Kegerator Chamber under bar

After religiously studying the DIY forum for the past month or so, I'm ready to get started with my first big DIY. Having just moved from a small condo to a new house with a finished basement, I'm ready to start kegging and pimping out my man cave at the same time.

After waffling back and forth between keezer and tower, I've decided the best solution for me would be to build a bar with a 3-faucet tower, use the space beneath to store the cornies, and chill the chamber with a mini-fridge or temp-controlled freezer.

I've seen maybe 2 or 3 of this type of bar build on these forums (sorry, don't have links to the threads), but none really provided construction details like some other awesome threads have. Luckily I've drawn considerable inspiration from all of the similar fermentation chamber builds.

Ultimately my build boils down to one unsettled question: how much mini-fridge (or mini-freezer) will I need to cool a 2'x3'x3' (approx.) insulated chamber? I plan on lining it with 2" R-13 insulation. I've been eyeing up the Haier 1.3 cu.ft. freezer, but I just don't know if it's going to be able to get the chamber down to 38°. Anyone here with experience doing this? Or maybe anyone here who has gotten their fermentation chambers down to serving temperatures? Heck, does anyone even know if a smaller freezer cools better than a larger fridge or vice versa?

You can bet I'll be posting here once construction begins. This forum seems like it's due for another Epic Build thread. Thanks in advance!

Thats about the size and R-value of my fridge cooled insulated chamber. You may have seen my thread (its probably one of the ones that doesnt have good construction details, I was lazy sorry!). I use a Frigidaire 4.4 cu ft mini fridge and I wouldnt go any smaller than that to get down to serving temperatures. In fact I won't be surprised the day I come home to a dead fridge, be it next week or in 10 years. They are designed to cool a certain space, and we are asking it to go above and beyond its design capabilities. One suggestion I have off the bat is give yourself easy access to the chamber so you can replace the fridge if need be. I didnt think enough about this and will basically need to tear the side wall of the bar up to get to mine.

If you have any specific questions about my build I'd be glad to help.

kpr121 said:

Thats about the size and R-value of my fridge cooled insulated chamber. You may have seen my thread (its probably one of the ones that doesnt have good construction details, I was lazy sorry!). I use a Frigidaire 4.4 cu ft mini fridge and I wouldnt go any smaller than that to get down to serving temperatures. In fact I won't be surprised the day I come home to a dead fridge, be it next week or in 10 years. They are designed to cool a certain space, and we are asking it to go above and beyond its design capabilities. One suggestion I have off the bat is give yourself easy access to the chamber so you can replace the fridge if need be. I didnt think enough about this and will basically need to tear the side wall of the bar up to get to mine.

If you have any specific questions about my build I'd be glad to help.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Your build was definitely one I had looked at. The fridge option is a little scary, and you saying that a 4.4 cu ft is pushing the limits has me really favoring going with a temp controlled freezer, as that size is about the max I could fit.

I found this guy which I'd think should easily be able to cool the space:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunbeam-3.1-cu.-ft.-Upright-Freezer-White/14977100

And yes, I'm definitely going to give myself easy access to the fridge/freezer in case something does happen. Sketchup pictures coming soon.