Building a Keezer Style Kegerator from a Refrigerator

I currently have a mini fridge working as my kegerator but have been looking to upgrade for a while. I've started doing a lot more lagering and would like to pick up a few more kegs and the mini just won't cut it.

My wife recently purchased a brand new refrigerator for our kitchen and I'd love to turn the old one (http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/i/spin/image/spin_prod_746352912) into a kegerator.

I've seen a few good tutorials on how to convert a deep freezer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zHWy_Vlw3J4) and would like to do the same thing with my old refrigerator. Laying the fridge on it's back seems like a much better use of space and would allow me to fit several kegs + fermenters.

Some threads (http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100813045407AAMeNxN) say running a refrigerator on it's back will damage and eventually destroy the compressor and coils. Has anyone tried to rotate the parts so they run upright while the fridge lies on it's back?

Also, ideas on how to utilize the freezer space?

Anyone else gone down this path?

Thanks for any help you can provide.,

Joe

I'm no expert, but I think when you lay a fridge down on its back you have a high probability of bad things happening to the fridge:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=operating+refrigerator+on+its+back

Personal experience shows 1 hour laying on the fridge's back in the bed of a pickup truck and then plugging in immediately after setting it back up is enough to kill the thing.

You CAN NOT plug a refrigerator in while it is laying on it's back. The oil in the compressor will move to one side and not allow the compressor to work properly. I work for a major appliance manufacturer.

When transporting a refrigerator on it's side or back, you must leave it unplugged twice as long as it was on it's side/back. IE.) If it's on it's back for 1 hour, it should sit upright for 2 hours before it is plugged back in.

Thanks, but maybe I wasn't making myself clear in my initial post.

Running a fridge on it's back is certainly a bad idea (that's why I posted the yahoo answers link with an explanation of my thought process).

I'll reiterate my question - has anyone attempted to change the orientation of both the coils and compressor of a refrigerator? Would this require actual removal of the parts, or could I get away with some clever bending?

Any help is much appreciated.

You MIGHT, be able to remove the compressor assembly, and orient it in it's standard position, IF you think you have enough slack in the hard lines to do so............Then that da^n compressor is sitting in your way most likely!

How do you figure that with the 18 inch depth you would gain more room? That and you would need to reinforce the back wall to support weight. Overall, I 'd say a waste of time moving the compressor + the fan and coil in the freezer, a 16 inch collar etc.

@Stealthcruiser - thanks for this answer, what you said is kind of what I 've been fearing.

I had a friend recommend putting the fridge on craigslist and seeif if I can trade for a freezer.

Thanks for your answers everyone.

I would think the simplest thing to do is to use the fridge as is. A standing fridge can typically fit around 4 kegs. You can drill your faucets through the door or use cobra taps if you would like. Additionally, you then have the top freezer for use, whether you want to store hops or just have more freezer space.