Can I convert a small fridge w/ a freezer shelf?

I found a really good deal on a 4.6 Compact Fridge. The only drawback is that it has a freezer shelf.
Can I safely remove the shelf?
Can I cut and crimp the line going to the freezer shelf? I will lose approx. 3-4 inches by leaving it in.
Is this enough room for a Corny Keg with the fittings?

Thanks for the help.

If it's like the fridge that I *acquired* from deep-storage at work, the freezer shelf contains all of the coolant. I'm going to try and GENTLY bend it up and out of the way, but you can't remove it, or you're not going to be doing too much cooling!

jmjbj_h said:

I found a really good deal on a 4.6 Compact Fridge. The only drawback is that it has a freezer shelf.
Can I safely remove the shelf?
Can I cut and crimp the line going to the freezer shelf? I will lose approx. 3-4 inches by leaving it in.
Is this enough room for a Corny Keg with the fittings?

Thanks for the help.

Click to expand...

I'm no refrigeration expert, but I think a large portion of the "cold" comes from the cooling coil that is the freezer shelf.

Cutting it would probably be risky. The Sanyo 4912 does not have that worthless freezer compartment makes it the mini-fridge of choice for kegging.

They're usually between $150-$190 at Best Buy.

EDIT: Or...yeah...what Bird said...

This fridge is under $100 dollars so we are talking a lot of savings as far as my budget is concerned versus the Sanyo. I have looked at the Sanyo and it is perfect, but I have had a hard time jusifying it to the wife.

The freezer component is a rectangular box 3 x 8. How do I "bend" it out of the way? How proud are the connections to the corny keg because I know that the kegs themselves are 25" tall. The inner dimentions are the same as the Sanyo, H 33 3/4, W 21 3/8, D 22 3/4

Are there other drawbacks of the freezer unit from those who have been there?

Well, consider...

If I bend the freezer unit out of the way, but crack the metal and coolant leaks, my net cost is $0. Fridge was free.

If you drop $100 on a fridge and you f*ck it up, you've got a $100 insulated box.

Buying new, I'd drop the coin on the proper model, the one that you KNOW can be converted without any issues. Are you planning on adding a tower? I'm not sure that I can easily do that with mine, as the freezer unit will still be between the kegs and the top. But, I'm just planning on picnic-tapping until I get a proper second fridge, at which time this unit will be my lagering fridge.

If you want to install a tower, I would HIGHLY recommend going for the Sanyo.

I was considering your same comments. We are going to buy new appliances in the next year, so I will be scoring our old fridge which I plan on making into a full fledged 4 tap door mount model down the road. I "could" just picnic tap for the time being and use it as a lagerator down the road.

you are probably going to break the coolant lines if you bend that shelf, it contains all of the coolant lines, and its placement and air flow around it keep the freezer frozen and the fridge cool. Altering it will severely mess up the usefulness of the refrigerator.

Oh, and when those lines break, it smells real bad and you then own a useless fridge...oh, and you are killing the environment and Al Gore!

jmjbj_h said:

...I have looked at the Sanyo and it is perfect, but I have had a hard time jusifying it to the wife...

Click to expand...

Brew her a Kolsch. The first time my SWMBO took a drink off the keg of a beer she liked, the purse strings loosened...a bit... "How many kegs can you fit in there?" she said.

"Only two...but if I got a chest freezer, we could move this one upstairs for entertaining...blah, blah, blah..."

I'm still working it.

Don't bother with it. Scour craigslist for a used fridge w/o the freezer. I got a sanyo 4910 for 65 bucks. They are out there... especially around college campuses. This is the time of the year when they start popping up LIKE CRAZY.

I just got off the phone with SWMBO, and she happened to mention that "we're still planning on getting another fridge, right?"

Meaning, I'm not going to risk bending that freezer unit...

I got a 4912 shipped to my door for $100 bucks off ebay last year. There were TON right about this time of year when the college kids started moving out for the summer. I would keep an eye on craigslist and ebay if you trust it.

Thanks for the advice. I scoped out several of the different freezer type configs and came to the same conclusion about breakage. I am going to just bite the bullet. Craigslist is not real strong for me because I live in a rural area. I will keep checking ebay.

I have a dorm fridge with the freezer shelf. I was considering bending the plate but thought better of it. It is exactly the height for the pin-lock but might not fit with all the tubes. I would love to make this a kegerator but just afraid everything would be too tight.

I am considering using this fridge for lagering (a carboy with airlock fits fine) and buy a Sanyo for kegs. Also have to buy the kegging equipment...

I have a question related:
What if you were to use the fridge, remove the door and build an insulated 'box' for the kegs? You would need to add a fan but the cooling power of the fridge should be good enough to keep the beer at serving temperatures.

Also, found this on another post, very helpful:

anyone been able to fit a carboy in one of those with the freezer compartment?

Yes. A 5 gallon carboy with airlock fits with stopper and 3-piece airlock. The inside of this fridge measures 24 from bottom to fridge 'plate.'