ID works for me - good resistance, but I can't compare with anything else, so it could be bad and I wouldn't know it

      Are you thinking of getting a cold plate built into a ice maker? Jockey box on steroids! Could solve the mobility issues the keezer has

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      • #33
        Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
        I had a few reasons for wanting to keep the keg chilled
        - Prevent further fermentation, without having to add yeast inhibitors or pasteurize
        - Single system, keep everything together and out of sight
        - Cold beer, on tap

        My understanding is that a 2m beerline per tap is sufficient, but not all beerlines are created equal. The bevlex 3/16 ID works for me - good resistance, but I can't compare with anything else, so it could be bad and I wouldn't know it

        Are you thinking of getting a cold plate built into a ice maker? Jockey box on steroids! Could solve the mobility issues the keezer has
        Keep in mind that if the plate or coils freeze inside the icemaker (freezing the beer in there) that could cause a mess to get going again. The differences between coils and plate should be investigated, perhaps there's a commercial electric coldplate/jockey box available? A glycol chiller tap setup could work, but expensive

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        • #34
          I would use a keezer system : a cheap chest freezer with an adjustable thermostat.

          Slap some proper trolley wheels on that puppy and bob's your aunty. Most of the chest freezers are tall enough for a Cornelius keg and can even handle two 30L SAB kegs.

          Some guys build tap towers onto the lid, other guys go through the side walls. I'd prefer the lid: less chance of drilling through refrigerant gas lines..........

          I'll be running JG fittings (with mini valves ) through the top and have my taps mounted remotely on 1.5m insulated beerline with the taps mounted permanently on my bar counter. Roll the keezer behind the bar, connect up the beerline, open the valves, dispense. Very little temp drop using neoprene or foam insulation.

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          • #35
            Originally posted by atunguyd View Post
            You can use a chiller plate but remember that if your keg is warm you will need to keep it under more pressure to carbonate the beer, this will mean you you will need to readdress your balancing (ie more beer line).

            It is cheaper and easier to just put the whole leg in your keezer.

            Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
            Good point. The cooling becomes very variable I guess, depending on flow.

            I'm a bit worried about your idea of putting legs in freezers tho
            images (17).jpeg

            Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post

            My understanding is that a 2m beerline per tap is sufficient, but not all beerlines are created equal. The bevlex 3/16 ID works for me - good resistance, but I can't compare with anything else, so it could be bad and I wouldn't know it

            Are you thinking of getting a cold plate built into a ice maker? Jockey box on steroids! Could solve the mobility issues the keezer has
            I was in the process of designing a chill plate to fit into the icemaker sump, but now I am having a rethink. See below.
            Damn straight about the steroids. I used the ice maker at one stage to cool fermenting wort with a little pond pump recirculating icy water through PVC tubes through the beer. It was way too powerful even with the low conductive PVC.

            Originally posted by jakeslouw View Post
            I would use a keezer system : a cheap chest freezer with an adjustable thermostat.

            Slap some proper trolley wheels on that puppy and bob's your aunty. Most of the chest freezers are tall enough for a Cornelius keg and can even handle two 30L SAB kegs.

            Some guys build tap towers onto the lid, other guys go through the side walls. I'd prefer the lid: less chance of drilling through refrigerant gas lines..........

            I'll be running JG fittings (with mini valves ) through the top and have my taps mounted remotely on 1.5m insulated beerline with the taps mounted permanently on my bar counter. Roll the keezer behind the bar, connect up the beerline, open the valves, dispense. Very little temp drop using neoprene or foam insulation.
            I'm visualising that and I'm liking it. I just really don't have space for a freezer.
            If I really gave it some thought tho, an ice maker typically costs as much as a small fridge anyway.... And I would need to house the keg somewhere (concealed) anyway so a Keezerator does seem most practical. I think as an initial setup I will just make a chill plate for the ice maker (that I already have) and then dream and plan and fantasise about a future Kegereezerator setup.
            Langchop
            Senior Member
            Last edited by Langchop; 15 November 2018, 04:43.
            Cheers,
            Lang
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
            "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

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            • #36
              I'm not sure of the variances with the sct 1000, but perhaps you could use this to tame the ice maker to chill the fark out of your coils or submerged chiller plate without freezing the beer or lines? You could be onto something

              Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

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              • #37
                Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
                I'm not sure of the variances with the sct 1000, but perhaps you could use this to tame the ice maker to chill the fark out of your coils or submerged chiller plate without freezing the beer or lines? You could be onto something

                Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
                Yea this is what I had planned to sit in the ice maker sump:

                Capture3.PNG

                Channel length 1.7m. I dont think it would freeze because it sits in the watery sump and the icemaker pauses if there is no water (which in this case would mean just ice blocks)



                But alas, thanks to feedback on here I now have a few aspects and options to consider...
                Cheers,
                Lang
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

                Comment


                • #38
                  Commercial mobile beer dispensing stations use a stainless coil submerged in ice water. The ice water is cooled by a fridge unit coil that sits just inside the outer portion of the water bath with the stainless beerline in the middle. So basically the fridge unit chills the water, the water chills the beer. They often let the water freeze: beer needs to be well under freezing point before it starts freezing and then all that happens is the water freezes while the alcohol stays liquid so you can never really get a complete blockage because this is under CO2 pressure as well.

                  Urban Brewing in Woodstock bought 16 old units and Zarod showed me the insides.

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                  • #39
                    Just bumping this with a question or two because its getting close to the time to see if the bonus fairy is going to be waving her wand:

                    1. I have seen quite a lot of comments about corny kegs not being that great, and yet they seem to be pretty popular. A big opening and separate and simple gas/ beer ports makes sense to me. What are your views/ opinions? In this case I am trying to avoid any 'hack this', 'cut that', 'weld the other' etc

                    2. Any suggestions on a good place to get suitable fire extinguisher tanks at a reasonable price, and with useable connection types (In Gauteng)

                    Thanks!
                    Cheers,
                    Lang
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      On Q1. Had the corny kegs for 2 years, works great. The tall slim design makes it fit easily in most places. But have nothing to compare it to like a commercial stainless variety. But these will be to big for my fridge to fit in two kegs.

                      On Q2 I use these guys (because it is close to home and work) they have all sizes with the value that connects to the regulator.

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                      • #41
                        I've only got corny kegs so someone else will have to fill in on pros and cons of Sankey kegs. Biggest advantage to me is slim diameter and ease of dry-hopping.
                        Corny kegs:
                        Pro - couplings are cheap, size makes it easy to fit in chest freezer, easy to do dry-hopping. Easy to get inside and clean. Lots of spares available. 9 liter half size useful for take to people.
                        cons - sealing can be issue - especially on the lid. If the keg sealing surface of lid gets dinged you have a problem. Ball or pin-lock? Ball lock connects can get mixed up.

                        Sankey keg
                        pros - more robust than corney. Range of sizes available
                        cons - couplers are expensive. Getting a 30 liter keg into chest freezer.

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                        • #42
                          I'm running pin lock cornys, easy peasy. Apparently the ball locks can be a pain in the ball to clean if liquid gets in the mechanism and for that reason I went pin lock - who wants ball pain?

                          Second what everyone here said plus they're less expensive to run than spear types. I don't dry hop in mine, I want as little as possible particulates in my keg, lines and taps

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                          • #43
                            So the bonus fairy did visit

                            What I'm taking from this is cornies are definately a good option, and wrt couplers try and get the pin locks if possible. And there is a good fire extinguisher place in East Rand.

                            Thanks fellas. Helps a lot
                            Cheers,
                            Lang
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                            "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Originally posted by Langchop View Post
                              So the bonus fairy did visit

                              <>
                              Speaking of the bonus fairy, how are things going with the progress on those mills? Any success?

                              sorry to ask here, but cant find the original thread
                              The Problem With The World Is That Everyone Is A Few Drinks Behind.!

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                              • #45
                                Originally posted by JIGSAW View Post
                                Speaking of the bonus fairy, how are things going with the progress on those mills? Any success? sorry to ask here, but cant find the original thread

                                Yes and no, ja-nee. They definately exist:

                                IMG_20181214_174122.jpg IMG_20181214_173936.jpg

                                I'm quite happy with the configuration at this stage, but I am really struggling to get it within a reasonable price point and its cost me quite a whack already.

                                Watch this space tho, I'm determined to get it finalised. (I don't want to be yet another guy on the internet who wanted to make these things affordable and then disappears into thin air )



                                http://www.wortsandall.co.za/showthr...lders-Carriers
                                Langchop
                                Senior Member
                                Last edited by Langchop; 14 December 2018, 18:11.
                                Cheers,
                                Lang
                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

                                Comment

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