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coolharry said:
Thanks for sharing the build! I've got the same freezer and lots of the parts already lying around so I just ordered the fan and am ready to build a keezer!
The wire rack you're using looks like the kind you'd find in closet, is that accurate?
Click to expand...

Yep, it's a chunk o' standard wire shelf.
 
I used a bilge fan for 2 reasons.

1) I'm trying to pull the air through the PVC pipes and blast it around the taps. Bilge fan connected with a nice seal. Didn't think a PC fan would have enough power for this But, hey, never tried

2) Wasn't sure if the moisture would be an issue.

Bilge fan has been awesome - only downside is lifespan.
 
Moisture is a severe problem in my keezer. I have a coffin style with no collar. I have two computer fans, one pulling air into the coffin, one pushing it back out. At first I thought about changing the fans out for ones that handle more CFM but after finding this post I might have to try this bilge blower idea to see if it helps out cause I'd say at least once a month I have to shop-vac the water out(it's THAT much). If it doesn't help the moisture it should help my compressor cycle time cause it runs a bit longer than I'd like
 
dahappycamper said:
Used a waterproof boat bilge fan - caulked to a PVC reducer. This connects to the PVC pipe platform to circulate air around the base of the kegs.

6505-5-air-circulation-c.jpg
Click to expand...

What size reducer did you use?
 
So I too am utilizing this clever idea. Here is my build of the air flow system. I used my Mitre saw that already had a Trim blade on it and man, it cut through the PVC really well and I did not experience any melting of any kind. It was like cutting through wood. It worked fantastic and saved a lot of time!!! Instead of using a 3" to 2" PVC reducer, and caulking all around the Gap where the bilge fan is placed, I took a 3" to 2" rubber fitting (as seen in the image in Black) and it tightened perfectly to the bilge fan and the 2" PVC. I wasn't sure how many, far apart, and size of holes to drill but i used a 5/16" drill bit and spaced them randomly. I am next going to purchase the fan speed controller and wire it in so I can fine tune it in the humid days. I do not have the wire rack at the moment so Once I get that tomorrow I will install it in the Keezer. Overall, this was easy to build so far and I thank you all for the great ideas!!

I did not overload the PVC with holes yet. I added "some" and then will add more depending on the amount of air movement.

I will post a picture later of this installed in the Keezer with the wire racking I found. You will also see why I Offset the Fan on the PVC because I had to consider my Two - 4-Port CO2 distributors. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1424051963.900571.jpg
 
chucho311 said:
So I too am utilizing this clever idea. Here is my build of the air flow system. Instead of using a 3" to 2" PVC reducer, and caulking all around the Gap where the bilge fan is placed, I took a 3" to 2" rubber fitting (as seen in the image in Black) and it tightened perfectly to the bilge fan and the 2" PVC. I wasn't sure how many, far apart, and size of holes to drill but i used a 5/16" drill bit and spaced them randomly. I am next going to purchase the fan speed controller and wire it in so I can fine tune it in the humid days. I do not have the wire rack at the moment so Ince I get that tomorrow I will install it in the Keezer. Overall, this was easy to build so far and I thank you all for the great ideas!!View attachment 256866
Click to expand...

Nice. I'm heading to the hardware store to pick this up. Good call!
 
chucho311 said:
So I too am utilizing this clever idea. Here is my build of the air flow system. Instead of using a 3" to 2" PVC reducer, and caulking all around the Gap where the bilge fan is placed, I took a 3" to 2" rubber fitting (as seen in the image in Black) and it tightened perfectly to the bilge fan and the 2" PVC. I wasn't sure how many, far apart, and size of holes to drill but i used a 5/16" drill bit and spaced them randomly. I am next going to purchase the fan speed controller and wire it in so I can fine tune it in the humid days. I do not have the wire rack at the moment so Ince I get that tomorrow I will install it in the Keezer. Overall, this was easy to build so far and I thank you all for the great ideas!!View attachment 256866
Click to expand...

Nice. I'm heading to the hardware store to pick this up. Good call!
 
I want to be able to have control of the fan speed to fine tune the air movement. When I turned the fan on for the first time, it seemed a little loud for me (the Keezer is in my den). Although I have not tested this inside the Keezer yet when the door was closed. It is cheap and easy to install so I figured what the heck...
 
shemp said:
Why do you use the speed controller?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Noise is my main concern as well. With the controller, I'll be able to find the best compromise between fan noise and good air circulation. Plus I'm a control freak...
 
The controller from the link showed an "ac" controller. I'm assuming you used it in conjunction with the linksys router power supply?? If so, how did you wire it?

Thanks
 
Love the pvc air exchange system with wire shelf. I've been using a piece of 3" pvc standing in the corner, with holes drilled near the bottom, a 45 on the top and a muffin fan stuck to it. Works great, but I like this idea so much that I'm probably heading to the store in the morning to get the parts I neex (I'll just reuse the muffin fan). Thanks for letting me plagiarize!
 
Do you notice any hum when setting the speed controller on a lower setting? I bought the same bilge fan as the OP and have been looking for a way to control the speed but cannot stand the electronics 'hum'.
 
jbb3 said:
Yep. I'm using a different brand but does the same thing
Click to expand...


What brand did you use? I found a couple DC ones but have not pulled the trigger yet... They are actually really hard to find because most require a "pulsing" fan to operate...
 
chucho311 said:
What brand did you use? I found a couple DC ones but have not pulled the trigger yet... They are actually really hard to find because most require a "pulsing" fan to operate...
Click to expand...

Here is the controller I'm using, though I bought it for about $20.

And here is the duct fan I'm using.

I actually bought the bulge fan but didn't care for how loud it was and not as controllable.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have the same bilge fan as the OP. Does anyone know if there's any humming from the fan when using the VenTech or Active Air controllers?
 
KindofBlues71 said:
I have the same bilge fan as the OP. Does anyone know if there's any humming from the fan when using the VenTech or Active Air controllers?
Click to expand...

UPDATE: I think I've found a much cheaper solution than the VenTech or Active Air controllers. Does anyone know if this PWM controller will work with the bilge fan?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
so glad my friend shared this forum with me. A great amount of direction and inspiration my build came from here.
 
wc1376c said:
and of course in tribute to this discussion, the start of my air flow system.
Click to expand...

I like that metal collar!

You may want to think about drilling larger holes in your air flow system. They look pretty small and the fan will have to work pretty hard to pull air through. You want as much unrestricted air flow as possible.

You're going to love that keezer when you're done!!

:mug:
 
jbb3 said:
I like that metal collar!

You may want to think about drilling larger holes in your air flow system. They look pretty small and the fan will have to work pretty hard to pull air through. You want as much unrestricted air flow as possible.

You're going to love that keezer when you're done!!

:mug:
Click to expand...

Thanks!! The whole keezer will eventually get wrapped like chance9050 on youtube. So I wanted to keep the weight down on the hinges.
As far as the holes, what you see in the picture are sharpie marks, the holes are angled down at a 45 and not visable. They actualy are drilled out to 1/4".
 
This is great help. I am building mine when I get home in a few weeks. Thanks for the insight and pictures
 
KindofBlues71 said:
UPDATE: I think I've found a much cheaper solution than the VenTech or Active Air controllers. Does anyone know if this PWM controller will work with the bilge fan?
Click to expand...

BUMP. I and maybe some others would like to know.

Hey KindofBlues71, the link does not send me to a controller. Can you update this? Also, maybe you know if this works already and can update us if it did (or are using something else)?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
chucho311 said:
BUMP. I and maybe some others would like to know.

Hey KindofBlues71, the link does not send me to a controller. Can you update this? Also, maybe you know if this works already and can update us if it did (or are using something else)?
Click to expand...

I no longer have edit capabilities for my post but here's an updated link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00833CT3C/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I have not built this yet but I will soon - I have the parts but not the time. I'll update this thread when I've verified whether the dimmer works or not.
 
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I use that same dimmer switch to control an led strip to light up my work bench. Lasted 3 years before the knob broke and I had to get a new one. Other than that, works great.
 
I just built this PVC/Bilge Fan setup and I'm having an issue with it burning out my AC adapters. The fan I got is rated for 12v/2.6amps, so I wired it to an 7v/3amp adapter I disconnected from a computer fan I had mounted under the hood of the keezer. The bilge fan seemed to work fine but within an hour the adapter had completely burned out. I figured it was just an old adapter so I bought a new 9v/3amp one. This one burned out within a half hour, and was hot when I unplugged it.

What would be causing this? If I didn't drill my holes big enough, would that put enough stress on the fan to burn the adapter out like that? I set mine up to pull air from the top and blow it out at the bottom.
 
If your fan is 12V 2.6A, you need at least a 12V 3 amp power supply. This is why its burning up.
 
I started with an 3" Atwood bulge fan but it was too high pitched, noisy and obnoxious. Now I use it in my ferm chamber and switched to 4" in-line duct fans for my keezer with an Active Air unit to adjust the fan speed. The inline duct fans are 120v so you just wire them straight or plug them into a 120v source.
 
ssgumby said:
If your fan is 12V 2.6A, you need at least a 12V 3 amp power supply. This is why its burning up.
Click to expand...

My understanding that amps need to be at or above, but lowering the volts will just make the fan run slower. Since the fan is 2.6a and the PS is 3a, that should be enough amperage. 9v will rotate the fan at a slower speed, which is actually what I want.

I'm not an electrician though, this is just info I learned anecdotally. So please let me know if I'm wrong.
 
MikeForan said:
My understanding that amps need to be at or above, but lowering the volts will just make the fan run slower. Since the fan is 2.6a and the PS is 3a, that should be enough amperage. 9v will rotate the fan at a slower speed, which is actually what I want.

I'm not an electrician though, this is just info I learned anecdotally. So please let me know if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

Lower voltage does mean the fan will run slower but it will require more current at the lower voltage. That's why the 7 volt power supply is not enough power.

Think about it this way, you need to supply 31.2 watts of power to the fan (12 volts X 2.6 amps is 31.2 watts). Using the 7 volt power supply you are only supplying 21 watts of power (7 Volts X 3 amps). So at 7 volts you would need about a 4.5 amp power supply.
 
Just found this thread, looks like I am going to have to strip down my keezer and rebuil... Thanks.
 
Ok, thanks for that information. That makes sense, but it turns out my problem was even stupider. Apparently 300ma doesn't equal 3A. Which I KNEW but I failed to notice. *LEARNING MOMENT*

In any case, I now have a new issue with power. I picked up this 9V 3A power supply: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZJAPMA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Wired it up and now the fan pulses on and off. I hooked it up to a voltage meter and the voltage jumps and immediately drops. Here's a video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vnr27ctx9z7xear/2016-06-22 14.02.03.mov?dl=0

I figured it was a bum power supply. So I cannibalized a 12V 3A I had sitting in a drawer. I had the exact same result.

Any ideas? This is driving me nuts. Want to RAHAHB, but this is frustrating me.
 
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So I take it with the bilge fan and adapter, you have to cut the plug off the adapter and splice the wires together?
 
TorMag said:
So I take it with the bilge fan and adapter, you have to cut the plug off the adapter and splice the wires together?
Click to expand...

Anyone? Just got my notice on my phone that both the power source and bilge pump are waiting for me when I get home.....
 
Personally I put an inline switch on mine, but yes, pretty much you just splice them together

Edit: I recommend heat-shrink butt connectors to keep moisture out.
 

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