Mini-Fridge Door Rebuild

Hello HBT peeps-

I have come across a larger mini fridge:rockin: and it has one flaw that I know someone out there can help me with-The door does not allow me to fit my fermenter with all the shelving (see pics). I have researched a little and read about people converting their mini-fridge door for kegerators so it must be possible to 1) remove the gasket and take of the plastic liner on the door and 2) rebuild an insulated piece to fit the door but leave me enough room to fit one of my fermenters. Any advice AND pictures of your build would be much appreciated.

My plan of action thus far is this: Use a razor blade to carefully remove seal from door and that should give me access to the screws attaching the plastic liner covering the door. Then remove the liner....that's all I have so far. None of the posts I have found seem to answer if the insulation beneath the liner on the door is molded to fit or if it is just a slab of sytofoam with a liner placed over it and exactly how easy it is to remove/rebuild. From one home brewer to another....please help!!

You shouldn't have to cut the seal to get to the screws. Just move the seal out of the way to expose the screws. You then remove the screws and door panel. However you will still want the outer edge of the panel to put back in to hold the seal to the door. All you really need to do is use a utility knife with the blade only partly out cut the panel just inside the seal. If you want then you can glue a piece of insulation to the door. The door is insulated seperate from the plastic panel. Just a slab of foam.
You can also use a utility knife to remove the shelf rails on the inside to make room for the fermenters if they are too fat.
The only thing to really worry about on these mini-fridges is the ice box section. You need to be really careful where you cut if you need the height.

Don't be scared be careful.

Got it. Great advice and much appreciated! Here is what I was able to do after fiddling with it for a few minutes. The plastic piece was not screwed on, it had some grooves around the edge by the seal, that let me just peel it right out without removing the seal. The foam is molded to fit but it looks like I can just trim the edges to obtain a semi flat surface for the inside door and call it a day. I may, stressing "may" pull off the foam and try to fit a foam piece from lowes but honestly, it seems like an unwarranted step considering that I could just use some shrink wrap or sealant of some type to put over the styrofoam after I cut it. What do you think?

And the freezer part is something I may not even mess with. After close inspection, the freezer line is built into the ridges in the plastic container of the freezer (see pic). I have never seen that and that is only the first line! There is a second line coming out the other side (not in pic). Considering that I am not licensed to mess with the freon, I have no idea how to move those lines without damaging the system, etc, I may just leave the freezer. I read a thread about carefully bending the freon lines but I don't know...here is the thread I read:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/prepare-your-gmr04-4-4cf-minifridge-kegs-76627/

So I was able to shape the door with a hand saw. Not to pretty but it will get the job done. I think I will cut out a few sections on the top of the door to allow my 7 gal fermenter to fit but as of now, 6 gal carboy fits great! I am going to try and move the freezer section tomorrow. After closer inspection, the second line is the thermostat which seems easy enough to move. Updates to come!

Great job nothing to it right? All the raised areas on the freezer are the freon, cut anywhere but there. If you bend it do it slow if it even starts to kink stop and DON'T go back up it will crack. It will be well worth the work.

Sweet. Thanks! I am so stoked to get to do full 5 gal lagers I have a much smaller mini fridge, slightly visible in the first pic on top of the new, larger fridge. I have been limiting myself to 3 gallon batches and its great to get practice in buuuut now its time to unleash the beast! Thanks for the help!

I am still iffy on moving the freezer portion. I also read that if that freon line gets a kink, I'm boned, as you stated. I need to pull out the fermenter with lid and see how it all fits now, before I do any damage.

Lowes/HD both sell a FRP board that will cover that door I skinned the whole inside of my kezzer lay the door seal on top and mark/drill the holessuper easy to clean up beer/wert spills

beaksnbeer said:

Lowes/HD both sell a FRP board that will cover that door I skinned the whole inside of my kezzer lay the door seal on top and mark/drill the holessuper easy to clean up beer/wert spills

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Great advice. Thank you. I was looking at Lowes but I didn't get to finish it today. Hopefully tomorrow. I was able to fit my 7gal plastic fermentor in there last night as is. I may just leave it. I am worried about the loose styrofoam but I went over it a lot with my dyson to get all the particles up. Contamination worries or paranoia?

Lots of pores in the foam for nasties to hide only takes a drop for mold to grow.

beaksnbeer said:

Lots of pores in the foam for nasties to hide only takes a drop for mold to grow.

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Yeah I agree. The problem is even if I cut the middle section out, there are still a ton of pores. I need the styrofoam around the fridge door to keep the shape and keep it sealed correctly. I know I can get pieces to fit the size I cut out but the pores are still there, festering. Any thoughts? Ideas? I have heard people use dry erase board to cover it but the germs can still get into the inside of the door. Not sure how to proceed.

For mold to form and grow it needs a food source without it cannot survive wert/beer would be the food so if you can seal the foam from the source dry erase board is ok but will absorb the moisture over time the FRP is plastic/fiberglass so is moisture proof my old fridge lasted for 8 years and the fiberglass batten insulation was still dry and mold free.

beaksnbeer said:

For mold to form and grow it needs a food source without it cannot survive wert/beer would be the food so if you can seal the foam from the source dry erase board is ok but will absorb the moisture over time the FRP is plastic/fiberglass so is moisture proof my old fridge lasted for 8 years and the fiberglass batten insulation was still dry and mold free.

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I just read your previous post and was googling FRP. Did you screw your panel and seal it onto the door frame or just screw it onto the door frame? My wife is sitting here telling me what a terrible idea the paneling would be and I should just saran wrap it.. I am looking into FRP board. Saran wrap this:rockin:

You can also use a little sheet metal ( also from lowes or HD) screwed right to the door frame. Probably a bit cheaper than FRP board. Note you'd need a set of sheers if you don't have one already.

I measured the inside of the seal and cut the board then I placed the seal over the board marked the holes for the screws. Drilled the holes and tucked the board inside the seal and screwed it in place. Not only does it seal it also looks finished.

The problem that door has is there is no real structure to it. The door is a giant styrofoam mold with sheet metal on the front and the seal is stuck straight to the foam as well so I cant pull the seal off to level it out. I looked into the sheet metal yestreday but with nothing to fasten it to....I am going with sealing the styrofoam instead.

When I converted mine I skipped past the very pricey FRP and bought a sheet of corrugated plastic from Home Depot for 8 bucks. It is the same material they use for vinyl political signs people put out in their front yard. It is plastic, non porous, and cleans easily. I found it with the plexiglass sheets near the windows section in my HD. Go easy when using screws but it has held up great. Gluing it on with gorilla glue would work too. good luck!

nutty_gnome said:

When I converted mine I skipped past the very pricey FRP and bought a sheet of corrugated plastic from Home Depot for 8 bucks. It is the same material they use for vinyl political signs people put out in their front yard. It is plastic, non porous, and cleans easily. I found it with the plexiglass sheets near the windows section in my HD. Go easy when using screws but it has held up great. Gluing it on with gorilla glue would work too. good luck!

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That is a good idea as well and I wish I had thought of that two weeks ago. The company I work for went belly up (thats how I landed the fridge) and we used the same material for window signs. I threw away literally hundreds of plastic sheets that I could have cut to fit. Darn

I dont think I am going to buy any kind of board. As mentioned, the door is just a styrofoam mold. I cant lodge any screws into that. The seal is stuch straight on the styrofoam so if I pull it off, I damage the seal and rip the foam. There isnt enough frame if I cut the styrofoam out for me to screw into. I have been applying a silicone sealant to the entire surface to seal it in. Cleans easy, keep the shape. Seems to be working just fine for now. I may not like the finished product and cut it out anyways..who knows

You could always spray it with plasti-dip.

dougp said:

You could always spray it with plasti-dip.

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What is this plasti-dip you speak of? I figured silicone would be a great use...looks ok so far. Plasti-dip....looking now..

discokid2k said:

What is this plasti-dip you speak of? I figured silicone would be a great use...looks ok so far. Plasti-dip....looking now..

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http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

I've seen it at the big orange store, and I'm sure the big blue store carries it as well.

From the description on their site:

Plasti Dip is a multi-purpose, air dry, specialty rubber coating. It can be easily applied by dipping, brushing, or spraying. Plasti Dip protective coating is ideal for a broad array of do-it-yourself projects around the home, garage, garden, and elsewhere. It protects coated items against moisture, acids, abrasion, corrosion, and skidding/slipping, and provides a comfortable, controlled grip. Plasti Dip remains flexible and stretchy over time, and will not crack or become brittle in extreme weather conditions. It has been tested and proven in temperatures from -30°F to 200°F.

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dougp said:

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

I've seen it at the big orange store, and I'm sure the big blue store carries it as well.

From the description on their site:

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Hmmm...I looked into it but havent made it out to lowes yet. I am still letting my silicone cover sit for now. My lager kit doesnt arrive until later today so I have some time. The graphics dont really do any justice-is it easy to put on and apply like paint or is it thicker?

discokid2k said:

Hmmm...I looked into it but havent made it out to lowes yet. I am still letting my silicone cover sit for now. My lager kit doesnt arrive until later today so I have some time. The graphics dont really do any justice-is it easy to put on and apply like paint or is it thicker?

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I haven't used it myself but from the applications I've seen, it goes on like spray paint in terms of coverage. You can do a coat or two but one should suffice.

dougp said:

I haven't used it myself but from the applications I've seen, it goes on like spray paint in terms of coverage. You can do a coat or two but one should suffice.

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Seems manageable. I will pick some up this weekend and follow up on application. Thanks for the tip!

Double post

Plasti dip works great. I've only used the spray can and love it. Only 2 warnings, make sure you watch for overspray and it may start to peel on smooth glass or metal surfaces. You could easily spray a glass carboy and then peel it all off in a few days.

discokid2k said:

Hello HBT peeps-

I have come across a larger mini fridge:rockin: and it has one flaw that I know someone out there can help me with-The door does not allow me to fit my fermenter with all the shelving (see pics). I have researched a little and read about people converting their mini-fridge door for kegerators so it must be possible to 1) remove the gasket and take of the plastic liner on the door and 2) rebuild an insulated piece to fit the door but leave me enough room to fit one of my fermenters. Any advice AND pictures of your build would be much appreciated.

My plan of action thus far is this: Use a razor blade to carefully remove seal from door and that should give me access to the screws attaching the plastic liner covering the door. Then remove the liner....that's all I have so far. None of the posts I have found seem to answer if the insulation beneath the liner on the door is molded to fit or if it is just a slab of sytofoam with a liner placed over it and exactly how easy it is to remove/rebuild. From one home brewer to another....please help!!

View attachment 93207

View attachment 93208

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The pictures are gone! This is exactly my problem right now! I want to cold crash my primary before racking it into secondary!

Erkle42 said:

The pictures are gone! This is exactly my problem right now! I want to cold crash my primary before racking it into secondary!

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I don’t know if you’ll get any help in this eight year old thread but I’ll tell you what I did with my mini fridge.

1. Don’t mess with the door seal unless you have to. If you damage it the box won’t hold the cold air in.
2. I used a dremel with a router bit to cut off all the protruding shelves and then sealed over the exposed insulation with foil tape.

This pic is more of the inside of the fridge but you can see what I did to the door.

csantoni said:

I don’t know if you’ll get any help in this eight year old thread but I’ll tell you what I did with my mini fridge.

1. Don’t mess with the door seal unless you have to. If you damage it the box won’t hold the cold air in.
2. I used a dremel with a router bit to cut off all the protruding shelves and then sealed over the exposed insulation with foil tape.

This pic is more of the inside of the fridge but you can see what I did to the door.

View attachment 741371

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You think duct tape would suffice? Maybe extra duty gorilla tape?

Erkle42 said:

You think duct tape would suffice? Maybe extra duty gorilla tape?

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I suspect either of those would be challenging in the moist environment of a fridge full of fermenting beer or kegs. Foil tape is readily available at any hardware store so you’d probably be better off getting some. Wet foam insulation is not a good thing.

There are mini fridges out there that are big enough for 5 & 6 gallon carboys without modification. I’d find one of those and sell the smaller one or use it for bottle or yeast storage. This one is 4.4 cu ft with no freezer.

Mine is totally big enough for my 6.5 gallon ale pail fermenter, it’s just the door shelving prevents it from closing.

Mine’s also big enough to hold 2 kegs and a CO2 tank without removing the door plastic.

On mine the door shelves and the gasket were held in place by screws under the gasket. See pictures below. I took it apart and replaced the shelves with white dry erase marker board I got at the big box store. In my case I also extended the depth with a wood collar. A piece of drywall edge metal fastened to the wood collar allows the magnetic door gasket to continue to be useful

I lifted up the seal on mine, removed the screws, removed the shelves on the door, used a utility knife to cut the flat part of the plastic where the screws go keeping it all in one piece, reinserted the thin plastic rectangle into the seal and reinstalled the seal. Easy, peasy.

Beermeister32 said:

Mine’s also big enough to hold 2 kegs and a CO2 tank without removing the door plastic.
View attachment 741447

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What make and model fridge is this?