Converting the Frigidaire 7.2 cu ft Chest Freezer

Just finished this weekend. Quaffer, thanks for the great blue print. I'm sure we'll have many festive gatherings with family and friends with this keezer.

The unvieling party at our house had scenes where folks were having their picture taken standing next to it......... Thanks again Quaffer!

this is sweet......subscribed.....

Thanks Quaffer for the excellent blueprint. Thanks to everyone else who contributes to this thread! Here is my setup, I had forgotten to post the completed project.

DariusFresh said:

Thanks Quaffer for the excellent blueprint. Thanks to everyone else who contributes to this thread! Here is my setup, I had forgotten to post the completed project.

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Nice. Five taps! Have you had five kegs in there yet? I have not yet on mine, but in theory it should be possible.

Yup! I've got five kegs in there, the 5th one hangs off the hump by about .5 inch or so, but I feel pretty safe about it.
Tap1:BIPA
Tap2:Coffee Stout
Tap3:Belgian Pale
Tap4:Seltzer
Tap5:Apfelwein

Thanks again for everything, I probably wouldn't have followed through with it if it wasn't for this thread.

How'd you attach the drip tray? Beautiful job.

Rick500 said:

How'd you attach the drip tray? Beautiful job.

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not sure how he did it but i have the same drip tray. will be getting two 4" L brackets and epoxying them to 2" x 1" rare earth magnets so that i don't have to drill into the freezer. will use velcro to attach the tray to the bracket so it stays in place but can be removed easily for cleaning. the magnets i got have an 18lb pulling force so should easily hold a full pint or two if someone places it on the tray accidentally.

Actually, I just used l-brackets with the mounting tape. I just hit the brackets with some black gloss spraypaint first. They blend in with the freezer really well! I did just get some rare earth magnets in the mail today, but they just kind of slide down the freezer. To rectify this, I am going to put a sliver of drawer liner in between the magnet and the freezer. That should do the trick!

DariusFresh said:

Yup! I've got five kegs in there, the 5th one hangs off the hump by about .5 inch or so, but I feel pretty safe about it.

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Yep, same here....

My keezer is packed full with 5 kegs, 5lb CO2 bottle, fan, and dehumidifier...

Though, I only have 4 taps drilled right now. I really wish I had a 5th valve on my CO2 set up so I could carb that fifth keg, and be serving four...

I had a heck of a time finding a 5 port manifold. I think I eventually found one at rebelbrewer.

I have the same set up. I only have four taps, but the fifth keg fits with no problem. Always good to have a carbed, chilled keg ready when one blows. Even with a 10# CO2 tank it fits with no problems.

Thanks for all of the great information here.

I just got this keezer from best buy (white) for $207 w/ taxes. I had some gift cards so it worked out.

The keg will fit a 1/2 barrel on the bottom (takes the entire bottom shelf), and you can get 2 kegs on the shelf slightly stagered without an issue.

I plan to spray it black like some users have done using rust-oleum universal paint. I haven't decided on what kind of wood yet, but probably using 1 x 8 for it. Haven't decided on the stain for the wood. I was contemplating the chalkboard paint, but not sure how I want to handle that part yet.

I'm going to attach the collar to the lid instead of what the main author did here as I like that method more. I'll most likely just get some brackets to fasten the lid to the collar in combination with silicone.

I'll keep the CO2 tank most likely outside as well and I just purchased a wireless dehumidifier that people have had success with. I bought this $8 dollar desk fan at True Value that I want to use for inside, it is just on a normal plug. Anyone see why I can't use it?

Anyone have suggestions as to the best place to find the taps and beer line on the cheap?

navynukesteve said:

Anyone have suggestions as to the best place to find the taps and beer line on the cheap?

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If you are looking for Perlicks, Farm House Brewing has the 525ss for $32 or so. (I just bought the old style 425ss for $40.)

copyright1997 said:

If you are looking for Perlicks, Farm House Brewing has the 525ss for $32 or so. (I just bought the old style 425ss for $40.)

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I echo this as well. I just bought my faucets from them. Cheapest shipped that I could find.

greatschmaltez said:

Just finished this weekend. Quaffer, thanks for the great blue print. I'm sure we'll have many festive gatherings with family and friends with this keezer.

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Greatschmaltez, could you please send me a copy of the blue prints?? I would really appreciate it. [email protected]

-MG- said:

I echo this as well. I just bought my faucets from them. Cheapest shipped that I could find.

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Thanks for the help. I'll be ordering mine soon

Kudos to the awesome build, quaffer. I have had an eye on your build for quite a while now. I finally bought a keg system a couple weeks ago. I bought a 7.2 chest freezer yesterday I plan modeling my future keezer on yours

letmeholleratya said:

Kudos to the awesome build, quaffer. I have had an eye on your build for quite a while now. I finally bought a keg system a couple weeks ago. I bought a 7.2 chest freezer yesterday I plan modeling my future keezer on yours

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Thanks for the comments guys. You are in for a fun project. Having the HBT community to ask for help or get inspiration from is really great. It got me going on this project as well as many others.

Has anyone who used this models internal have trouble finding the coarse screw? I can't find mine like other users have.

By the way, now that I can post pictures I can officially say. Thanks so much for the inspiration. I love my keezer!! Temp display should be installed soon. I've just been lazy. haha

Phillypharm said:

not sure how he did it but i have the same drip tray. will be getting two 4" L brackets and epoxying them to 2" x 1" rare earth magnets so that i don't have to drill into the freezer. will use velcro to attach the tray to the bracket so it stays in place but can be removed easily for cleaning. the magnets i got have an 18lb pulling force so should easily hold a full pint or two if someone places it on the tray accidentally.

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What kind of drip tray is that? I've been looking to finally get one.

Just ordered my Black Frigidaire 7.2 from hhgregg, on sale for $242.99. If you sign up for their mailing list, they send you a 10% off coupon right away. Shipping to my local store is free. After tax it came out to $231.81.

niacinj said:

Just ordered my Black Frigidaire 7.2 from hhgregg, on sale for $242.99. If you sign up for their mailing list, they send you a 10% off coupon right away. Shipping to my local store is free. After tax it came out to $231.81.

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It's a good fridge and to me just the ideal size for a keezer. What are your plans for it?

Also don't know if you can do a price match since its white but best buy has it on sale for $199:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Frigida...2121298&skuId=9757311&st=FFFC07M2KW&cp=1&lp=1

The same as everyone else, I guess. My coworker offered me some walnut or cherry boards for the collar. I plan on dovetailing the corners with inlaid dovetails, haven't seen that yet...

As for price matching, I haven't tried. Probably not, since it's a different part number. Best Buy can't special order the black. I would have preferred Best Buy...

+1 to Quaffer, thanks for the inspiration and details on your build.

Just got mine into my game room today. 3 tap Perlick setup and drip tray from KegCowboy with dual regulator. Good prices, first order had issues but the staff there was great fixing it and EXTREMELY fast shipping (plus it was free at the time!). Chest freezer from Lowes. Search around, I found mine at Sears for $229 (Lowes at the time was $269), so Lowes does price match + 10% off.

I know this is on page 47 of this thread and I don't need to be rambling about how/where/what of my build, but much thanks to Quaffer and HBT!

Very nice job!
I'm in the planning stage, and you answered some questions that I didn't even think of. Thanks for sharing.

I have a question about temperature control, can I use my sensor from an older fridge and put it on my freezer? I have done this but it doesn't seem to be working like it should, did I miss something?!

So I've read a good many of the replies on this thread and it seems like some people have no issues at all with adjusting the temp control internally while others it doesn't work at all and bought a temp control unit. Which is the better method? And has anyone had any luck getting this method to work on this fridge?

http://m.lowes.com/mt/www.lowes.com...23GB_4294735496_4294933768_?productId=1079173 &Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_q ty_sales_dollar%7C1&pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Chest+Freezers_4294735496_4294933768_?Ns=p_prod uct_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_qty_sales_d ollar%7C1&facetInfo=

I just ordered my freezer from sears on sale $247 after tax right now. Just curious souls I be ok with using a 1x8 type of board for the collar and then 1" foam insulation?

What is the best width of wood and insulation for this? My DIY skills a re pretty low so planing and such are scary words.

Thanks

I haven't built mine yet but I plan on using 1.25" thick wood with 1.5" foam insulation. This puts the total thickness of the collar just under that of the freezer walls.

Yourrealdad said:

I just ordered my freezer from sears on sale $247 after tax right now. Just curious souls I be ok with using a 1x8 type of board for the collar and then 1" foam insulation?

What is the best width of wood and insulation for this? My DIY skills a re pretty low so planing and such are scary words.

Thanks

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Wood is a lousy insulator, so more foam is better ... but the real key (IMHO) is eliminating all air leaks, which will not only allow warm air to enter and cause the compressor to run, but will also allow humidity, which will cause condensation inside the keezer.

Regarding wood thickness, the challenge with using thin (in your case, 3/4") and wide (7.5") boards is assembling them in a manner that will be stable and maintain the shape. If you're planning a collar with an integrated top you should be fine with one-by lumber ... but if you're planning to make a stationary collar and reuse the freezer lid on top, I would recommend two-by lumber because it's much easier to make strong corner joints, and the thicker wood will also provide a better seating surface for the lid gasket. Based on the builds posted on this site, the latter is much more popular, although I chose the former for my keezer.

Good luck!

I read a lot of the posts about the thermostat wiring and am still baffled. I am hoping to use a standard pre-wired Johnson Controller A419 to control the temp to avoid any electrical work. Any reason this could be a waste of time and money? I like how simple it is and don't exactly know why I need a fan anyway. Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

This is one of the better ones I've seen! How much did you spend on it? I'm planning on building one this summer and I think I will do something similar to this one.

I built the exact same thing and it costed me roughly 200 - 250 bucks. I also bargain hunted the taps and freezer. The loves controller and shanks had to by new.

I picked up a similar Chest Freezer on Craiglist. A 7.0 cu. ft. that was much cheaper than anything else out there. I had to troll for a month & pick it up immediately or else it would have been gone.

The internal thermostat didn't work for me either. Tried everything over a period of 1 week. Screwing it in, screwing it out. Trying different screws. Nothing worked. The brand is an Estate by Whirlpool & search found me nothing. The was built in '96 but works like a champ. I hated to do it but I picked up a Johnson A19 last week. I've spent too much time & $$$ building a collar to break it & start over. Home Depot alone I spent $90 on supplies.

The actual kegging equipment is where the real $$$$ is spent. There was some fella selling a home made kegorator with 2 taps, kegs, CO2 & all lines for $175 but it was kinda thrashed. It worked but it wasn't all clean & nice........... and I didn't grab it. I'm kicking myself now!!!!



A black insulating strip replacement cost $78. I wasn't going to do that! Since I let my 10 year old daughter go nuts with the chalk, I'm glad I didn't.

Count me among the many inspired by Quaffer's build to replicate it-





Thanks to all the contributors to this thread.

Cheers ,

Pete

Quaffer thanks for the inspiration and to all who've contributed wisdom allowing all of us to steal your ideas and clone your productions. The thread that's launched a 'thousand' keezers.

I just started brewing in January 2012 and have 10x5 gallon extract batches through so far... experimenting. All grain coming soon. Thanks everyone at HBT.