Bourbon Barrel Kegerator

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LyonsNobleBrew

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I recently came into owning an old bourbon barrel and it came across me that I could make a pretty awesome kegerator out of it. Problem is i need some tips or something about building refrigerators so i can turn this barrel into something useful. Any ideas?
 
first see if it will hold what you need at least one keg and a co2 tank
get a mini fridge with the external condenser coils tear it apart (there are a few threads)
put the cooling plate (evaporator) inside the barrel after insulating it leave the condenser on the back side put a coffin box or tower on on end of the barrel after finishing the barrel head with bartop pourable epoxy if you get this to work it will be the next epic HBT kegorator thread.
 
yes i love this idea. For insulation you might consider a spray-in foam. It would be easy to conform to the irregular shape, and can be sculpted to the proper interior shape before finishing the inside.

You could house the pump and condenser underneath in a smallish box that the barrel would stand on.
 
right now Im debating what to insulate the inside with. My brother suggested some kind of foam or maybe even styrofoam. Also I might make a casing for the CO2 tank and the external condenser coils to go on the outside. First I just need to get the freakin thing open and take a look inside
 
Yea I have one as well and thought about the same thing, but decided it wasn't worth the cost for now (low budget). If you get anywhere with it be sure to post up. I think someone got fairly far with one but I don't remember if they ever finished it. Good luck.
 
The biggest challenge will be keeping the barrel from falling apart as it dries out. Well, maybe not the biggest challenge, but a major one I think. The staves will shrink as they dry out and the whole thing will become shaky and eventually collapse like a house of cards. Screwing the hoops to the wood staves helps considerably, but it will still be quite shaky and it will be leaky in every sense of the word. I do like the concept though and if you can figure out a way to stabilize and seal it, it would be a cool project. I'm thinking you might be able to spray the inside with something like fiberglass rosin to create a lining and hold the barrel together. I don't know how you would go about doing that, but I think it would work.
 
The biggest challenge will be keeping the barrel from falling apart as it dries out. Well, maybe not the biggest challenge, but a major one I think. The staves will shrink as they dry out and the whole thing will become shaky and eventually collapse like a house of cards. Screwing the hoops to the wood staves helps considerably, but it will still be quite shaky and it will be leaky in every sense of the word. I do like the concept though and if you can figure out a way to stabilize and seal it, it would be a cool project. I'm thinking you might be able to spray the inside with something like fiberglass rosin to create a lining and hold the barrel together. I don't know how you would go about doing that, but I think it would work.

I was thinking the same thing...
Maybe screw the staves to the hoops all the way around, then cut the hoops for the "door". Seperate the door half from the back half that would still have the top and bottom attached. Then fiberglass the inside of the door and the back half. Then it's just up to insulation and a couple of hinges and some plumbing :)

I want pics!
Post pron :rockin:
 
That's a sweet idea.

I think that with the condenser from a mini fridge idea, it will actually work. Also, don't forget that many hard woods are actually "fairly" good at holding in the cool temps. I do think you will need to insulate further, but this may actually work!
 
Also, don't forget that many hard woods are actually "fairly" good at holding in the cool temps. I do think you will need to insulate further, but this may actually work!

Not really: http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/W/AE_wood_R-value.html

Ripped from the site linked above:

"The R-value for wood ranges between 1.41 per inch (2.54 cm) for most softwoods and 0.71 for most hardwoods. Ignoring the benefits of the thermal mass, a 6-inch (15.24 cm) thick log wall would have a clear-wall (a wall without windows or doors) R-value of just over 8."
 
if i were to do this, first thing i would do is screw the straps to the staves, then i would cut the barrel down both sides and just above and below the bottom and top straps to make a door. I would install a piano hinge on one side and a magnetic strip on the other.

for the inside, i would first fiberglass it, then line the inside with insulation.

I might even consider removing the back 1/6 of the barrel and add a flat board. This will allow u to mount the refrigerator guts to a flat surface and it woudl tuck up next to the wall well.
 
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