Tizzle's 8 tap keezer bar build

I wanted to get this thread started up. I picked up a nice looking 14.8 cu ft freezer off of Craigslist last week with the intention of making an 8 tap coffin keezer. I currently have a 2 tap kegerator and it just isn't enough.

I'm still working through my design while trying to get the skeleton build. I've got a platform with casters done and need to plan my next steps.

Here's what I know so far:
1 - 14.8 cu ft freezer
2 - Will use 2x9's for a collar to make compressor hump useful
3 - 8 Perlick faucets spaced 4" apart
4 - Two 16" drip trays
5 - 36" wide coffin box
6 - Bar top will be 60" wide x 32" deep (front to back)
7 - Freezer will be easily removed in case it breaks and needs to be replaced

I've had a couple of ideas over the last few days.

The lid on the freezer is kind of banged up. I think I am going to remove it and replace with a DIY lid made from two 1/2" plywood sheets sandwiched together and backed with 2+" of foam insulation inside the freezer. Any reason why this would be a bad idea?

I'm looking for a way to route the drain line and I had a stroke of genius this morning that I think kills a few birds with 1 stone. There is no heat exhaust from the back of the freezer (as determined because the back doesn't require and minimal clearance). Since I'm replacing the lid and using a collar, why couldn't I just turn the freezer backwards in the box? This puts the drain hole and the freezer front (biggest heat transfer surface) towards the back of the box which will remain open. It'll be much easier to drain from there and reduce heat transfer problems. Thoughts?

I still need to figure out what I'm going to use for the bar top. I don't know if I will use ceramic or granite tile or if I will go for something different.

How critical is cold-air routing inside the faucet box? I see some people say they don't have any problems and others say that they do. I don't mind putting in a few computer case fans and routing the air using foam insulation to make small chambers but I'm not sure I want to go through all of the efforts to put in a duct system with a serious fan.

Any input is greatly appreciated! I am stoked about this build and am looking forward to getting it operational. A huge shout-out and thanks to Jester. I'm definitely using his design as inspiration and he also sent me his Google Sketch-Up files which has made my job a good bit easier.

And plenty of pictures will come as I get this build going. Not much to see as of now but I'll get some shots up this afternoon.

Good luck and enjoy the build, I am finishing mine up right now. I put some computer fans in the coffin to circulate air up and back down into the freezer, i noticed that it was quite a bit warmer than the freezer and it is completely insulated.

I see no issues with turning the freezer around backwards either, sounds like a pretty smart idea to me.

If the top is banged up but you are covering it anyways why does it matter?

That is a different idea to turn the freezer around. To open it means you would need to pull it far away from the wall for filling, emptying, adjusting, etc. Its easy to build a surround with an air gap for cooling. On mine I did not cover the cooling gaps at the top of the rim so the hot air can escape.

Making your own lid will work others have done this. If it were me I would use the old lid. No matter how banged up it is its going to be covered and no one will see it anyway. Plus attaching it and aligning it up with the base will be much easier.

A collar and a coffin seems like a lot of work for just two more taps. My Keezer is of similar size and I went with five taps. Even with five taps I'm having trouble keeping them all hooked up. If you went with six taps you would not need to build a collar and the cost would be around a $100 cheaper.

Ohh and adding some visuals to the thread helps a lot even if its just what you have done so far.

I can fit 8 kegs without the collar but it also makes my bar top a bit too short for my liking. With the collar and caster wheels, I have my top estimated to be at about 4' tall right now. If I remove the collar, that pulls it down to less than 3.5'. The collar is more about getting the bar to the right height than about having more storage space but that is an added benefit.

Turning the freezer around has no bearing on the way it opens. I'm ditching the lid for sure. It's so crappy that I don't want it in the build. I will still put the hinges on the back of the bar so it lifts from the front. They will be connected to the collar and new lid, not the freezer, so it won't require me to mod the freezer in any way other than to remove the lid.

Here's where I'm at right now:

Plans for base on casters



Plans for bar top and coffin



Pics of freezer and base as it sits now with one shot of banged up lid

jaytizzle,

I just measured my Keezer and it is just under 3.5' tall and it seems a good height for me being 6' tall. But if the added height is a must you could make the base taller to get to 4'. IMO that would be easier than adding a collar with all of the insulating and sealing issues. Plus the area around the collar will be warmer possibly making a circulating fan necessary. A link to my Keezer build is in my sig for how I did things.

Good luck and keep the pics coming.

Thanks, purplehaze. I'll check out your build for sure. I've looked at probably 100+ in trying to get my design down for this one. I've also got a buddy who is quite handy with electronics and I'm going to work with him to make LCD boards for each tap so I can use that to label them instead of traditional methods. I think it'll be a pretty interesting take on things.

Well I met with a friend of mine tonight who does a lot of woodworking and has helped me with my aquarium stand projects. We've heavily modified the design but I think it'll come out a good bit sturdier.

I don't have anything sketched up yet that is presentable. I'll get started ripping some 1x6's and 2x6's soon and will put up plenty of pictures as I go. This should be a good bit different from a structural perspective than the rest of the coffin keezer builds out there.

Small update... I ordered myself a Love TSS2-2100 controller and two TS-2 stainless steel temp probes. This unit is capable of dual inputs so I figure I can use one probe in the freezer and another in the coffin. The freezer probe will cue the compressor and the coffin probe will cue a set of circulation fans. Has anyone else done their build this way?

Excited to see the revised design when you get it figured out

I do like the idea of flipping the freezer around...that had never really occurred to me before.

Thanks, jro. The revised design is all in the structure. Let me see if I can put it in words so it makes sense without having a picture...

I'm going to get some 1x6's and rip cut them to the right width to make "ribs" from the edge of the base and butt up against the freezer. These will make the vertical support posts. I'm also going to rip cut some 2x6's for the back support pieces.

I'm not going to do a true collar, it'll be more of a mock collar. I cant really explain that without a drawing or a picture so it will have to wait. I'm hoping I can start cutting my lumber this weekend. I'm waiting on a pocket jig to come in so I can screw in the lumber nice and neat.

Progress has finally been made. I realized my casters were too small (125lb load limit) so I got bigger ones (2 @ 210, 2 @ 175). My pocket hole jig came in and I got all of my frame lumber cut to size. I even got most of it mounted yesterday. I'll finish it up today, swap the casters, and get some pictures.

My woodworking buddy had a good idea. Has anybody topped their keezer with slab granite? I am going to stop by a few local places this weekend and see if they have any remnants big enough that I can get for a really good price. Hopefully I can get one and have it cut to the right size then we will trim it in some really nice wood for the countertop of the bar.

Making some more progress tonight. I think I've run into a problem, though. I am trying to add a 9" collar to make the compressor hump inside the freezer usable. By doing this, and including the 3" casters I put on it, I'm going to end up with a bar height of 50". I'm not extremely tall (6'0" or 72"). I think I may be overdoing it on this one. If I remove the collar, I can cut it down to about a 41" bar height. What do you guys think?

40" is standard bar height, so I recommend the 41". The pic of you next to it currently does not,look like it would be comfortable for long, or for many!

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I simulated pouring from a coffin on top of this monster and it feels like I'm pouring from over my head. Not really a good thing.

I really like the idea of using a slab for the bar top. I thought about doing that for my build but then settled on tiling it instead (just for convenience).

I am going with a piece of oak butcher block for my keezer top replacement. This will end up matching my bar lower counter top and back bar.

Eventually I will also skin the keezer with something like .25" oak ply as well. Read on another good keezer thread where someone did this and with the adhesive and the ply they were still getting good heat transfer from the coils so the unit wasn't overheating. I will double check but I think they even gave an update after a year or more in and no compressor issues having done the skin. Just think this will give me an awesome built in look.

Sorry, almost forgot. While mine is much smaller and won't be as loaded as yours, I did put mine on those moving men discs and I can slide mine around on the concrete patio just fine with 2 kegs, co2, numerous bottles inside.

My apologies as progress has ground to a halt on this build. It should resume at a rapid pace now. I've gotta give a HUGE thanks to Todd at KegConnection.com for working with me on this build. He took a lot of time to make sure that I had everything that I needed/wanted all in one order and he did a hell of a lot of discounting for me to keep it reasonable.

Christmas pretty much came early this year!







As it turns out, I can fit 8 kegs AND a 25# CO2 tank in the freezer!



And here's a better shot of the sweet 8-gauge secondary regulator stack!

So I know it's been FOREVER since I've updated this. Finally got the bar functional about a month ago...

I need to finish the cabinetry to skin the outside so you can't see the freezer. The granite slab is HEAVY but I installed a set of 100lb gas struts to assist in lifting the lid. Good news is that they work like a champ. Bad news is that they're a tad too strong so I am going to put heavy magnets on top of those two center ribs to keep it closed.

I can get all 8 kegs in and out (a bit of a pain sometimes but nothing terrible), the CO2 should last a LONG time, and the wife has diet coke on tap in the 8th faucet. I'll take more pictures of this build once I get it wrapped up.

The cabinetry will be a simple frame and panel construction, made out of red oak, and stained the same as the coffin. I have 2 fans that I need to install for air circulation in the coffin, but I have to reconstruct the back of the coffin still (didn't account for mounting my regulators in there and they're too deep).



Gas Struts - (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041EBSX4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20)

Can you please show how you installed the struts? I will need to do the same.

Cheers thx

trent said:

Can you please show how you installed the struts? I will need to do the same.

Cheers thx

Click to expand...

Will do. I'll take some pictures when I get home today. It was a much easier progress than I had anticipated.

Pics please

Here's the detail pics on the gas strut install. I glued some 1x4 to the freezer body with construction adhesive. Then I used 3/4" screwss to attach the brackets to the wood. The struts were a bit difficult to install as they're 100lb struts and take a LOT of force to compress. I installed the bottom bracket, put the strut onto it, then had my little brother hold the granite lid up while I screwed it into the underside (the granite is mounted to plywood using a ton of construction adhesive and hinged to those big 2x6's in the back). The first time I put one on, it torqued a bit sideways and sheared off the screws so I had to be careful. Placement needed to be done so that the struts didn't torque sideways when closing.

If there's any other questions on the install, please ask. It was pretty easy to do, really.

I saw a boxer in a couple pics. Great dogs!

Good looking build too!

Thanks, yeah I have three of them running around the house!

I was hoping to get the cabinetry done to enclose the freezer before the end of the year but I don't see that happening. Still have some work to do but at least I can drink now!