pericles
Well-Known Member
Lowes is currently selling a 4.4 cu. ft. compact fridge for $149.99, which is $30 savings. Before I bought it, I was hoping to confirm that the fridge would work on this site, but there was no thread that had given the thumbs up to that particular model number. I took a flyer on it, and it works GREAT, and the build was even easier than for most of the kegerators I've seen on this site. Here's my step-by-step:
(1) Here's the product number at Lowes. If yours isn't this model number, you might now have the right fridge, so double check.
(2) Here's a view of the inside. You can see that the freon tubes don't go through the inside of the fridge, so there's no plate chiller to bend back, no lines to kink or break, and no risk of destroying the fridge. That's something I really liked about this model.
(3) First off, let's take the freezer door off. Find the two screws right next to the temperature controller and unscrew them. Then the door pops right off.
(4) Now that the freezer door is off, you can slide the freezer base right out; there's nothing holding it in place.
(5) Unfortunately, the door is a little more tricky than some others. You can peel the rubber seal right off (it pops back into place easily later on) but there are no screws. Instead, the molded interior is held in place with glue, and is bonded to the insulation underneath it.
(6) To get more working space on the door, I removed it by unscrewing the foot that holds it in place at the bottom of the fridge.
(7) I used a utility knife to cut the plastic, and then knocked the molded pieces out with a hammer. If anybody else can come up with a better method, they're welcome to share it!
(8) Once I was done removing the plastic, I cut down the insulation so it was all flush with the edges of the door. That gives me more room to store kegs inside.
(9) Next I flipped the door over, and used a one-and-three-eighths-inch hole bit to cut the exterior skin of the door where I want the tap to go. After the plastic piece was gone, I cut the insulation underneath out of the way using a flat-head screwdriver.
(1) Here's the product number at Lowes. If yours isn't this model number, you might now have the right fridge, so double check.
(2) Here's a view of the inside. You can see that the freon tubes don't go through the inside of the fridge, so there's no plate chiller to bend back, no lines to kink or break, and no risk of destroying the fridge. That's something I really liked about this model.
(3) First off, let's take the freezer door off. Find the two screws right next to the temperature controller and unscrew them. Then the door pops right off.
(4) Now that the freezer door is off, you can slide the freezer base right out; there's nothing holding it in place.
(5) Unfortunately, the door is a little more tricky than some others. You can peel the rubber seal right off (it pops back into place easily later on) but there are no screws. Instead, the molded interior is held in place with glue, and is bonded to the insulation underneath it.
(6) To get more working space on the door, I removed it by unscrewing the foot that holds it in place at the bottom of the fridge.
(7) I used a utility knife to cut the plastic, and then knocked the molded pieces out with a hammer. If anybody else can come up with a better method, they're welcome to share it!
(8) Once I was done removing the plastic, I cut down the insulation so it was all flush with the edges of the door. That gives me more room to store kegs inside.
(9) Next I flipped the door over, and used a one-and-three-eighths-inch hole bit to cut the exterior skin of the door where I want the tap to go. After the plastic piece was gone, I cut the insulation underneath out of the way using a flat-head screwdriver.
