Chest Freezer/Keezer Question

Ive lurked around this forum over the last few years to find answers to my question and never needed to register but now i find myself not finding the answer so i figured i would join to ask the question.

Were building an outdoor bar behind my brothers pool and want to use a Keezer in place of a regular kegerator so that the extra space can be used as cold storage. I know most people build a collar and relocate the lid but this would create a space issue were wanting to avoid.

So ... My question, after looking into some schematics it appears i should be able to just drill/cut a hole in the side near the top to run a trunk line to where the tower will be located.

The best i can find all of the cooling coils are located along the bottom or the bottom of the side of the chest.

Am i wrong? Am i crazy? Has it been done before?

I wouldn't assume that there aren't coils near the top. You might try the cornstarch method to see if you can figure out exactly where the coils are on your freezer. You might also want to drill a small pilot hole that just pierces the skin of the freezer, and then use something to feel around in the foam to make sure there aren't any coolant lines or wires where you're trying to make the hole. When you drill the full size hole I'd also just drill through the skin, and then cut/pick the insulation out by hand just to be sure.

Never drill through the side of a freezer! Ever... at all! I can't think of many people who have posted here that have done that successfully, but I can think of a bunch who have ruined the freezers. Drill through the lid if you don't want to do a collar.

The evaporator lines are usually just behind the inside metal skin and the condenser lines just behind the outside metal skin. You MAY be able to tell from the temperatures when it's running where both sets are. Once you do that, the method with a small, pilot hole as mentioned by JuanMoore above would probably work.

Have you called the manufacturer's tech support department? They may have a decent drawing or tell you where there is a definite location free of any tubes / wiring.