Chest Freezer Specs and Layouts

Chest Freezer Specs Sheets and Layout Drawings

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Introduction

A little while back, I discovered the [thread=75449]Sizing your Chest Freezer for Corny Kegs[/thread] thread that inspired me to build a keezer and a fermentation chamber. I was blown away at how much information has been gathered to date on chest freezer models. Unfortunately, the thread has become increasingly disorganized as it has aged and, at over 60 pages, is unwieldy to browse. I found myself search for hours on hours just trying to determine which freezer could suit my needs (four kegs on the floor, fifth on the hump). As with many of my purchases, it resulted in a huge spreadsheet filled with numbers that I'll never look back at.

In an attempt to help the community here, I decided to utilize my CAD skills to help others vastly shorten their search to find the perfect chest freezer for them. To this end, I've created a specification sheet and layout drawings for several models of chest freezer so that their homebrew capabilities, prices and special features can be browsed on-the-fly. My goal is to gather, synthesize, and present these products for each of 30 models, ranging from 3.5 cu ft to 25 cu ft in capacity.

Progress: 21 models completed (67% to goal of 30) out of 52 known.

Please note that all of my images are clickable for a much larger view. I recommend you middle-click on them (click with the mouse wheel) to open them in another tab so you aren't navigated away from this page.

A Recommendation

I highly recommend that you read the next 4 posts before browsing through the specification sheet and layouts drawings. They will answer most of the questions that will arise while navigating this thread.

NOTE: Model names listed in bold have been completed. All other links simply point to placeholders.

Capacities At-a-Glance:



Spec Sheets and Layouts:

3.5 cu ft Class
[post=5115222]Danby 3.6 cu ft DCF401W1[/post]
[post=5115204]Emerson 3.5 cu ft CF353[/post]
[post=4731042]Haier 3.5 cu ft HNCM035E[/post]
[post=5131705]Igloo 3.6 cu ft FRF434[/post]

5 cu ft Class
[post=5115226]Avanti 5.2 cu ft CF1510[/post]
[post=5115209]Black & Decker 5.0 cu ft BFQ50[/post]
[post=4731047]Danby 5.5 cu ft DCF550W1[/post]
[post=5616618]Frigidaire 5.0 cu ft FFC0522DW[/post]
[post=5616620]Frigidaire 5.0 cu ft FFFC05M4NW[/post]
[post=4731043]GE 5.0 cu ft FCM5SUWW[/post]
[post=5115215]Haier 5.0 cu ft HCM050EC[/post]
[post=4731044]Holiday 5.0 cu ft LCM050LC[/post]
[post=4731045]Igloo 5.2 cu ft FRF452[/post]
[post=5616689]Kenmore 5.1 cu ft 18502[/post]

7 cu ft Class
[post=4731050]Danby 7.0 cu ft DCF700W1[/post]
[post=5038718]Frigidaire 7.0 cu ft FF07C3AW1[/post]
[post=5616141]Frigidaire 7.2 cu ft FF0723DW[/post]
[post=5616636]Frigidaire 7.2 cu ft FFC0723GB[/post]
[post=5616638]Frigidaire 7.2 cu ft FFC07M4NW[/post]
[post=4731051]GE 7.0 cu ft FCM7SUWW[/post]
[post=4731052]GE 7.0 cu ft FCM7DUWW[/post]
[post=4731056]Haier 7.1 cu ft HCM071AW[/post]
[post=4731053]Hanover 7.0 cu ft HANFC07MAW[/post]
[post=4731055]Holiday 7.0 cu ft LCM070LC[/post]
[post=4731057]Igloo 7.2 cu ft FRF472[/post]
[post=4906444]Kenmore 7.2 cu ft 18702[/post]
[post=4731048]Magic Chef 7.0 cu ft HMCF7W[/post]
[post=5616148]Menards 7.0 cu ft PS72731[/post]

9 cu ft Class
[post=4731058]Danby 8.7 cu ft DCFM246WDD[/post]
[post=4731060]Frigidaire 8.8 cu ft LFFC09M5HW[/post]
[post=5616660]Frigidaire 8.8 cu ft FFCH09M5MW[/post]
[post=5616622]Frigidaire 8.8 cu ft FFC0923DW[/post]
[post=4731059]GE 8.8 cu ft FCM9DTWH[/post]
[post=5616149]Kenmore 8.8 cu ft 16922[/post]
[post=5616681]Kenmore 8.8 cu ft 16949[/post]

10 cu ft Class
[post=4731061]Danby 10.2 cu ft DCFM289WDD[/post]

13 cu ft Class
[post=4731063]Frigidaire 12.9 cu ft LFCH13M2MW[/post]

15 cu ft Class
[post=4731069]Frigidaire 14.8 cu ft LFFN15M5HW[/post]
[post=5616792]Frigidaire 14.8 cu ft GLFC1526FW[/post]
[post=4731067]GE 14.8 cu ft FCM15PUWW[/post]
[post=4731068]GE 14.8 cu ft FCM15SUWW[/post]
Kenmore 14.8 cu ft 16542 Rebadged Frigidaire LFFN15M5HW
[post=4731064]Maytag 14.8 cu ft MQC1552TEW[/post]
[post=4731065]Whirlpool 14.8 cu ft EH151FXTQ[/post]

18 cu ft Class
[post=4731071]Whirlpool 17.5 cu ft EH185FXTQ[/post]

20.0 cu ft Class
[post=4731074]Frigidaire 19.7 cu ft FGCH20M7LW[/post]
[post=4731072]GE 19.7 cu ft FCM20SUWW[/post]
[post=5131691]Kenmore 19.7 cu ft 16082[/post]

22 cu ft Class
[post=4731077]Amana 21.7 cu ft AQC2213TEW[/post]
[post=4731090]Whirlpool 21.7 cu ft EH225FXTQ[/post]

25 cu ft Class
[post=4731092]Frigidaire 24.6 cu ft FGCH25M8LW[/post]
[post=4731091]GE 24.9 cu ft FCM25SBWW[/post]
[post=5616694]Kenmore 24.6 cu ft 16582[/post]

How to Read the Spec Sheets and Layouts

*** NOTE/ This section is currently out of date because of a recent specification sheet style revision. /NOTE ***

Once you know how to read the spec sheets and layouts, you can glean a large amount of information in a small amount of time from each of the drawings. The spec sheet is typically read first, as it provides the basic dimensions and tested configurations of the selected model.


How to Read a Spec Sheet



As we can see from red block marked '1', this is the GE brand freezer, 7.0 cu ft in capacity, model number FCM7SUWW. Much of the text on the spec sheet is fairly straightforward, but lets take a look at a couple blocks that might be more difficult to interpret at first.

• 1 - Brand, capacity, and model number. Obvious.
• 2 - Interior dimensions and the size of the hump. The area available above the hump in this case would be 27-1/2" less 9-1/4", or 18-1/4" to the lid. In other words, the tallest item you can place on the hump without a collar is approximately 18-1/4".
• 3 - This is the most useful block on the spec sheet for most users. The highlighted portion tell us that a possible configuration for this freezer is to have four Ball Lock Legs on the floor and one 5# Aluminum CO2 tank without the need for a collar. The notes column tells us that user TomSD has tested this layout successfully in person.
• 4 - The image in at top-right is a picture of the interior of this model, provided by an HBT member. We can see from the caption that, indeed, this is TomSD's freezer from the previous block.
• 5 - In the notes section, there may be additional information about the model that may be relevent and/or additional layouts which are uncommon. The highlighted block tells us that a possible configuration for this model is three 1/6 barrel Sanke kegs on the floor. It also tells us that it is possible to have three 1/6 barrel Sanke kegs on the floor and a fourth one on the hump if you build a minimum 7-1/4" collar. Note that the latter configuration is a tight squeeze and does not allow space for CO2 inside the freezer.
• 6 - This block tells us some conventions for reading the configurations section. We can determine from this that TomSD's layout from block 3 is a known, tested configuration. We can also determine that the last configuration entry, storing two 6-gallon Better Bottles without a collar, is calculated to be possible, but has not been confirmed yet with a real world test.

How to Read a Layout Drawing

The layout drawings provide a visual reference to the configurations listed in the spec sheet. Most or all of the configurations will appear. Take a look at the following layout:



Many of the details in this layout are obvious. However, some details may not be immediately recognized without some engineering experience. Let's look a little closer at each annotation.

Each layout is drawn with both a top view and a side view. The top view is what you would expect to see if the lid was removed and you were standing exactly above it. The side view is what you could expect to see if you were looking at the front of the freezer with x-ray vision. The hatched areas represent the freezer lid, wall, floor, and compressor hump. We only care about internal dimensions here, not if the freezer insulation is thicker on the top versus the bottom or the front versus the back, so the hatched area will always be evenly distributed for ease of viewing. Note that there is a line in the top view, which indicates the edge of the freezer hump. If you see a symbol hanging precariously off of the compressor hump, I am assuming that you will be building out a shelf, stack phone books, or give some other support underneath the portion that is not supported by the hump.

The shaded items in the layouts are the containers. In this example, we have containers '5B' and '5#', which indicate 5-gallon Ball Lock Kegs and 5# Aluminum CO2 Tanks, respectively. Where possible, I try to leave as much "air space" around objects as possible to give a real-world fit, though this may not be visible due to resolution limitations in the images. The minimum collar height is specified in text, located between the two views. This number indicates the absolute shortest collar which should fit all of the items in the layout with 1" of extra space between the lid and the tallest container.

NOTE: Most containers will require more space above them than 1", most notably Sanke kegs which will require many times more than that. Because I can't predict how you'll use your containers (which disconnects, which airlocks, which Sanke taps, etc), you need to plan for this on your own. Please take this into consideration when planning a keezer build using these layouts!


Additional Graphical Symbols

You may see other symbols as you browse the layouts. Some are obvious, while others may not be immediately familiar. All symbols are displayed in this chart:



Each symbol represents what I consider to be the "largest average" container for its type. For example, CO2 tanks often vary in height by up to 2" for the 20# class. As a result, I've sized the 20# CO2 the symbol to represent the tallest 20# CO2 canister that I think you might reasonably come across. Your equipment may vary. This is especially the case for CO2 tanks, where steel variants are also available.

Using this method of symbol sizing allows me to account for most equipment configurations to hold true to what is pictured. You can compare your existing or planned equipment to the symbols in the next section.


Container Names and Dimensions

10B - 10-gallon Ball Lock Keg - 12-1/4" dia x 25" H
5B - 5-gallon Ball Lock Keg - 8-3/8" dia x 25" H
5P - 5-gallon Pin Lock Keg - 8-7/8" dia x 21" H
-----
6GC - 6-gallon Carboy - 11½" dia x 22" H
6.5PF - 6.5-gallon Poly (HDPE) Fermenter - 11-1/2" dia x 17-1/2" H
-----
1/2 bbl - 1/2 Barrel Sanke Keg - 16-1/8" dia x 23-3/8" H
1/4 bbl - 1/4 Barrel Sanke Keg - 16-1/8" dia x 13-7/8" H
1/4 slim bbl - 1/4 Barrel Slim Sanke Keg - 11-1/8" dia x 23-3/8" H
1/6 bbl - 1/6 Barrel Sanke Keg - 9-1/4" dia x 23-3/8" H
-----
5# - 5# Aluminum CO2 Tank - 5-1/2" dia x 18-1/4" H
10# - 10# Aluminum CO2 Tank - 7" dia x 20-1/2" H
20# - 20# Aluminum CO2 Tank - 8" dia x 27-1/2" H

Frequently Asked Questions


Q: You use 8-3/8" as the diameter for ball lock kegs. That's incorrect. They're 8-1/2" in diameter! Why don't you fix this?

A: The very first freezer model I worked on the layouts for pointed out that ball lock kegs are not 8-1/2" in diameter, despite very often being labeled as such. I attempted to reproduce the 4-on-the-floor configuration that is [post=2244512]extremely[/post]. [post=1646849]well[/post]. [post=1776719]documented[/post]. for the GE 7.0cf FCM7SUWW with 8-1/2" diameter symbols and found that they didn't fit on the CAD model. This configuration is tight in the real world, but in the CAD version they missed by a mile, coming in almost a full inch past the hump. Scaling down to 8" diameter, I came up with a full extra inch of space left on the floor. At 8-3/8" diameter, they fit perfectly just like in real life. Initially I attributed this discrepancy to bad measurements of the freezer, until I drove 30 minutes each way down to Home Depot and measured the interior in person. Yes, that's how much I like you guys. It's probably a combination of being a hair until 8-1/2" in diameter, pared with being slightly out-of-round from being stacked on their sides on a truck, but what matters is that 8-3/8" diameter works beautifully for modeling.


Q: I built my keezer with a 5-1/4" collar because your drawings said the minimum collar size was 5". I hooked everything up and can't get the lid to close! Why didn't you account for [choose one: disconnects, Sanke taps, airlocks, yard glasses]?

A: The minimum collar height listed in each layout drawing tells you how much space you would need to fit the containers shown, close the lid, and have 1" between the top of the tallest container and the underside of the lid. It is just that - a bare, absolute minimum. The 1" was chosen because that's about how much space neatly-managed air and beer lines will take up. Because I don't know how you're going to use your equipment, I can't predict how much more space you'll need. For example, if you want to tap commercial kegs, I have no way of knowing if you'll be using a regular Sanke tap or a low-profile Sanke tap. That's a difference of 3". I also can't calculate and specify all of the collar heights because that would make the layout drawings super crowded, hard-to-read, and, most of all, because I have a life too. When in doubt, just make the collar taller and you won't have to bend over to pour a pint.


Q: Why don't you have spec sheets and layout drawings for the Admiral ATB1710DRA?

A: I can't possibly make products for every chest freezer ever produced, though I'll probably try. There's several reasons why I may not create drawings for a particular model, and this one hits just about all of them.

• While this model was a step up from earlier ice boxes, it was a early refrigerator with a freezer, not a chest freezer.
• It's very unlikely that I'll be able to find interior dimensions for it, as they're rarely stated in product specs.
• The Refrigerator Dating Tool tells us that it was manufactured in 1950, so it's certainly has been out of production for long enough that I seriously doubt anybody here owns one. The dating tool indicates that this model could have been manufactured in 1974 or 1998, but this is unlikely. Rockwell International bought out Admiral in 1973 and sold the appliances division to Magic Chef, who then sold it to Maytag, who was then bought out by Whirlpool. Whirlpool then licensed the name to Montgomery Ward's before they went bankrupt, at which point they licensed it to Home Depot as their in-house brand. </historylesson>

Reporting New Freezer Models

Over time, new models are released and existing models are reworked or retired. New models will be added and indexed here once drawings have been completed. I hope to keep up with changes as they come over time.


Which Models Are Supported

I can't support every model that has ever been produced. As a general rule of thumb, let's keep it to models that are chest freezers, have been manufactured within the last 10 years, and is made to run on 120V (sorry, Brits). Yes, I'm willing to draw up something for your CraigsList find that is no longer in production as long as it meets the above criteria and you can supply me with the necessary measurements.


Requesting Drawings for a Qualifying Model

Gather the information below, assemble it, and reply to this thread with it.


Required Information to Produce the Spec Sheets and Layout Drawings

When reporting a new model, you'll need to provide the following information for me to be able to create the spec sheet and layout drawings.

• Brand Name, Capacity and Model Number
  Ex: GE 14.9cf FCM15SUWW
• Colors Available
  Ex: White, Black
• Availability
  Ex: In-store, Online
• Everyday Pricing
  Ex: $489 @ Lowe's, $499 @ Home Depot, $515 @ Sears
• Exterior Dimensions
  Ex: 48-5/16" W x 29-5/8" D x 36" H
• Interior Dimensions
  Ex: 42-7/8" W x 22-1/4" D x 30" H
• Compressor Hump Size
  Ex: 9-5/8" W x 22-1/4" D x 10-5/8" H
  Note: If it's easier for you to measure the space from the hump to the lid, that's fine too.
• Special Features
  Ex: Thermostat control has a refrigerator setting that runs the unit at 38ºF without the use of an external controller.

How to Take Measurements

I'm sure we're all capable with a tape measure. However, it's not uncommon to find two people post different measurements for the same freezer. We're only human, after all! Consistency can be easily achieved if we use the same criteria when measuring.

• Take all measurements to a precision of 1/16".
• For interior measurements, always round down to the nearest 1/16".
• For exterior measurements, always round up to the nearest 1/16".
• Include the height of the wheels in the exterior measurement, if installed.

I'm Still Confused. Help!

Hey, that's alright. Maybe I didn't explain something well enough, or at all. Feel free to ask me.

Realize that I'm much more inclined to help if you ask nicely and provide as much information as possible. I'd much rather read your 10-paragraph post than have to ask you a ton of questions to get the information needed to help you. Please, use paragraphs -- a wall of text is completely acceptable, but a tsunami of text might just get a tl;dr in response.

Haier 3.5cf HNCM035E

Reserved.

GE 5.0cf FCM5SUWW

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.



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Holiday 5.0cf LCM050LC

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Igloo 5.2cf FRF452

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.

Danby 5.5cf DCF550W1

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Magic Chef 7.0cf HMCF7W

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Danby 7.0cf DCF700W1

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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GE 7.0cf FCM7SUWW

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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GE 7.0cf FCM7DUWW

Reserved.

Hanover 7.0cf HANFC07MAW

Reserved.

Holiday 7.0cf LCM070LC

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Haier 7.1cf HCM071AW

Reserved.

Igloo 7.2cf FRF472

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Danby 8.7cf DCFM246WDD

Reserved.

GE 8.8cf FCM9DTWH

Reserved.

Frigidaire 8.8cf LFFC09M5HW

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Danby 10.2cf DCFM289WDD

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Frigidaire 12.9cf LFCH13M2MW

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Maytag 14.8cf MQC1552TEW

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Whirlpool 14.8cf EH151FXTQ

Reserved.

GE 14.8cf FCM15PUWW

Reserved.

GE 14.8cf FCM15SUWW

Reserved.

Frigidaire 14.8cf LFFN15M5HW

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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Whirlpool 17.5cf EH185FXTQ

Reserved.

GE 19.7cf FCM20SUWW

Reserved.

Frigidaire 19.7cf FGCH20M7LW

Reserved.

Amana 21.7cf AQC2213TEW

Reserved.

Whirlpool 21.7cf EH225FXTQ

Reserved.

GE 24.9cf FCM25SBWW

Reserved.

Frigidaire 24.9cf FGCH25M8LW

Download this specification sheet and layout as a high-resolution printable PDF at Dropbox.


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This guide is coming along nicely. Finished the first five posts for the time being. Added tutorials on how to read the spec sheets and layout drawings. Add a FAQ. Added instructions for how to request drawings for a new model. Etc etc.

Updated the 6 models that I have drawings for. The previous images were too small, so the new ones are about 5x the size. Also made all links clickable.

Everything's good to go. Was hoping to have models #7 and #8 posted by now, but this reformatting took up the time I had available to draw those out. Also, started my keezer build, the kegs arrive today, and I'm hoping to keg my first batch this evening. Exciting!

Thanks for stopping in, all. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here.

Looks great, keep up the good work. Not sure how often new freezer models come out, but you could consider reserving a few posts for models you aren't aware of or aren't out yet.

weeple2000 said:

Looks great, keep up the good work. Not sure how often new freezer models come out, but you could consider reserving a few posts for models you aren't aware of or aren't out yet.

Click to expand...

Hopefully they are retired at about the same speed as new models come out, in which case I'll create new posts for the retired ones and keep the new models in the first 30 posts. The links in the OP make it largely irrelevant anyway.

Thanks for reading!

Progress! Worked on the drawings for the 8.8cf Frigidaire today. I'm super not impressed. The extra depth is just enough to make it look like it holds a ton more than a 7.0cf model, but it really doesn't because the hump is so large. You can squeeze 6 ball locks in one, but it requires building a rather large hump extension platform. Mehhh.

Finished drawings for the Frigidaire 8.8cf LFFC09M5HW and posted them.

It's not a particularly impressive model for Cornys. The added depth makes it look like you can squeeze a ton of them in, but it just doesn't pan out that way. You can squeeze 7 if you don't mind using the hump, but it makes for an awkward 2 on the hump, 4 on the floor, 1 dangling over the hump configuration.

Where it really shines is as a fermentation chamber or a Sanke keg server.

It can hold 3 poly buckets, or 2 glass carboys and a poly bucket, or 2 Better Bottles and a poly bucket without a collar.

It's the smallest class I've seen that can hold a 1/2 barrel. You can even squeeze in a second 1/4 barrel on the hump without a collar or a second 1/2 barrel on the hump with a collar, plus two 5# CO2 in either configuration.

Lastly, you can fit either two 10-gallon ball locks and a poly bucket with no collar, or three 10-gallon ball locks with a collar.

Impressive thread! Thanks for doing all of the work to put this together. I just wanted to note that the GE 5.0cf can hold 4 ball lock kegs and a 5# CO2 tank (with a collar of course).