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Author Topic: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?  (Read 41898 times)

Offline micsager

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Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« on: May 07, 2010, 09:40:06 am »
Most home kegerators are designed for the tank to be inside the fridge.  Is this a good thing?  Or would it be better to have the tank on the outside of the kegerator. 

Offline theDarkSide

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2010, 09:45:12 am »
I have mine inside the kegerator.  One less thing to trip over is a staggering trip to the kegs :)

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Offline schristian619

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2010, 10:14:05 am »
Having the co2 tank in or out of the fridge will have no effect on its function or your beer.  It's really more of a convenience thing.  If you have room in the fridge, it keeps it out of the way so you don;t trip on it, and make it look a little nicer (you probably don't want a co2 tank sitting out in your living room).  On the other hand, having the tank outside may make room for an additional corny keg.  I was using a 5lb tank and had inside the chest freezer, but I have since switched to a 20lb tank and keep it outside.  Now I not only have a larger tank that i can refill cheaper and not as often, but I can also add another keg to my setup.

Offline IHBHS

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2010, 11:07:12 am »
Also think about how many holes you want to drill into the side of your fridge/freezer.  If you drill a line for the CO2 you might also want to think about caulking or grommeting the line so that it is better insulated and wont wear on the line too.
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Offline joelambic

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2010, 01:28:48 pm »
I picked up a commercial kegerator which had a hole (with plug) in the back and a bracket for a 5# tank.  I have a 25# tank sitting next to it at the moment but may switch it over to the smaller tank whenever I get it filled.  Easier access for me - even w/ the 5# tank - having it outside so I can turn the gas off each night to avoid draining the tank if I have a leak.

Offline hamiltont

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2010, 01:35:43 pm »
I have my CO2 Tank outside the kegerator.  I used rubber grommets on the inner & outer walls to seal it up & protect the hose. But the primary reason it's outside is I can have 6 kegs in the kegerator rather than 5.
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Offline micsager

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2010, 03:28:46 pm »
Thanks guys.  I also have tank for beer gas, I assume the same is true?

Offline dean

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2010, 09:15:54 am »
It "can" make a difference but how fussy are you is the question.  Outside versus inside means the difference of how long it takes to carb your beer.  Volume is volume so temperature will effect the rate of transfer if the co2 tank is warmer than the cold beer keg, you still use the same amount of co2 per batch if you carb them at the same pressures.  If you want to be able to carb more kegs the only thing you can do is use a larger volume co2 tank, but carbing rate will be effected by temperature differences between the tank and the keg.  Have a look and decide for yourself. 

http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/gasses/co2pv.gif
« Last Edit: May 09, 2010, 09:24:52 am by dean »

Offline a10t2

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2010, 10:38:03 am »
It "can" make a difference but how fussy are you is the question.  Outside versus inside means the difference of how long it takes to carb your beer.

That doesn't sound right to me. The temperature of the beer will affect how fast it comes to equilibrium, but the regulator is going to supply whatever amount of gas the beer is "pulling" from it, regardless of the tank temperature.
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Offline richardt

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2010, 11:04:32 am »
It "can" make a difference but how fussy are you is the question.  Outside versus inside means the difference of how long it takes to carb your beer.

That doesn't sound right to me. The temperature of the beer will affect how fast it comes to equilibrium, but the regulator is going to supply whatever amount of gas the beer is "pulling" from it, regardless of the tank temperature.

I agree with Sean on that point:  the regulator should control the pressure.  As I understand it, it is the temperature of the beer in the fridge that will determine how much CO2 it will hold.  And that's ultimately what you're going to care about as you tap and pour. 

I'm not sure that the temperature of the gas inside or outside the fridge matters much since it cools somewhat as it expands.  Besides, there's a lot more "mass" in the 5 gallons of beer, than there is in the gas.  Good question, though.

This may help:  http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Methods/BulkPriming/TechnicalGuide.shtml

Offline Slowbrew

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #10 on: May 11, 2010, 03:08:13 pm »
It's my understanding that the temp of the CO2 is not relevant to how much can be absorbed in to a liquid.  The volume a fluid can hold is influenced by the temp of the fluid.  The CO2 will rapid cool the temp of the fridge as it moves through the gas line into the keg.

The pressure on the gas in the tubing will not change as it moves through a piece of tubing due to temperature.

Put the tank where it works for you.  I put my chest freezer of a platform with wheels.  The platform has a spot for the 20# CO2 tank to sit.  It works like a champ and has no issues.

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Offline dean

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Re: Co2 tank - - inside or outside the fridge?
« Reply #11 on: May 12, 2010, 08:17:29 am »
Temperature and pressure are relevant... the greater the "difference" in pressure between the two tanks influences the "rate of transfer in the beginning" but it does not effect the pressure because it is controlled by a "pressure" regulator.  A pressure regulator doesn't control the rate of transfer, just maximum pressure.  The temperature of the beer is relevant to the actual pressure inside the keg, lower temperatures equal lower pressures, fundamental gas laws.  So the warmer Co2 being at a higher temperature if kept outside is at a higher pressure... the cold liquid beer at a lower temperature will readily absorb Co2 at a faster rate due to the greater pressure difference... its similar to or is otherwise known as gas migration.  But, its splitting hairs for the purpose of carbing beer in a keg really... whats the difference between a week and 2 or 3 days perhaps anyway?  What you cannot do is get more out of the Co2 tank regardless of where you keep it... volume is volume.

Read Roy J. Dossat's book on refrigeration theorie, but I warn you, you're gonna have a rough time wrapping your brain around a lot of it.  If you're a math whiz you might like it though.   Also... Pressure and Temperature are related, if you know either one of them for any given gas (regardless of which physical state it is in) you can find the other... thats why refrigeration engineers use pressure temperature charts.  Doh... I'm not going any further with this, read the book if you really want to know.   :D
« Last Edit: May 12, 2010, 08:24:50 am by dean »