It seems there are two camps, the chest freezer guys and the ones that take any old craigslist fridge and jam the kegs in where they fit and drill the door.
What I'm interested in discussing is the use of upright freezers for kegerator modifications. I'm sure there are pros and cons on both sides, but maybe my thinking is short sighted so help me out.
Chest Freezer:
Pro:
Con:
Upright Freezer or Fridge-Only Model:
Pro:
Con:
After thinking about all those, it's pretty obvious why people go for chest freezers. However, the one pro of the upright that has me pausing is the smaller footprint. I'm always going to have this thing in my garage so building a fancy cabinet with a marble top isn't ever going to happen.
I haven't looked at all the available uprights and taken a ton of measurements, but I do know one of the Frigidaire models at Lowes will hold something like 12 pinlock kegs (six pack on bottom and top) if I take the shelving off the door. It also has a slightly smaller footprint than my chest freezer that only holds 5 kegs. I'd likely stick with 8 kegs and leave room on the top shelf for lagering a carboy.
Anyone do this already? Pics?
What I'm interested in discussing is the use of upright freezers for kegerator modifications. I'm sure there are pros and cons on both sides, but maybe my thinking is short sighted so help me out.
Chest Freezer:
Pro:
- May replace any keg without shuffling others.
- Cheaper per cubic foot.
- Lower Profile.
- Collar faucets make mods reversible. (if anyone would ever do this)
- Cold air stays put when lid momentarily opened. (not a big deal unless you use party faucets)
Con:
- Larger footprint per cubic foot.
- Must build collar for faucets (if using shanks/faucets)
- Without a platform, collar faucets are a little too low.
- Must lift kegs straight up and over.
- Cleaning the bottom interior requires awkward yoga moves.
Upright Freezer or Fridge-Only Model:
Pro:
- Smaller Footprint per cubit foot
- Ideal Faucet height can be selected in door.
- Air seals and insulation value maintained.
Con:
- Must build heavy duty shelf for second row of kegs.
- Must shuffle a keg or two when replacing ones in back.
- Cold air falls out when door momentarily opened. (not a big deal if there is a lot of liquid in there)
- Drilling shank holes is irreversible.
After thinking about all those, it's pretty obvious why people go for chest freezers. However, the one pro of the upright that has me pausing is the smaller footprint. I'm always going to have this thing in my garage so building a fancy cabinet with a marble top isn't ever going to happen.
I haven't looked at all the available uprights and taken a ton of measurements, but I do know one of the Frigidaire models at Lowes will hold something like 12 pinlock kegs (six pack on bottom and top) if I take the shelving off the door. It also has a slightly smaller footprint than my chest freezer that only holds 5 kegs. I'd likely stick with 8 kegs and leave room on the top shelf for lagering a carboy.
Anyone do this already? Pics?