Blower v. Glycol

[volbrew]

We are in the planning stages for our draft system. We will be pouring from our serving tanks with around a 12 foot draw and one 90 degree turn. I was hoping for some opinions on using an air blower to cool the line vs. a glycol unit. I am hoping (obviously $$) that because of the short draw we can go with air cooled but have never worked with that type of system and am unaware of potential issues.

Thanks for your time
Ryan

[lhall]

25 feet is the max with aircooled, with each 90 counting as five feet. So you should be alright. Make sure to mount the blower right in front of the fans in the cooler, so you're picking up the coldest air possible.

If you are on a budget in the beginning, this is the way to go. If you have the money, you'll probably save in the long run in less foam by putting a glycol cooled system in. We have an aircooled system, and have to be aware of keeping the cooler cold when our taproom is open.

[GlacierBrewing]

I agree with Linus. The blower would probably work but it is far from optimal. The Micromatic website offers some pretty good info (http://www.micromatic.com/keg-beer-l...cid-3076.html). It has helped me in the past. Keep in mind, also, that once you get your trunk line in the "pipe" the amount of cold air that is circulating can be greatly reduced.
Prost!
dave

[gitchegumee]

I'm with Linus and Dave all the way. One other thing I will add: remember to circulate the cold air all the way up to the very top of the dispense tower. I've seen more beer lost because the tower wasn't cooled properly. There should either be a divider (older style, I think) that separates colder incoming air from the warmer discharge, or more commonly a 1" tube that snakes up the tower to discharge cold air at the top of the tower to return around the product lines. And the towers should have some sort of insulation all around them, too. Good luck!

[Moonlight]

Maybe plumb it with a blower, but include a couple unused glycol lines to hook up later once cash flow can justify the expense of the long-term efficiency of a glycol system.