Chest Freezer to Keezer Conversion: MikeE's DIY build

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Great post of your build. Your collar is well made and put together.That keezer will give you years of enjoyment. Your unique build style will inspire others.....love the pics with descriptions. A gutter extender for your fan, great idea, nice way to save a few bucks.

That tap handle is sick, saw that on ebay last night. How long is that tap handle anyways. Consider getting a tap lock so you don't open the tap accidentally when removing or adding kegs to keezer. I have opened the tap a few times and spilled all over- beer foul! :mug:
 
Great post of your build. Your collar is well made and put together.That keezer will give you years of enjoyment. Your unique build style will inspire others.....love the pics with descriptions. A gutter extender for your fan, great idea, nice way to save a few bucks.

That tap handle is sick, saw that on ebay last night. How long is that tap handle anyways. Consider getting a tap lock so you don't open the tap accidentally when removing or adding kegs to keezer. I have opened the tap a few times and spilled all over- beer foul! :mug:

The MH#9 tap handle is 14 & 1/4" from end to end. I definitely need tap locks. I can see that now. Certainly can't have any beer fouls or sticky messes on my floor or even in my drip tray. :cross:
 
Hi Easy,

I noticed that you mentioned securing the aluminum to the walnut. Where exactly did you connect the aluminum to the walnut Im slightly confused on this part. Thanks!
 
Hi Easy,

I noticed that you mentioned securing the aluminum to the walnut. Where exactly did you connect the aluminum to the walnut Im slightly confused on this part. Thanks!


The aluminum is not glued or nailed to the walnut, instead, the aluminum is folded and bent to fit over the walnut. I made the bends so that I could slip in over the inside of the aluminum, it just wraps under and over the walnut. All the manifolds and other stuff that is mounted on the aluminum helps hold in place against he walnut. I wanted it that way in case I need to make any repairs, etc, That aluminum took some time to make the bends perfect and get it all to fit together....purely for aesthetics only. You could skip the aluminum altogether, but I found the pink insulation to be not so nice to look at when I open da KEEZER! I hope that helps answer your questions. If you're going for it, I can take some closer pics of the bends so you can have a better idea. Let me know. :mug:
 
I copied the aluminum idea for my keezer after seeing this. I couldn't find the black so I just went with silver. I ended up using 14 inch flashing. It looks great, but it does dent fairly easily. If I did it again I'd use heavier aluminum. It is tedious to bend and cut, but it's worth it in the end. It's easy to clean, it keeps moisture from getting to the wood inside the keexer, it seals better around the top and bottom, and looks really nice.
 
The aluminum is not glued or nailed to the walnut, instead, the aluminum is folded and bent to fit over the walnut. I made the bends so that I could slip in over the inside of the aluminum, it just wraps under and over the walnut. All the manifolds and other stuff that is mounted on the aluminum helps hold in place against he walnut. I wanted it that way in case I need to make any repairs, etc, That aluminum took some time to make the bends perfect and get it all to fit together....purely for aesthetics only. You could skip the aluminum altogether, but I found the pink insulation to be not so nice to look at when I open da KEEZER! I hope that helps answer your questions. If you're going for it, I can take some closer pics of the bends so you can have a better idea. Let me know. :mug:

Yeah i think some pictures might be helpful. I guess im still confused as to what you mean by fit over the walnut. Im going to go with oak for my build since we dont have any reuse lumber shops around where i live. Now did u bend the metal so that it covers the top and bottom of the walnut and also the insulation? I guess I mean that when you are looking down from the top into the keezer you dont see any wood at all? but from the front you see the wood obviously and you dont see the aluminum because of the trim you put around the top and bottom which im definitely going to do because of how clean that looks. I think im going to put weather stripping between the collar and freezer. I think the aluminum covering the wood and insulation would make a nice seal against the stripping already attached to the freezer lid.


Also, how long are your beer & co2 lines? Just trying to figure out how much i need to buy.
 
The beer lines are 8 feet. PSI set at 9. I will send some more detailed pics asap of the aluminum. right now I'm enjoying fresh HopSlam from Bells here in Michigan. Hoppyy!:tank:
 
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44237&stc=1&d=1326994945

I attached two pics of the new aluminum I put inside the collar of the keezer. I had to remove the old aluminum because after closing the keezer lid, some of the aluminum was outside the keezer, and condensation would form, causing the walnut to get wet. I was concerned that the long term damage from condensation would harm the walnut, so I ripped it out and folded new. The new aluminum only wraps around the pink insulation. No nails, just folds so it fold tight together. The folds on the aluminum required a friend of mine to bring over his aluminum bend, which made the folds clean. I used aluminum scissors to make the final cuts. It took me 2 tries to finally get it right. Now I have no issues with water on the walnut, and the clean look inside is another bonus.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44236&stc=1&d=1326994945

mail.jpeg


mail-1.jpeg
 
wow, thanks for posting up your build. looks great. i built a kegerator with a tower out of a mini fridge last summer but need to get something bigger and thought a keezer would be perfect. theres alot of options when it comes to towers, shanks in the collar, enclosing the keezer in wood. im not totally decided on what to do yet. ide like a tower and will probly have to do a collar with it as well. would there be room in that freezer for a 1/2brl and a corny on the hump? i dont brew my own yet but would like to try and start. oh and love the look of your temp control in the collar.

and for the guy that posted the wiring diagram (sorry forgot the name), thanks. if i went with a fan i would like it to kick on when the compressor is on, so wouldnt i just use position 7 and 11 instead of 7 and 10 like your doing?

last question. is there a minimum collar size need to use to fit a corny on the hump?
 
do you have anymore pictures of how you mounted the wheels?

I looked, must have erased them. The only pic I have is posted on page 3. I found mounting the wheels to be one of the the easier part of the DIY project. I cut the "strap tight" strips into rectangles, then drilled 4 holes in each of them using my metal step drill bit. It just gave me more surface area to mount the casters which has a base the shape of a rectangle, so I cut the the strap rite an inch or two longer for screws and a more sturdy fit.

Two of the wheels will have plenty of freezer space to mount them, easy to mount with four screws in each. The other two wheels did not have very much freezer to mount wheels too, due to the fact that they were under the hump of the freezer. I just fit 2 bolts and 2 screws on each of the wheels under the hump. When you flip dat keezer, you will see. When I did mine, I was poundin' dem pints! :mug:

I found the "strap tight" at the home depot in the lumber section, used to join large pieces of wood. They are easy to cut to the size you want. I went out and measured each of the rectangles.....all were cut to 2 inch by 6 inch. 4 bolts w nuts, 12 self screws just less than an inch long.

I'm listening to my yeast starter swirling behind right now, almost like a water fountain at work. I'm brewing a Weizenbock in the morning, it's like 10 degrees here in southeast Michigan. Post some pics here when you finish with your build.
 
Thanks for the info. This keezer project is alot more planning then my kegerator build lol. I love the look of the black with wood, but I want a tower. Think it would be to high if I was to use same freezer and collar height as you? How tall is yours anyways? Sorry for all the questions but I just want this planned out before I get started.
 
So you used self tapping metal screws to fix the wheels / plates to the bottom of the freezer? Just got my 7 cf GE chest freezer, and picked up some casters from Menards on the way home... Thanks for the info! Amazing build!

:tank:
 
b-boy said:
I copied the aluminum idea for my keezer after seeing this. I couldn't find the black so I just went with silver. I ended up using 14 inch flashing. It looks great, but it does dent fairly easily. If I did it again I'd use heavier aluminum. It is tedious to bend and cut, but it's worth it in the end. It's easy to clean, it keeps moisture from getting to the wood inside the keexer, it seals better around the top and bottom, and looks really nice.

Do you have any pictures showing how your flashing turned out?
 
Well!!!!, I am one jealous newby. That set of pics was absolutely most beautimus. I like the detail and clean lines all tucked away and out of sight. The exterior and the stainless base just fit. Thanks for giving me some really nice project ideas for next fall.
Bob
 
So you used self tapping metal screws to fix the wheels / plates to the bottom of the freezer? Just got my 7 cf GE chest freezer, and picked up some casters from Menards on the way home... Thanks for the info! Amazing build!

:tank:

Yes, self tapping screws. Please post pics of your build as every keezer is unique and cool! the wheels go on easy, and the screws/bolts hold it firmly in place. Once the wheels go on, the keezer comes alive.....
 
EasyE, what size casters did you go with? If a caster is rated at 125 lb load, does using four mean the total load is 500 lbs?
 
Where did you get the black aluminum? I live in the same general area and have been looking for that color but have been unsuccessful. What company did you purchase it from? I have found siding in different colors but nothing shorter than a 50ft roll, which is way to much. Thanks.
 
I couldn't find the black aluminum either, but I found some "L" shaped vinyl in the Lowe's vinyl siding area - It's like an accessory for something, not the actual siding - that and a can of 'plastic' paint (black) and a sharp knife... but I covered mine in oak, so the top isn't smooth and black like EasyE's

(old photo, just after completion, May 2011. Those corneys are full now!)

insidekeezer.jpg
 
Where did you get the black aluminum? I live in the same general area and have been looking for that color but have been unsuccessful. What company did you purchase it from? I have found siding in different colors but nothing shorter than a 50ft roll, which is way to much. Thanks.
The black aluminum was from Bridgewater Lumber. Saline, MI. Post pics of your keezer here when you finish. All the best as you near completion.
 
I couldn't find the black aluminum either, but I found some "L" shaped vinyl in the Lowe's vinyl siding area - It's like an accessory for something, not the actual siding - that and a can of 'plastic' paint (black) and a sharp knife... but I covered mine in oak, so the top isn't smooth and black like EasyE's

(old photo, just after completion, May 2011. Those corneys are full now!)

insidekeezer.jpg

What's in that jug?

Also, how do you like the black & tan turtle? I was debating one of those vs. a standard Guinness spoon.
 
I couldn't find the black aluminum either, but I found some "L" shaped vinyl in the Lowe's vinyl siding area - It's like an accessory for something, not the actual siding - that and a can of 'plastic' paint (black) and a sharp knife... but I covered mine in oak, so the top isn't smooth and black like EasyE's

(old photo, just after completion, May 2011. Those corneys are full now!)

insidekeezer.jpg

That looks really nice. Could you show how you have the shanks coming through the vinyl? Did you do a gasket there or anything?
 
I couldn't find the black aluminum either, but I found some "L" shaped vinyl in the Lowe's vinyl siding area - It's like an accessory for something, not the actual siding - that and a can of 'plastic' paint (black) and a sharp knife... but I covered mine in oak, so the top isn't smooth and black like EasyE's

(old photo, just after completion, May 2011. Those corneys are full now!)

insidekeezer.jpg

That black vinyl looks tight! Nice wood grain too.
 
That is one nice looking build. Congrats on the new addition to your family. Another keezer is born! I hope you have many years of cold beer. What was the reason for the jug on the keezer hump?

I LOVE my black and tan turtle...it just sits on the glass and pours a nice pint every time.
 
Sorry I missed the questions - and not to hijack the OPs thread - just answering...

What's in the jug? RV Glycol - (food safe) It pumps on demand over to my fermentation chamber to provide cooling. (pump immersed in 5-gallon plastic jug, turned on by temp control on fermenter). Stainless tubing from McMaster-Carr runs along back and through foam to outside where some disconnects allow me to attach to the fermenter's chiller system.

The wood grain is real wood grain - that's all red oak, stained, varnished. Nice tight joints, rather proud of them.

There are 2 inches of foam, then the vinyl wrap - the shanks nuts are all the way back in there deep - against the wood. Shouldn't have to remove them (God, I hope not!). The foam and vinyl got oversized holes to fit around the shanks (vinyl holes are quite snug, so there is no ugliness - careful measuring required).

the turtle works just fine, but I have a Guinness spoon, too.
 
Nice Job! Have you ever had any condensation or rust starting to form in the inside of the freezer?
 
Nice Job! Have you ever had any condensation or rust starting to form in the inside of the freezer?

I do get some condensation, mainly from opening it and letting in humid air. To combat this small amount of condensation, I installed a fan to move the air around and have two Damp Rid rechargeable plug-ins that really soak up the small amount of moisture. Plug them in after about 30 days, they dry out, then back in the keezer. Once a year I pull all kegs out and clean down inside of keezer as I do drip some beer when connecting and disconnecting kegs, bottling, etc.
 
Back
Top