I've been following along on the thread and am ready to build a keezer as well. I just bought a new Kenmore 5.1 cu ft from Sears for $169. I'm using the Johnson Controls analog thermostat override ($69 from my local brew shop) and am already cold crashing a 5gal blonde at 40F. (This thermostat override unit is very accurate and installs in 30secs as the freezer plug simply plugs into the back of the Johnson Controls plug - see pic)
If you're like me, you brew about once a month and don't store more than about 10gals at a time, so I plan to use my Keezer for both a fermentation chamber and a keggerator. I've attached some photos, but the combinations for this 5.1cu ft unit are:
1. a 5gal carboy and two 3gal kegs
2. a 7gal fermenting pail and one 3gal keg
3. a 5gal keg and two 3gal kegs
Using the 3gal kegs will allow me the option of adding a low (2-3") collar - from what I've read, don't go with the tower mounted on the top as your lines won't be chilled and you'll end up with foam, PLUS, the top sheet metal of most new freezers is thin (cheap) and won't bear the weight of the tower unit.
I'm going to explore drilling into the front side of this freezer - I'm aware that there are cooling lines, but I believe I can easily remove the insulation and determine how to make a clean drill. Has anyone tried drilling into the side?