Computer Components

Thermoelectric Peltier

Beer Coolers

It maybe summertime now in your neck of the woods or it may not be; depending on which part of the world you are living in, at the moment, but it is no excuse for not having a cold beer for whatever the season! Whatever the reason or season, you'd probably be reaching out for a cold beer from a beer cooler after a hard day's  at work, while mowing the lawn, just after waxing your 'classic' car, after a game of golf, football or basketball, or just watching those games on TV with your buddies, or even just enjoying the sun at the beach! And what better way to top it off? A beer of course! But there is one thing most beer drinkers don't like, warm beer! What we hanker for is a cold beer from a beer cooler. Simply put, a Bruski from a beer cooler! So, beer coolers or beer dispensers were designed specifically for beer drinkers like us. To help us get over that warm tepid taste which we despise.

 

* Well, What Is The Right Temperature For Beer Then?

The temperature of a beer is based on a drinker's preference; warmer temperatures disclose the variety of flavors in a beer but cooler beers are much more refreshing, especially on a hot day. Most beer drinkers prefer pale lager to be served cold, a low or medium strength pale ale  to be served cool, while a strong barley wine or imperial stout to be served at room temperature.

Beer expert Michael Jackson, (not the one who ‘moon-walks'!), proposed a five-level scale for serving temperatures: that is, well chilled (7 °C/45 °F) for ‘light' beers (light lagers); chilled (8 °C/46 °F) for Berliner Weisse and other wheat beers; lightly chilled (9 °C/48 °F) for all dark lagers, ‘altbier' and German wheat beers; cellar temperature (13 °C/55 °F) for regular British ale, stout and most Belgian specialties; and room temperature (15.5 °C/59.9 °F) for strong dark ales (especially Trappist beer) and barley wine.

 

* Beer Cooler Types

The Coleman Company popularized the beer cooler, sometimes known as an 'ice box' in America, by marketing its first galvanized beer cooler in 1954. Later, Coleman developed a beer cooler with a plastic liner. A beer cooler is also called a cool box, cooler, portable ice chest, 'chilly-bin' in New Zealand, or ‘esky' in Australia. Whatever you call it... ice box, ice cooler, marine cooler, boat cooler, marine ice chest, igloo, ‘esky', beer cooler, or 'chilly-bin', it is most commonly an insulated box used to keep drinks cool. Keeping beer cold in a beer cooler is not brain surgery. The process includes insulating the right places, keeping hot air out, and packing of ice and contents properly. Ice cubes, sometimes mixed with salt, are most commonly placed in it to help the beers inside stay chilled. Ice packs are sometimes used, which has a gel sealed inside them that stays cold longer than just ice.

A portable beer cooler found these days could be thermoelectric. It may have a plug to fit in to a car's cigarette lighter socket. Rather than using a compressor and refrigerant, this beer cooler uses the ‘Peltier-Seebeck' effect, a form of thermoelectric effect, along with an external fan to extract the heat. A thermoelectric beer cooler typically can drop the temperature by about 40°F or 22°C below ambient temperature, or can raise it by at least that much; this is really a function of the effectiveness of the insulation. A better beer cooler may even have a digital thermostat control. It does draw a significant amount of power, and it can drain a car's battery making it unable to start. An electric beer cooler may have a low voltage auto switch-off at around 10 or 10.5 volts to prevent this. A beer cooler may also come with a power adapter to convert AC mains (100v to 240v) down to 12 volts, with a lighter plug in socket for the beer cooler's cord.

 

* So, What Is The Better Beer Cooler?

It can be a difficult choice to make, given that there are many a beer cooler out there. But, there are a few things you need focus on before you make a decision, like the size and shape? Ensure that you purchase a beer cooler that is a little bigger than you think you require, because not having enough beer for everyone in a party is a huge embarrassment!

 

* Before Buying A Beer Cooler, You Should Ask Yourself These Questions.

What do you need the beer cooler for? Where are you going? Are you going camping, to a sporting event  or to a party? And how many cans or bottles of beer do you need to fit into the beer cooler? There is a beer cooler of every shape and size for all of your needs. Perhaps, you need a few different types of beer cooler just in case something comes up. I know I need a new beer cooler to take to a sports event, but I might want a attractive and custom made beer cooler just for fun, or a backpack for that matter!

A beer cooler bag-pack is perfect to carry with you while you are at big sports events such as motor racing, camping, golfing or fishing or anywhere else you think of. In fact there is even a small golf bag beer cooler that fits into your golf bag! No one will ever notice that there is beer in your golf bag! It hides away perfectly and can even fit a 6 pack inside as well! You just fill up the soft beer cooler with ice packs and you are ready to hit the greens.

 

* Have You Heard Of The Can Beer Cooler?

A can beer cooler can hold about 60 cans of beer. Their tall slender appearance makes them very attractive. Moreover, you can buy them in a range of designs, such your country's flag, golf, sports teams, racing teams, or several solid colors as well as with patterns. And since you plug them in they do not require any ice! They are portable and you need not worry about the melting ice or fret about not remembering to get enough ice either. This beer cooler is made of plastic and it has good insulation, and the temperature can be controlled with a thermostat. This beer cooler is great to take to parties, but it can also be used as a commercial beer cooler as well. Of course, there is another type of beer cooler that is much bigger which can hold 100 cans or more for commercial use. This beer cooler looks more like a fridge with a glass door and a glossy look, which makes your little bar at home look stylish and chic.

 

Here are a few tips for getting the beer cooler of your choice.

 

• First of all you need to find a beer cooler that fits your beers, not the other way around! There are many different sizes and shapes of beer coolers available and depending on how many beer bottles or cans you are going to be putting inside your beer cooler to chill, you need to buy a large enough beer cooler to fit them all.

 

• Next you need to look for a strongly built beer cooler. This is especially true if you are going to take it on a fishing or camping trip or just a day at the beach. Buying a sturdy beer cooler ensures that it does not get damaged while en route.

 

• Even if you are not traveling with your beer cooler, and it is going to be staying at one place at home, a robust one is still as good idea since you may be placing things on it to save space.

 

• Do not think of getting a beer cooler for multi-purpose usage, to chill food and stuff. It should be exclusively for, you guessed it, beer! The reason for this is that your food will spoil faster and your beer will not stay cold because you are always opening and closing the beer cooler, because we beer drinkers are always thirsty for more. So food and beer in your beer cooler is a big no no!

 

• Another thing you should remember when buying a beer cooler is to make sure that it has a long warranty period on it. If it has a good warranty, you can easily get the beer cooler repaired if something were to go wrong.

 

• A nice cold beer is just perfect after a hard day's work. Warm beer can make a great day turn into a bad one. So, make sure you get the right beer cooler to keep your cold beers cold!

 

• So if you are in the market for a beer cooler, why not shop around and see if you can find one that is suitable for your needs and your pocket. Who knows you might even find one that you must have; the Beer Cooler Scooter!

 

This write up is just a sampling of the different types of beer coolers available in the market, with some remarkable technologies thrown in for good measure. It is astonishing as to how chilling technology has developed to date. There is a beer cooler for almost anything you can imagine!

About the Author

An eclectic generalist and freelance writer.

 

Goto: http://www.beer-coolers.org

hermetic compressor/Thermoelectric/peltier cooler Question...?

What is the smallest and cheapest way to cool a large box by mechanical means
i.e Thermoelectric/peltier coolers, hermetic compressors, etc.

And how can I go about constructing one to cool a box(is it difficult??)
Thanks for your help. To answer your questions...

1) The dimensions of the box is going to be 3 to 3.5 feet high and 2 to 3 feet width, The material that I'm going to use it going to be plastic or metal(whatever holds the cold better)...

2) 5 to 10 pounds max.

3) +2 degrees Celsius to +10 degrees Celsius

Lets assume you will be using TECs

One way to build your box is to:

1) Get a heatsink (usually aluminum) with a fan and mount it to the hot side of the TEC.

2) mount the cold side of your TEC to your metal box (also preferably aluminum).

3) wrap the rest of the box in thermally insulating foam of some sort so that the walls of the box do not let heat into the box.

4) Apply power to the fan and the TEC. You could try it without the fan, but with a fan you can generally get by with a smaller heatsink.

Now, so long as what you have inside of the box does not generate heat, and assumming you did a good job of insulating the box, the insides should get good and cold.

If you want the box to cool down faster, you may need to put a fan inside the box blowing onto the cool surface so that the air circulates. The fan would of course generate a little heat of its own.

Anyway, if there is something generating heat in the box, then you need to determine how much and size your TECs appropriately to handle pumping the heat out.

THERMOELECTRIC COOLER PELTIER COOLER