Dual Hinge on Keezer Build Question

Hey Fellas,

I am almost done with my collar and have a question for people who have used two sets of hinges for their project. I am planning to attach the Freezer to the Collar using the original spring loaded hinges. My question is if I will have problems if the hinges between my Lid and Collar is not spring loaded. There is a significant cost difference and I am in a bit of a time crunch to get this thing finished. I thought about going without the second set of hinges but would prefer to have them.

So, for anyone who has done the 2 sets of hinges.... Have you had any problems without spring loaded on the top? Im just a little worried about the seal I will get because the lid does not have all that much weight.

Or does anyone have a source for cheap spring loaded hinges for the top??

Any help or input is appreciated. I will have pics up soon but she is going to look sharp.

FYI, the spring in the original hinges acts to counter balance the weight of the lid so that it will remain open without the need for a prop. IOW, the spring does not help the lid seal better. Sorry I cannot help with a source for cheap spring loaded hinges. Maybe you could get an appliance repair place to salvage a pair of hinges from a defunct unit if they are too expensive to buy new.

Maybe use some latches to hold the top down to the collar and make a nice tight seal.

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk

Catt22 said:

FYI, the spring in the original hinges acts to counter balance the weight of the lid so that it will remain open without the need for a prop. IOW, the spring does not help the lid seal better. Sorry I cannot help with a source for cheap spring loaded hinges. Maybe you could get an appliance repair place to salvage a pair of hinges from a defunct unit if they are too expensive to buy new.

Click to expand...

Ok. Good info. So then if I just used a standard hinge on the lid and collar with weatherstripping my seal should be fine?

If that is the case thats awesome and my problem is solved. Thanks!!

br1dge said:

Ok. Good info. So then if I just used a standard hinge on the lid and collar with weatherstripping my seal should be fine?

If that is the case thats awesome and my problem is solved. Thanks!!

Click to expand...

Essentially yes! It is critical that the collar be square and true to line. IOW, try to avoid any twist in the collar which may interfere with the lid sealing properly. When using framing lumber, this usually requires planing off the top and bottom edges in order to "true" them up. It only takes a very tiny air leak to cause condensation problems. The gasket and any weatherstripping will mitigate minor deviations, but there's definitely a limit and the tolerance is fairly tight. I used a belt sander and a straight edge for this, but if you know what you are doing and have some experience, you could also use a wood plane.

I used a standard hinge for my lid and the factory hinges for my collar. I added a simple latch between the collar and lid so the lid didn't fall open when I opened the collar. I also added a chain between the lid and collar so it restricts how far the lid opens.

The factory seal on the lid and the weatherstripping I added to the collar seem to be enough to keep the system sealed.

Catt22 said:

Essentially yes! It is critical that the collar be square and true to line. IOW, try to avoid any twist in the collar which may interfere with the lid sealing properly. When using framing lumber, this usually requires planing off the top and bottom edges in order to "true" them up. It only takes a very tiny air leak to cause condensation problems. The gasket and any weatherstripping will mitigate minor deviations, but there's definitely a limit and the tolerance is fairly tight. I used a belt sander and a straight edge for this, but if you know what you are doing and have some experience, you could also use a wood plane.

Click to expand...

Catt22, Add another beer to what I owe you. If you ever make it to Atlanta Im going to have to send you home with a Corny full. My collar is 1 x 8 Red Oak and I have been putting in a bit of work to make sure it is all pretty even. I will go over it again tonight with the sander and then its off to get stained. Hoping to have the whole thing finished by Friday night. Pictures will follow.

Thanks again!!

After completing mine I found that I had sanded one of the front corners a tad too low and wasn't able to get a good seal on that corner. I went with some adjustable draw latches to provide the extra pressure to create the seal. Also has the benefit that OrangeOak mentioned of keeping the lid closed to the collar when both are lifted.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#1864a11/=e5w4bd

br1dge said:

Catt22, Add another beer to what I owe you. If you ever make it to Atlanta Im going to have to send you home with a Corny full. My collar is 1 x 8 Red Oak and I have been putting in a bit of work to make sure it is all pretty even. I will go over it again tonight with the sander and then its off to get stained. Hoping to have the whole thing finished by Friday night. Pictures will follow.

Thanks again!!

Click to expand...

lol...now I remember! The O-rings, right? I do plan to make it down your way sometime in the not too distant future. Good luck with your project. Working with oak is a biatch for sure, but worth the extra effort.

You got it!! Started me out with the O-Rings. Now Im hooked. Have been goign strong for almost a year and have made some great progress. Got all the beer for my wedding finished up and keezer is almost complete. Waiting for the stain to dry and then will be putting it all together this weekend. Thanks again for all the help!!

I was facing the same issue with the hinges. I called the local appliance store (mom and pop) and asked them if they had any chest freezer hinges. Since they dispose of your old appliances as part of their service they told me to call every few days and they would let me know when they were disposing of a chest freezer. Took about a week but I was able to get a set of factory hinges for free.