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condensation in keezer

 
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pedactyl




Joined: 01 Dec 2017
Posts: 38
Location: Seattle


PostLink    Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2019 2:38 pm    Post subject: condensation in keezer Reply with quote


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I've been struggling with moisture in my serving keezer. Any troubleshooting ideas would be appreciated. My setup is really similar to Kal's. I've noticed water accumulating in the bottom. Every few months I've been pulling out all the kegs and wiping it up, but it's a pain. I also get condensation on the cereal container with the RV Antifreeze. It's colder than the rest of the freezer, so that makes some sense, but also undesirable. Here's the rest of my setup:

- 10 cu. ft. freezer with a temp controller
- Keezer set at ~36F
- temperature prob attached to a full keg with tape and a thin piece of insulation.
- 5.5" collar attached, bottom edge sealed with silicone
- holes in collar for micromatic beer line, co2, and the glycol lines (which feed into an upright freezer right beside it.) I made most of the holes the exact right size, but where needed, I have added silicone to seal.
- 2 V shaped cutouts on the right side of the collar for power cords (STC-1000 temp controller is installed into the collar.) Also sealed with silicone.
- Two ~5" DC computer fans moving the air around.
- Two renewable dehumidifiers described here.

I'm going to go through and make sure there are no air gaps I'm missing but I'm at a loss as to what else to check. Maybe I need to open the keezer lid less frequently? People seem to want to look inside a fair amount. Happy to post a picture.
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2019 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds just like my ~10 keg keezer like you said! Wink I don't get any condensation at all.

A few differences from what I do that I don't think matter:

- I don't use fans at all. I used to, but found it wasn't required.
- I don't use anything to seal the glycol lines or 8 product trunk line as they're wrapped in foam and the friction fit is tight (I made the holes smaller than the diameter of the foam).
- About 6 months ago I upped my number of rechargeable dehumidifiers (like the ones you link to) from 2 to 4 so that I don't have to recharge them as often. That said, I didn't have moisure in the keezer with only 2 either.

One differences from what I do that may matter:

I use the temp controller pictured here: https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/pages/temperature-controller
Settings:

> Sp (set point): 33F (colder than you)
> Sf (sensor failure): 0 (off)
> Ofs (temp offset): 0
> Asd (anti short cycle delay): 12 mins (max)
> Dif (differential): 2 (turns on freezer when temp goes 2 degrees above Sp value)

By running the keezer colder, you're less likely have condensation on the cereal container where you keep the pond pump. I don't have any condensation on mine for what it's worth. Though all this said, once the air in the unit is dry, it shouldn't matter. Are you opening the keezer it often? Best to leave it closed unless you're changing a keg.

Definitely check for air leaks too.

Kal

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pedactyl




Joined: 01 Dec 2017
Posts: 38
Location: Seattle


PostLink    Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Kal! I turned down the keezer to 33F and most of the condensation froze. No condensation on the cereal container anymore. I think that might have been the piece I was missing. I'll clean out all the condensation next time I do a line cleaning and see if that cures the problem.

I took a few measurements yesterday evening before I set the keezer to the lower temp.

Keezer Temp: 36F
Glycol Temp: 35F in cereal container reservoir
Glycol Temp: 34F coming out of the line
Freezer Temp: 0F (copper coil)
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 1:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool! As long as the kegs do not freeze, you're good! Wink

Kal

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We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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itsnotrequired




Joined: 15 Sep 2015
Posts: 177
Location: central wi


PostLink    Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i use two of these, they work better from me that the plug in units:

https://www.amazon.com/HYDROSORBENT-Gram-Silica-Cubic-SG-900/dp/B0028M7WK4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=theelectricbrewery-20&linkId=173774daf4a2e399a1613dd3e7249ab0&language=en_US

i have a 15 cu ft keezer set at 36 degrees and get a decent amount of condensation. i don't worry about it too much and do a full clean out maybe once a year. as kal mentions, limit opening the lid as much as you can. you'll typically get more condensation in the humid summers than dry winters. basements tend to have more humidity than other areas of the house. when adding anew keg, wipe it down if it is cold to limit additional water brought into the keezer. if you spray the keg posts with starsan, do that outside the keezer and soak up as much runoff as you can. all these little things add up...
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KB




Joined: 06 Nov 2014
Posts: 334
Location: Virginia

Working on: Next brew


PostLink    Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't had much luck with the silica moisture items in the keezer. Perhaps, too humid in my area?
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 2:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

KB wrote:
I haven't had much luck with the silica moisture items in the keezer. Perhaps, too humid in my area?

What's the relative humidity in the area you keep your keezer?

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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