Freezer lid interior plastic - functional or strictly aesthetic?

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EngineJoe

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Hey all -

I'm working on a keezer conversion and am trying to determine the right collar size; I'd like to put some kegs on the compressor hump. But there's an extra complicating factor: the interior side of the lid has a plastic shell on it, as I imagine most do. This one is VERY textured though, there are parts of it that reduce the interior headspace by as much as 4" (other areas are as little as .25"). My question is: can I remove this plastic shell and leave it off with no ill effects? Obviously the insulative material will still be there -- but I don't know if the contours of the plastic have any useful properties (airflow?), for example. I don't particularly care about the aesthetics of the inside of the keezer, so the "ugliness" of a bare lid is of no concern to me.

The answer to this would have a significant impact on my keezer's capacity: if I have to keep the plastic shell on, I can hold 4 kegs -- but if I can take it off (or at least cut off the more protruding parts of it), I can fit up to 7!

Anyone know?
 
The big question is WHY are they there!?!? I'd take it off and probe for coolant lines.... Not typical in a freezer, but I don't know why else it would be contoured like that. Take it off (probably screws underneath the gasket; mark where they came from in case they are different). Unbend a hanger and poke gently to see if it measures all the way to the bottom of the top in many places. If it does, I say take it off, shave the insulation, and get something flat to take it's place (erase or chalkboard would be handy).

What model is this again?
 
Hi -

Thanks for the response. Seems unlikely to be coolant lines since there are no visible connection points between the body and the lid (other than the hinges, which I have inspected thoroughly) other than an AC quick disconnect. There is a light which I have removed (what the AC disconnect is there for) in the lid, which explains SOME of the contouring -- i.e. to protect the bulb and wiring -- but there are contours elsewhere that have no obvious bearing on that stuff.

This is the 8.8 cu. ft. GE - I got it from Sam's Club on a deal (here's their picture of it, BUT the actual lid interior of my freezer is a bit different than what's pictured, for whatever reason).

I think you're right that the best thing to do is just take it off and make sure there's no coolant or other reason that requires it be there. My hope is that they needed some "shell" protection for the light but also wanted to make it look like part of a "pattern" so they just tossed in more contouring all over the top.
 
While I haven't disassembled a freezer lid on any freezer newer than thirty years old I do remember that as a kid the old freezer mom and dad had used fiberglass insulation in the lid and the plastic liner would keep condensation from getting into the fiberglass and freezing. And when that lid did eventually develop a crack and moisture/ice started to accumulate the lid got heavier and heavier until first it could not stay open on it's own and then the plastic and ice logged insulation tore loose from the outer shell of the lid. The texturing you see is probably for rigidity rather than aesthetics.
 
hey , i took mine off because lid wouldnt close after setting up my collar, so the shell came off and I then sanded down some of the foam in the trouble spots until my lid would close. It should come off fine, I cut completely around near the edge of the shell until I could lift the whole thing off in one piece. I then covered all the foam in that foil tape that is used in HVAC, 4 foot strips or so. good luck
 
Thanks for the perspectives, guys. The foil tape is a good idea! (and might avoid anything like the problem camiller describes with the old skool freezer). Time to get my hands dirty, it appears.
 
+1 foam can be messy.. I'd still be weary without probing just because it seems really weird to have those contours... shop vac time! Let us know how it goes, and good luck!
 
Hi All, new here. First post. Been learning alot in the last few days. Would the plastic interior not also function as a vapor barrier?
 
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