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Author Topic: Need help with beer tower  (Read 1680 times)

Offline flyfshrmn98

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Need help with beer tower
« on: March 10, 2015, 11:18:33 am »
I am in the process of converting a danby mini fridge into a 2 keg kegerator. I recently purchased a used double beer tower online to use as part of the build. Turns out it is http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/towers-pid-D4743DTKR.html model that I got for $80!  I had planned on using copper pipes to cool the tower but now I'm not sure what to do with all the tubing already in the tower. I guess it was glycol cooled. It has 2 metal tubes with barbs and 2 PEX type tubing tubes all about 18-24" long coming from the tower. How should I go about cooling the tower and also how should I clean the lines. Open to all thoughts and suggestions, thanks. 








Offline HydraulicSammich

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Re: Need help with beer tower
« Reply #1 on: March 10, 2015, 03:24:43 pm »
Micro Matic has specialty fans just for that purpose.  They pick up cold air on the bottom of the fridge and pump it up the tower.  I have adapted its use to cool the shanks on my kegerator.
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Offline flyfshrmn98

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Re: Need help with beer tower
« Reply #2 on: March 10, 2015, 03:34:12 pm »
Micro Matic has specialty fans just for that purpose.  They pick up cold air on the bottom of the fridge and pump it up the tower.  I have adapted its use to cool the shanks on my kegerator.

To use with the glycol lines or to use instead of copper pipes?  I know people will use fans to circulate air but I thought that was the point of using the pipes?

Offline narcout

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Re: Need help with beer tower
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2015, 05:05:42 pm »
For a two tap tower on top of a mini fridge, glycol cooling might be more trouble and expense than it's worth. 

Depending on where you live, a small fan and some rubatex insulation may be all you need.
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Offline Stevie

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Re: Need help with beer tower
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2015, 05:08:02 pm »
+1 to using a fan. Cheap low maintenance


For sure change the lines. You have no idea how well they were managed in the past. Line is cheap and worth it compared to dumping a batch.

Offline flyfshrmn98

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Re: Need help with beer tower
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2015, 05:58:02 pm »
For a two tap tower on top of a mini fridge, glycol cooling might be more trouble and expense than it's worth. 

Depending on where you live, a small fan and some rubatex insulation may be all you need.

Im not wanting to use glycol.  I was wondering if I should just take out the lines and put the copper pipes in place like I originally planned to avoid using a fan.

+1 to using a fan. Cheap low maintenance


For sure change the lines. You have no idea how well they were managed in the past. Line is cheap and worth it compared to dumping a batch.

The lines are stainless steel with a barb on the end so changing them is not going to be an option

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: Need help with beer tower
« Reply #6 on: March 10, 2015, 08:22:50 pm »
I take it you're thinking the copper will conduct cold up into the tower? Others here have tried that and found it doesn't work very well. A old computer fan with a tube to direct cold air into the tower is cheap and easy.
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Offline flyfshrmn98

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Re: Need help with beer tower
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2015, 08:50:59 pm »
sounds good, already have the copper so Ill just toss in a computer fan as well