Kegging and dispensing over distance/elevation using keg pressure or something else

A few years ago I set off to turn my kitchen dry bar into a wet bar by routing beer from my kegerator to the taps 10 or so feet above. I was advised against it by some employees at my local home brew store who said that I'll just end up with a lot of foamy warm beer. As a result I built a bar on casters over a kegerator, which was admittedly pretty awesome, but still less integrated than I'd like and really bulky. I just moved and I'd really like to build that actual bar I had been planning years ago. Based on a 10 foot rise, and assuming that rise is 100% exposed I estimate a 4.3 psi pressure drop assuming there is no transfer pump being used. Also, it appears about 1.8 ounces of beer would be exposed to warmer climates outside the kegerator. possibly more due to horizontal runs but it will also be run in interstitial space where there is no heat.

Here are my questions:

How do real bars do it? Do they actually use refrigerated lines and transfer pumps?

What if the runs are small? (assuming the runs are 20')

Does anyone see this being a problem if I use insulated beer line and just keep my serving PSI at ~15-16? I generally serve in the low 40's (good beer doesn't need to be 32 degrees), so I need 15-16 psi to keep ~2.5 volumes over time anyway.

Topic kegerator kegging serving homebrew

Category Mac

1
answered at

Commercially if the run is long they use pumps or push with beer gas (nitro blend) Lines are always cooled. Usually with glycol lines run along with the beer lines then insulated.

Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on what you need for a 10ft rise. It's not out of reach for pushing with cO2 if you tune the run with the right line. Flow control faucets are an other way to cheat a proper flow when line length and diameters are not ideal.

Keeping it cool. I would run your beer lines in large insulated 6-8in pvc pipe from the cooler. Then use a 1.5-2in hose up to the faucets. Use a fan to push cold, air from the cooler up to the faucets. Cold air returns to the cooler passing the beer lines keeping them cold. This is basically how commercial kegarators chill the tower.

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