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Author Topic: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?  (Read 5282 times)

Offline blatz

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Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« on: January 11, 2017, 09:38:46 am »
Am building a new bar in my house.  Still working on the design of the overall bar, but am of course focused on the most important part.  Started pricing out some kegerators with more capacity and OMG, they are expensive.  Not ruling them out, but want to see if I can’t come up with something a bit more economical yet still be stylish.

My dream would have been to have a 4-6 tap tower coming out of the bartop, but I can’t seem to think of a way to do that without running lines an extended length, which would necessitate using glycol to keep the beer cold, and then you start having to adjust CO2 due to longer resistance, etc.  Just seems like a whole host of problems that KISS would prevent.

Do people install Towers on top of chest Freezers?  I could see building collar and then putting a nice topper on the freezer with a T-tower on top, but then again, how would you open the top to be able to switch out kegs?

I could always resort to running taps out the front of the collar, but that wasn’t the look I was hoping for – but if that’s the best bet, so be it.

Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions?
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Offline Philbrew

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2017, 10:15:12 am »
How long is this bar?  How about hinging the bar top somehow?  Bring the beer lines out of the side of the chest freezer collar and up to a tap tower that is not on the hinged part of the bar top.
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Offline blatz

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2017, 11:36:13 am »
How long is this bar?  How about hinging the bar top somehow?  Bring the beer lines out of the side of the chest freezer collar and up to a tap tower that is not on the hinged part of the bar top.

phil

that is a GREAT idea.  i'll need to figure that out but it is possible - the bar will be in a corner - so L shaped.  was planning on the freezer going along one wall, and then building a bar front to form the longer part of the L.
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

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Offline Slowbrew

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2017, 12:39:40 pm »
How long is this bar?  How about hinging the bar top somehow?  Bring the beer lines out of the side of the chest freezer collar and up to a tap tower that is not on the hinged part of the bar top.

phil

that is a GREAT idea.  i'll need to figure that out but it is possible - the bar will be in a corner - so L shaped.  was planning on the freezer going along one wall, and then building a bar front to form the longer part of the L.

What's on the other side of the wall?  If it is a store room you can put the freezer in that room and then pipe into the bar through the wall.  A fan to recirculate the air in the freezer might keep your lines cool enough.

If it's an outside "never mind".   :D  Then hinging the bar top might be your best option. 

A few other convoluted ideas come to mind but I wouldn't do any of them myself so I won't toss them out.

Paul
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Offline blatz

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2017, 12:50:55 pm »
unfortunately, its the front doorway.

I think the hinge might be the way to go.
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

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Offline a10t2

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2017, 10:07:14 pm »
FWIW, I have seven taps on a tower on my chest freezer. I used long machine screws to hold it to the lid; I think maybe I epoxied it for safety but it's been so long I don't really remember. As it happened the spacing for the tower was the same as an 80mm PC fan so two of the bolts are also holding that in place.
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Offline blatz

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2017, 07:29:17 am »
thanks for the replies.  I think I am going to go the chest freezer route, building a collar and routing some insulated PVC (4-6"?) out the collar and then angle and into the bottom of the bar for a draft tower.  Draft lines will run through that to the tower through the bartop.  it will be a short run - about 18" out and less than a foot up.  I think with a blower fan/hose it will be workable.

I think the big job is going to be building some type of façade to conceal the chest freezer, which my SO said is her only request. And so the project begins...
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

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Offline Ruvort

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2017, 07:31:22 am »
thanks for the replies.  I think I am going to go the chest freezer route, building a collar and routing some insulated PVC (4-6"?) out the collar and then angle and into the bottom of the bar for a draft tower.  Draft lines will run through that to the tower through the bartop.  it will be a short run - about 18" out and less than a foot up.  I think with a blower fan/hose it will be workable.

I think the big job is going to be building some type of façade to conceal the chest freezer, which my SO said is her only request. And so the project begins...
This thread should help with what you are looking to accomplish:  http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=317923

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Offline 69franx

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2017, 11:49:46 am »
Amanda did some great and innovative things in her build, although it was a bigger project than what you need. Maybe you can find some inspiration here: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=18347.msg233040#msg233040
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Offline blatz

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2017, 12:00:15 pm »
Sorry forgot to update this.  Here's what I ended up doing:








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The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

BJCP National: F0281

Offline 69franx

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2017, 12:19:01 pm »
Looks great Paul, I forgot that I was starting on old forum posts, not realizing that this was 5 months old when I posted that link. Enjoy
Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2017, 12:49:41 pm »
Just badass, Paul. You did it right.
Jon H.

Offline Iliff Ave

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Re: Bar Build: Draft Tower - Chest Freezer?
« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2017, 02:19:27 pm »
So nice! Damn you  ;)
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