How to choose a cooler?
Don’t underestimate the selection of a home dispensing unit and choose, compare and research so as to buy a product that will exactly suit your needs. There are a number of technical parameters, and even if you don’t know about some of them, they can significantly affect how satisfied you will be with your home chiller in the future.
Beverage cooling time
One of the key features of the cooler, which ensures that the beverage is cooled for a few minutes after the machine has been switched on and at the same time affects the constant temperature during dispensing. This is due to the unique design of the cooling block with a perfectly tuned cooling circuit.
When is this information important to me?
Will you be dispensing beer in a football locker room, for example, after a match, when thirsty teammates (and maybe even opponents) will gather around you and demand a chilled beverage? Then the speed of the cooling is crucial for you.
What to watch out for?
Will you be dispensing beer in a football locker room, for example, after a match, when thirsty teammates (and maybe even opponents) will gather around you and demand a chilled beverage? Then the speed of the cooling is crucial for you.
Cooling coil diameter and cooling block volume
The length and diameter of the cooling coil (which directly determine the volume of the cooling block) determine how long after switching on the cooler you can have an optimally cooled beverage for serving and at the same time maintain a constant temperature when dispensing multiple beverages in a short time. These data directly affect the cold rate of the beverage.
When is this information important to me?
If you want to have a stable temperature of the dispensed beverage at all times while the cooler is in operation, regardless of whether you are dispensing one or three beers in a row.
What to watch out for?
Two parameters are essential for the volume of the cooling block – the diameter of the cooling coil, which should ideally be the same from the dispensing head to the tap. For most of our portable coolers of the PYGMY and KONTAKT model series, the inner diameter is 7 mm. In terms of length, it depends on the specific capabilities of the cooler, but it should be as long as possible. LINDR portable coolers have a cooling block with a total volume from 0.5 l to 4.5 l. It is recommended to verify this data, as it often happens that, for example, the inner diameter of the cooling loop is not the same along the entire length.
Continuous cooling capacity
Continuous cooling capacity indicates how many litres of chilled beverage per hour can be dispensed by a particular cooler.
When is this information important to me?
When deciding how many people the cooler will serve.
What to watch out for?
Each chiller should indicate how many litres of chilled beverage it can dispense per hour. We state it in the range, and it can be read from the number in the name of the cooler.
Air compressor setting and pressure
To dispense the beer properly, the cooler needs either a compressor or a bottle filled with CO2 or other food gas. (The gas is used especially when the keg is permanently connected.) But most of you will appreciate the built-in air compressor. (Portable coolers with a built-in compressor account for 95% of all portable coolers sold.) Then just turn on the compressor, and you don't have to worry about anything else.
When is this information important to me?
The correct compressor pressure is essential for proper beer dispensing. Poor pressure (next to a poorly set temperature) results in the beer foaming.
What to watch out for?
All our coolers that have a built-in compressor are marked with / K in the title. For each chiller, find out if it has a built-in compressor or not. Alternatively, whether the pressure can be regulated.
General equipment and practicality (drip tray, tap wrench)
It is important and practical to know what you are buying with the cooler and if there is everything in the package so that you can put it into operation immediately and not have to buy anything else.
When is this information important to me?
Whenever you buy a new cooler, and you have no accessories at home.
What to watch out for?
When you buy a LINDR cooler, you automatically get a drip tray, tap (or taps), tap wrench and fittings. In addition, we offer complete sets in our e-shop, in which everything is really needed to put the cooler into operation. Always find out in advance what the equipment of the purchased cooler is.
Weight and size of the cooler
We have been producing coolers for 30 years (portable for 20 years). We are constantly innovating our products in order to best optimise the internal arrangement of the cooler and thus its weight and size.
When is this information important to me?
If you’re planning to take the cooler with you on a trip, thoroughly study what are its dimensions and weight or whether it has, for example, a carry handle.
What to watch out for?
Test how the cooler will be transported in your hand. Can you lift it? Will you walk 100 metres with it? Does it have a carry handle at all, or do you have to carry it in your arms?
Security and certification
Safety standards are relatively strict and significantly affect the arrangement inside the cooler. The requirements of the standards are evolving, so it is necessary to get recertified every few years and, if necessary, adjust the chillers to suit them. This is extremely financially, time and technologically demanding and only the largest players on the market can practically do it.
When is this information important to me?
Always. Cooler safety and compliance with standards is an absolutely crucial feature.
What to watch out for?
Find out what certifications the cooler has (if any) and what they apply to. Our coolers are certified by the Testing Engineering Institute according to the latest standards for the Czech and European markets. They have an NSF certificate, which concerns hygiene, as well as Culus certification, i.e. certification for the American and Canadian markets.
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