OK Engineers - keep my taps from freezing

[bucfanmike]

I am thinking of adding a coffin to a converted freezer in my unheated shed. I live in MN. I know i can insulate the crap outta the coffin and keep the draft lines cool enough in the summer. But when winter comes and the faucets are exposed to below 0 conditions, then Im not so sure. This freezer is currently a do all kind of freezer with a dual stage temp controller and a small ceramic heater inside. Its in the 17 cubic foot range. My current idea is super low tech and involves taking a box that is much bigger than the coffin and insulating it well and using it to cover the entire coffin when not in use. Between that and circulating the 38 degree air from the freezer to the shanks, i think it would work.

ideas?

 

[Ryush806]

I imagine if your coffin is insulated enough to keep them cool in the summer that the circulating air from the chest will be sufficient to keep them from freezing in the winter. The act of circulating the air will keep the whole system at 38 unless it's so cold that it overwhelms your entire chest, too.

 

[motobrewer]

if you already have a ceramic heater you'll most likely be fine.

 

[audger]

the lines inside in the 38 degree atmosphere will be fine, however the exposed metal taps will likely freeze.

your idea of an insulated cover would work. you could also get pipe heating wrap and put it on a ranco or similar controller with a well placed temp probe. any metal parts containing liquid that are exposed to sub-freezing temperatures are going to do just that.

 

[petep1980]

EDIT: The reason for my b- in heat transfer was I am not good at answering what is being asked. My reply was useless.

 

[Homercidal]

If you open the faucets often enough they will never freeze completely...

 

[david_42]

Pipe heater tape is your best bet. Wrap it around the shanks inside your coffin. Most of them have thermostats to keep the pipes just above freezing. The high conductivity of the shanks should keep the tap warm enough.

 

[kpr121]

I agree with Audger. Exposed metal will freeze if ambient is cold enough. I also like your insulated box idea. Maybe even rig up your coffin box so it can be open to the larger insulated box, allowing all the 38F air to flow freely around the taps.

 

[kpr121]

If you open the faucets often enough they will never freeze completely...

I retract my last post and now am agreeing with Homercidal. This is the most obvious solution.

 

[bucfanmike]

Hmm the heat tape sounds like a good idea, shoulda thought of that. Sounds like there is enough support that this should work to move ahead with it. Either way Ill still build the insulated box just to help when its really cold.

KPR. sorry i laughed when I misread your beers in your sig line. At first glance I read Baby Daddy Barleywine. Force of habit, working corrections I hear and see the term baby daddy/momma all the time. lol.

 

[petep1980]

How does metal freeze? If you mean the moisture on it freezing it seems like you can just toss hot water on it when you want to use the taps. If it's stainless it won't rust.

 

[motobrewer]

stainless certainly freezes. at about 2750 farenheit

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

The problem is actually a bit more complicated than it sounds at first. You want to keep the faucets from going below about 30 degrees *and* you really don't want them much above about 42 degrees. You also don't want the freezer to go much below 36 degrees.

Since you already need to heat the freezer in the winter, that's a nice source of warm (36 degree warm) air. Do the usual thing with multiple fans running air between the freezer and the tower. Since it's the garage low noise fans are not required.

Now that you have lots of air, you need to couple it to the faucets. Run long shanks. Have most of them hang out un-insulated inside the tower. Run the "lots of air" past all of the shanks. If they are chrome plated brass they will conduct heat very well.

That gets heat moving in the direction of the faucets. Get Perlick faucets (for a number of reasons). That keeps the beer close to the shank and mostly out of the faucet. You probably are ok at that point for zero degrees in the garage as long as the wind does not blow through the garage.

For overkill, have the knitting crew make some nice little hats for the faucets. If they are on strike, use the same sort of foam you put around pipe. You want to cover up all of the metal with some sort of insulator. At that point you likely are fine no matter what.

If the hats and pipe insulation don't pass the fashion test, set up a controller (STC-1000 should be fine) and some supplemental heat in the tower, just don't overdo it. Boiling the beer is not going to improve it any....

Bob

 

[Xtant]

Faucet hats would be awesome...just saying...

 

[bucfanmike]

How does metal freeze? If you mean the moisture on it freezing it seems like you can just toss hot water on it when you want to use the taps. If it's stainless it won't rust.

Actually the metal is enough of a heatsink that it will freeze the beer that is inside the faucet and the shank. It will make the faucet inoperable if I didnt do something to combat that at the temperatures it would be seeing.

Now that you have lots of air, you need to couple it to the faucets. Run long shanks. Have most of them hang out un-insulated inside the tower. Run the "lots of air" past all of the shanks. If they are chrome plated brass they will conduct heat very well.

That gets heat moving in the direction of the faucets. Get Perlick faucets (for a number of reasons). That keeps the beer close to the shank and mostly out of the faucet. You probably are ok at that point for zero degrees in the garage as long as the wind does not blow through the garage.

For overkill, have the knitting crew make some nice little hats for the faucets. If they are on strike, use the same sort of foam you put around pipe. You want to cover up all of the metal with some sort of insulator. At that point you likely are fine no matter what.

If the hats and pipe insulation don't pass the fashion test, set up a controller (STC-1000 should be fine) and some supplemental heat in the tower, just don't overdo it. Boiling the beer is not going to improve it any....

Bob

More good ideas with the tap haps This will be using my current faucets and shanks, which are 4 inch and perlicks. I wouldnt use anything but the perlicks, even have them on my jockeybox.

Thanks everyone for some great ideas so far. Would love to hear from anyone who is actually doing this currently.

 

[carlisle_bob]

....
Thanks everyone for some great ideas so far. Would love to hear from anyone who is actually doing this currently.

Hi

How to put this delicately .... hmmmm ....

Not everyone has the opportunity to experience a zero degree garage in the winter. My garage is attached to the house. Most winters it does not freeze in there ...

Bob

 

[purplehaze]

My keezer is out in an unheated shed and when my faucets froze I just ran a face cloth under some hot water and draped it over them. It only took a minute or so to unfreeze. That was a chrome plated tower with cheap faucets. When I added some insulation and switched out the cheap faucets to ss perliks they never froze again.

Now that I built a keezer with a coffin they still do not freeze but my keezer is a bit different than most.

 

[fpweeks]

I think an insulated box around the taps with some heat tap. But the real question is why would you want your beer so far from the living room?

 

[bucfanmike]

I think an insulated box around the taps with some heat tap. But the real question is why would you want your beer so far from the living room?

Its for the wifes sake. I have a 3 tap keezer in the dining room She is great about it, but doesnt like it. I will be building a brew shed this summer and will move all my equipment there. It will be less convenient and will have to bottle small amounts or use a growler to bring in beer. But the wife will be happier.

 

[fpweeks]

So condition kegs in the shed in the freezer and have a single keg kegerator in the dinng room. Just sayin