Kegerators are a fun part of the homebrewing hobby. I’ve talked a lot about the creation, cleaning, and maintenance of the kegerator. One thing I’ve left out to this point is more specific to kegerators created from chest freezers (keezers) - humidity control.

I’ve personally created both a kegerator and a fermentation chamber from chest freezers. The one issue that is consistent with all of these kegerator types is the condensation created internally. Because these appliances were created to operate well below freezing they are not built to operate without condensation above freezing. If you do nothing you will start to notice that water is building on the sides. If you leave this be, eventually it will puddle in the bottom and you will start to create mold and mildew. With more time this can get in your lines, valves, taps, and ultimately your beer.

Fortunately for us Keezer users there are several fixes including airflow and dehumidifiers. First lets talk about airflow. Airflow can serve two purposes. The first is creating a consistent air temperature inside the kegerator. If you don’t have movement of air, the temperature will stratify with the cooler air settling lower in the kegerator resulting in foam at the tap because the lines are warmer. The second purpose which is more relevant to this topic is if you have airflow it helps to keep the kegerator dry. Just like a fan blowing on a wet t-shirt, that airflow helps to dry things out.

To help create airflow in my keezer I simply wired a 12 volt fan to an old cell phone charger. Just strip the end of each and either solder or wire nut them together. Wrap the connections in electrical tape for added protection and safety. Find a safe and stable place inside the kegerator to mount or place the fan, plug it in a run it constantly, it uses very little power. Using this your kegerator will run less anyway more than offsetting the cost of the fan running. It doesn’t really matter which direction the fan blows the air, I prefer to blow in the direction with the most space.

The second way to keep the wetness down in the kegerator is to try a dehumidifying product. There are two types that I’ve tried; DampRid and Eva-Dry. DampRid is a little refillable container that holds DampRid crystal, which is essentially Calcium Chloride. This stuff sucks us the water which trickles to the bottom of the tub. You have to empty it regularly and buy refillable crystal regularly. This bag has lasted me about a year, although I’m not great about changing out the crystals therefore I end up sopping up water at times. You can purchase this stuff at most home improvement stores.

Eva-Dry costs a little bit more up front, but I find it more convenient. It is a mini dehumidifier that works in a similar manner to DampRid but it is renewable. It has an absorbent gel inside that absorbs moisture and contains it. There is a gauge on the front that tells you when it is full. When that happens you plug it into a wall socket and in 24 hours it is ready to go back in the kegerator to absorb more water out of the air. According to the manufacturer it is reusable for 10 years, and they warranty it for 5 years. I found these on Amazon, and you do not need to buy any refills once you purchase the base.

I recommend using both the fan and the dehumidifying solutions in conjunction with each other. Using both you will have a nice and dry kegerator. The only thing you must remember is to check the solutions regularly. If you check them once a week or even twice a month you should be just fine depending on your location and general environment.