Potential problems with 4 kegs in a 5cu.ft. keezer?

[LittleRiver]

I was looking for a ~7cu.ft. chest freezer, that would fit four 5gal ball lock kegs in the bottom (nothing on the shelf) when I found a brand new Magic Chef 5cu.ft. freezer for $90. It was in the factory box, with the factory straps still in place. For that price I had to buy it.

I put my 8.5" diameter cardboard templates in, and was surprised to find that four kegs will easily fit, two in the bottom and two on the shelf. One overhangs the shelf, so I'll need to build a little extension for the shelf, but that is no big deal.

The collar will have to be tall to accommodate the kegs on the shelf, but the keezer will be located in my shop where I have small overhead electric hoist on a track that I will use to lift kegs in/out.

Are there any reasons I should not proceed with turning this into a four keg keezer? Or should it be limited to two or three kegs due to cooling capacity or other reasons?

 

[day_trippr]

Go for it. Lots of folks have gone that route before you with success.
Dispensing systems are fairly static wrt thermal load once you've gotten through the startup. After that you add a new keg every so often and the system will run more often/longer until it's brought everything back to a stable temperature state again, then it pretty much putters along until the next keg swap...

Cheers!

 

[LittleRiver]

That's what I figured, but since this is my first keezer build I thought it wise to ask before I bought kegs and all the rest.

Thanks!

 

[mongoose33]

That's the only way you can fit four kegs in there--at least the taller ones.

If you're so inclined--you can also try either some of the original Torpedo kegs from Morebeer, or Pinlock kegs. Both are shorter (but also squattier) than ball-lock kegs, and would allow you a shorter collar.

I have two of the Morebeer Torpedo kegs, and they are perfect for the hump.

 

[Konadog]

You"ll want to use a small fan inside due to the height difference to keep the temps consistent between kegs.

 

[day_trippr]

Keezers should always have a stirring fan, imo, for keeping the beer lines at the same temperature as the beer...

Cheers!

 

[LittleRiver]

... try either some of the original Torpedo kegs from Morebeer, or Pinlock kegs...

I did a drawing and 8.5" is the max diameter if I want to get four kegs in there. That rules out the original Torpedo and pinlocks. Ball locks or Slimline Torpedos will fit.

You"ll want to use a small fan inside due to the height difference to keep the temps consistent between kegs.

Definitely planning on having a fan. Undecided on whether to run it all the time or just when the compressor is running. I'm leaning toward all the time?

I was also considering placing the fan such that air blows across the shanks, and using longer shanks, so they will chill more effectively. Anyone have any experience/advice on that?

I have a full wood shop, so I can design/build any kind of collar/tower I need. I can make the collar such that the longer shanks will not get in the way of the kegs coming in/out.

 

[mongoose33]

I did a drawing and 8.5" is the max diameter if I want to get four kegs in there. That rules out the original Torpedo and pinlocks. Ball locks or Slimline Torpedos will fit.

On the floor of the freezer, yes; but on the hump, they'd allow for a shorter collar if that's important. That's all I was pointing out.

You indicated above that it's not that important to you as lifting those kegs isn't an issue, and so a shorter collar may not matter. I just noted it as part of a thread related to 5-cu foot freezers and an option for people to consider.

 

[IslandLizard]

A few observations:
Forget longer shanks, they will make it more difficult to get kegs in and out. I think the extra bit of cold mass they offer is not worth the extra expense or inconvenience. Besides, your lines are kept cold. Most of us use 4 1/2" shanks on keezer builds.

If you're thinking of building out part of the collar so it projects outside the keezer to accommodate the shanks, fill most of that space with rigid foam, and tightly, while still allowing access to the backs of the shanks.

The larger the collar surface the more attention you need pay to insulating it well.
Same for the lid.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

When measuring you collar don't forgot to allow room for the ball lock and hose on top of the keg that would be terrible

 

[LittleRiver]

Got it on the shanks, I'll ditch the idea of longer ones to help them stay cold.

How much room should I leave above a ball lock corny for the connector and hose? I'll verify everything when I get my gear, but it would be good to add that clearance to the drawing I'm making now.

Thanks for the help everyone! I've tried to read through the forum as much as possible, and I've picked up a lot, but I am wide open to any other ideas or advice you have to offer.

 

[mongoose33]

Got it on the shanks, I'll ditch the idea of longer ones to help them stay cold.

How much room should I leave above a ball lock corny for the connector and hose? I'll verify everything when I get my gear, but it would be good to add that clearance to the drawing I'm making now.

Thanks for the help everyone! I've tried to read through the forum as much as possible, and I've picked up a lot, but I am wide open to any other ideas or advice you have to offer.

You're going to be OK with 2" of clearance above the keg. You probably can get away with 1" but 2" is safer. When you build it, make sure you take into account any projection of the lid into the lower half of the freezer.

Here's how that was on my old keezer:



I built a keezer collar for my son; his lid also had the projection below the level of the mouth of the freezer. To accommodate that with the insulation, I cut a relief on a bias to allow the lid to close:



On my new keezer I have a similar protrusion on the lid, but no insulation:



And as long as we're on the subject of insulation....on my previous keezer I kept the insulation away from the shanks, so they'd be colder:



I decided with my new keezer that I probably didn't have to have insulation; it's a thicker-than-normal collar, and I like the clean look:

 

[LittleRiver]

Thanks, that's great info, and the photos are very clear. Do you have a shot of the right side exterior of your new keezer, so I can see how you handled the gas lines coming out?

 

[Iowa Brewer]

It worked for me in my 5.0 cubic foot!https://imgur.com/aAUHWXr

 

[mongoose33]

Thanks, that's great info, and the photos are very clear. Do you have a shot of the right side exterior of your new keezer, so I can see how you handled the gas lines coming out?

Sorry...somehow I missed this. Outside:

Inside:

In place: