GE 7 CF (FCM7SUWW) keezer conversion

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OK this is going to be the tool challenged, learn as you go, version of a keezer conversion thread. It will either be humorous or incredibly sad depending on how you look at it, lol.

This thread is mostly to document what I do for others to read cause I know I couldn't get enough of the keezer conversion threads when I was trying to figure out how I was going to do it. The more pictures and descriptions the better.

All my pictures will be going in my member gallery but will probably end up here too.


Anyway, here goes...
 
I decided on the GE 7 CF (FCM7SUWW) after much forum searching and general web browsing for a couple reasons...

1) As confirmed by many this specific model holds 4 on the floor. You can also fit 1 more on the hump and a 10# CO2 tank if you build a large enough collar.
2) I needed something I could move around the house or out onto the deck so it needed to be small enough to handle doors and hallways and it needed to be on wheels.
3) I needed something small enough to fit in my house, lol. More accurately I needed something small enough to fit in the few spots I thought it should go.
4) I wanted reasonably cheap. I wasn't seeing anything I liked on Craig's list and I liked the idea of buying new for something like this but I still wanted cheap.

This unit cost me 215.33 delivered. That is hauled into the house and put right where I wanted it and all the packing taken away delivered. It fit perfectly in the corner I wanted to put it in and it is plenty small that it can be rolled around the house and outside once I get wheels on it. Like I said a perfect choice for what I needed.

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First out of curiosity I started pulling it apart the day I got it. Got to love buying something then going at it with a utility knife, screw driver and other tools before the sucker has even been turned on. :p

Popping off the hinges was no biggy. One screw on the top and bottom then the covers slid right off.
One thing to note though... These hinges are powerful and though they do lock in place I'd still stick a nail through the back of them just in case. I would imagine if dropped or hit the wrong way they could snap open. You can see where I've got a nail through mine... this stops the hinge from moving at all, which is a good thing.
HingeCoverOff.JPG


The lid came off easy once the covers were off. 4 screws on the top of each hinge and the cover lifted right out.
HingeTop.JPG


The four bottom screws on the hinges only had to be loosened though. Once loose the hinges lifted right off.
HingeOff.JPG


With the lid off I turned it over only to find it had a huge bulge where the inside of the lid fitted down into the freezer. This bulge was filled with spray foam so there was no pretty way to remove it. After posting a thread here I found this easiest way to deal with this was to leave it and use a bigger collar to compensate.

So onto prepping the lid. Pulling back the weatherstripping reveals an overlap where the plastic lid extends over the bottom of the weatherstripping.
LidPretrim.JPG


This was pretty easy to resolve with a utility knife. By pushing the knife through where the plastic bends up away from the weatherstripping I can avoid cutting the weatherstripping and make things easier when mounting the collar later in the build... that is the plan anyway. The plastic comes away in long strips without much effort as it isn't glued down very well and for the most part is just sitting over the weatherstripping.

Once the plastic is out of the way the weatherstripping will lift up and actually be quite a bit bigger than it appeared before. Lifting the weatherstripping straight up and away from the lid it is easy to cut underneath it ending up with one undamaged piece. My intent is to reuse it as it should be the same size as the collar once I finish it.
LidTrimmed.JPG


So for now I'm using my kegs with picnic taps from inside the freezer (thermostat in place already obviously) and just lift the lid off when I need a pour. Besides having to make sure the weatherstripping is in place when I close it this is functional for now.
 
Got everything together and finally found some time so am actually working on it today. So far I have the base built and it up on wheels...

First off, like I said in the original post I'm tool challenged. I like to futz around and DIY when I have the time but I'll honestly admit I am not very good at it. Most of it is due to living in apartments my whole life and never having the room to do any decent sized projects. Well now that has changed. I own a house and I own power tools... muahahahaha.

The way I see it it is all about work experience. It is how I've pretty much lived my entire life. From the time I dropped out of high school to now I have learned everything on the fly so why do it any different now? :p

So the base... I drew it all out and planned to use joiners to make a squared up base but that went horribly wrong. First it was so very not squared up. I mean sure all four pieces went together but that last one took a lot of hammering and stomping on to get it to line up and even then it looked terrible.

Honestly though it would've worked and how it looked wouldn't have mattered because it was under the keezer but that was a moot point because I hadn't taken into account the space the side pieces would displace when cutting the cross pieces so the thing was a good foot too wide, lol. I really should've taken pictures but I didn't want to confuse any would be keezer builders if they happened apon this thread... well that is my excuse anyway.

Funny thing about that is after taking it all apart and deciding just to go with an over-under frame like I ended up doing I couldn't reuse the crossbars because on top of forgetting to account for the offset I also mismeasured them, bah!

I didn't bother to include some other Stooges worth antics that blew a couple hours but I think you got the point. The way I see it though as long as I'm having fun and learning something it's worth it. And boy was I having fun... I love laughing at stupid stuff, even if it is me doing it. Besides it isn't about the destination it is about the journey, right?

Once I decided to go a different route things got much easier. I salvaged my original front and back pieces and mounted the casters on them. So on to the actual base...

It is two 2"x6"x37" boards and three crossbars... they can be pretty much anything as long as they aren't too thick. Each one should be 20.5" long... I went with three but two would've been enough really. I bought a set of casters intended for some modular shelving Home Depot sells. 4 4" heavy duty swivel casters, 2 of them with locks, for less than 20 bucks. Add to that a 3/8" bolt kit and you got yourself some wheels.

I drilled a 1" (same as the shank holes will be) hole halfway through the 2x6s at either end, roughly 2.5" in from the ends. Then drill the rest of the way through (using the pilot hole the 1" left) using a 3/8" bit. Clean out the holes, drop in a washer from the bolt kit then push the casters in from the other side. Once the post is through drop a lock washer on then a nut and tighten everything down. It will seem to never tighten all the way but that is because the swivel is turning... at that point it should be tight enough though.

WheelsOn.JPG


Once the two 2x6s are done you just need to put the crossbars on. I drilled pilot holes then screwed them down but nails or a nail gun or whatever would work. Just make sure it is square. If you do one on each side you'll have some wiggle room if you aren't squared up. Once you get two to a side in though you are pretty much stuck with it.

WheelsFramed.JPG

WheelsDone.JPG


And we have a little cart, woho. I emptied out the freezer and moved it up onto the base then filled it back up again. Not very pretty but it will probably get some trim added to it before everything is said and done.

WheelsInPlace.JPG

WheelsInPlaceClose.JPG


The other added benefit of the wheeled base is it adds another 6 inches or so to the height. That plus the ten inch collar will mean no bending over to pour a pint.
 
I'm figuring I will need to put a support under the second one but don't see why two wouldn't fit up there. That is assuming I end up putting my 10# bottle outside.
 
Looking good so far. I have the same GE freezer that I used to make my keezer and really like it. I don't know about fitting 2 kegs on the hump though...

You are right... 4 on the floor if you really jam them and one on the hump. Not enough room to squeeze a second one up there. It is a lot tighter than I thought. Still works for me though... anything over 4 is bonus.

MaxLoad.JPG
 
Got the rest of the stuff I needed (hoses, clamps, a secondary regulator, manifold, etc) plus 6 more kegs so I can have some spares.

Spent a while cleaning them then running sanitizer through them. I really like the jumper idea I read about on the forums so made one this morning and it makes things so much easier.

Anyway here are the new kegs while I was cleaning them...
CleanNewKegs.JPG


I should have time to get the collar started tonight or tomorrow.
 
The mitered collar didn't work out. I would imagine it was a combo of my first attempt at mitering and my first use of Liquid Nails.
Oh well, read on and see the alternative I used. Leaving this in though as it is technically accurate I just sucked at it, lol.


OK time to get that collar together...

First things first I have no room to work with wood in my garage and am in no way a carpenter, lol. The one bonus is the house came with a solid old wooden workbench.

The upside of a bench like this is you can do whatever you want with the surface since replacing it is as easy as buying new plywood. This said I nailed down some scrap wood and clamped the wood to be cut to the scrap allowing me to cut right over the workbench.

PreparingToCut.JPG


My circ saw does let me cut at an angle though so I was able to do Miter cuts with relative ease. That said I still can't cut a straight line to save my life. Good thing Miter cuts are pretty forgiving as long as you aren't WAY off.

MiterCut.JPG


With all the boards cut it is time to square things up and get to gluing...

AllCutsDone.JPG


A cargo strap, some spare corner braces and clamps and I got everything squared up. I matched the sides up to get things looking the best I could then labeled them in case I had to take it all apart.

SquaredUpDry.JPG


Once everything was squared up and ready to glue I pulled one side at a time, ruffed up the joining surfaces with a sanding sponge, smeared a layer of Liquid Nails and clamped it back together. Doing one side at a time kept everything squared up and made it much easier to get everything back together quickly after gluing.

GlueCorners.JPG


After all corners are glued I checked alignment again, made sure there was no ooze on the outside of the joints and tightened the band down.

SquaredUpGlued.JPG


Now all I have to do is wait a bit for it to setup, add some bracing in the corners and get ready to add the shanks.

The corners aren't perfect, some worse than others, but I plan to paint it so some plaster filler and sanding and it should look fine.

NOTE: Through this entire process I have been careful not to let any glue get on the lid of the freezer. I am only using it as a base for my work and to ensure everything is lining up how I want it. I will be using simple silicone caulk to attach the lid as I want to be able to restore the freezer should I ever decide to upgrade to a bigger one or need a freezer more than a keezer (like that'll ever happen, lol).
 
The mitered collar didn't work out. I would imagine it was a combo of my first attempt at mitering and my first use of Liquid Nails.
Oh well, read on and see the alternative I used. Leaving this in though as it is technically accurate I just sucked at it, lol.


Once it dried up enough I moved the band to the top and added some reinforcements to the corners.

ReinforcedSquared.JPG


Just bits of scrap wood Liquid Nailed into the corners should be enough to toughen it up some.

ReinforcedClose.JPG
 
The mitered collar didn't work out. I would imagine it was a combo of my first attempt at mitering and my first use of Liquid Nails.
Oh well, read on and see the alternative I used. Leaving this in though as it is technically accurate I just sucked at it, lol.


Spackled the corners since they had some gaps. Not sure if I got enough in there though... might have to redo it after I sand things down.

spackled.JPG


It ended up fitting perfect, which was unexpected, lol. I think it'll turn out great once it is cleaned up, painted and the hardware is mounted.

Unfinished1.JPG


A lot more room inside the lid than I expected too. Should still be more than enough room once I add the insulation.

Unfinished2.JPG
 
Looking good Tom
Tip for the future. You can use the speed square you have to help make straight cuts with the saw. Works really well on smaller lumber like you are using.

FH02JAU_FCEMTS_04.JPG
 
Yeah I actually did that for the straight cuts but with the saw at an angle it was hitting either the sliding guard or the body of the saw. Even then it turned out much better than I expected, heh. I'm not super handy but I try to make up for that by researching and taking it slow.
 
OK moved all the pictures to the members gallery instead of my album... I was running out of room and the gallery is unlimited. Plus you can actually find the pictures outside this thread now, lol.
 
The mitered collar didn't work out. I would imagine it was a combo of my first attempt at mitering and my first use of Liquid Nails.
Oh well, read on and see the alternative I used. Leaving this in though as it is technically accurate I just sucked at it, lol.


OK after a whole day of waiting for glue to dry it feels good to get something done though after I sand it will be waiting for stuff to dry again but oh well.

Being as error prone as I am I took the philosophy of "measure twenty times and drill once", lol. There are smaller holes on the right but you can't really see them in the picture.

MeasureAndCut.JPG

MeasureAndCutCloseUp.JPG


I wanted to see how it all lined up before moving on to finish work so I put it all together and set it up on the freezer.

MockUp.JPG

MockUpCloseLeft.JPG

MockUpCloseRight.JPG


Oh and all the hardware is ready to go... I just need the collar done.
TheGuts.JPG
 
Keep the pics coming! I just got my GE 7.0 delivered today, so this thread was a timely discovery. It'll probably be at least another couple months before I can do the conversion, since I promised my gf we could use the freezer to try and get rid of the dreaded India flour moths first. Still, it'll be good to see how someone else does it before I begin.
 
They are empty now. They are customizable... you just make a graphic and print it then cut it out and insert it into the tap handle.

Like this...
CustomTaps.JPG


That is just a quick graphic I made out of curiosity. I would probably make one for each specific beer and keep them handy for swapping out when I switched kegs.
 
I have that freezer, but haven't gotten around to building the collar yet. Didn't think you could jam 4 kegs in the main compartment. Good to know.

Nice work. I'm pretty "wood-shop" challenged myself, so it's good to see that you are doing a nice job.

Why did you go with such a huge collar, if I may ask?
 
Anything shorter and you can't put one on the hump... 8" might work but mine is a little over 9. It is called 10" but it is really 9.25" measured.
You don't NEED one on the hump if you run four taps but I wanted a spot for carbing/conditioning.

I also wanted to get as tall as I could. Between the collar and the base I can pour without bending over. It is right at a natural height for me to put a mug under it.
 
Oh and I got my bilge blower today...

BlowerRunning3v.JPG


Jumped it to a spare 3v wall adapter and it pushes plenty of air. The other upside is at that speed it is almost silent... at 12v it sounds and blows like a leaf blower, lol.
 
Welp, have to build the collar now. Have had it in place since I cut the holes for the taps and it has been solid. Took it off to start prepping it and noticed it had developed a wobble, attempting to fix that just made it worse so I pulled it apart. Going to just cut a new one... lumber is cheap and what is left is pissing me off, lol.

I'm guessing it was improper use of Liquid Nails as I had never used it before this. Was under the impression it would cure up hard but even after all that time it was easily pulled apart and most of it removed with a scraper.
 
Yep, I think liquid nails is better suited for attaching something to a flat surface. I.E. wainscotting to a wall, or even a peice of trim. Applications with alot of surface area. In your application I think it would be better suited as a enhancement to a nail or screw.
 
Yeah that is the route I will be going. I used the salvage to cut up and experiment... after all lumber is cheap. I'm going to go square and screw it down this time vs miters and glue.
 
Wow rough couple weeks. Finally got the new lumber and was lucky enough to hear someone working the cutting table when I was there so ran back and had them cut the boards to size... 2 x 19" and 2 x 36.5" for those following this at home. :p

I just squared it up and screwed them together much easier than mitering and I didn't have to deal with the glue. I will probably play around with mitering and glue another time but for now I just want this thing done with, lol.

NewCollar.JPG

NewCollarClose.JPG


Anyway, screwed it all together then sanded it down. Sanded it down well enough for me anyway. Without a power sander I wasn't going to be getting the joints and edges down but this is all fun and I can always rebuild the collar another time. With that done I've hit it with stain about four times to darken it up a bit. Time permitting I'll be hitting it with varnish over the next two days and hopefully mounting the hardware and plumbing on Sunday.

I hate when I get busy and can't do projects. :(
 
Just came across this thread. I am looking to do the same thing. Do you think your 7cf freezer would hold 3 kegs and a 6.5 carboy. From the looks of your picture with the kegs in there it might fit.
 
First I put four or five applications of Golden Pecan wood finish (Minwax) then about ten coats of poly to give it a decent finish and should protect it from spillage.

NewCollarPoly.JPG


Also, put down two coats of chalkboard paint on parts of the freezer. I roughed it up with 220 sandpaper then applied the first coat with a roller.

paintprep.JPG

chalkboard.JPG


Didn't turn out very good though so I sanded it smooth and applied a second coat with a sponge. That turned out great.

ChalkboardFront.JPG
 
Busy day...

Attached the hinges, attached standoffs and mounted the secondary regulator with insulation behind it in the back. Installed the shanks, mounted the taps and front handle with insulation behind it.

So far the insulation is held in place by the various hardware. It actually seems to be holding fine so I'll probably go without glue. For the sides I'll just use enough glue to tack them in place.

AllButThePlumbing.JPG


At this point all that is left is building and running the hoses/connects and gluing the top down.
 
I was kind of worried using just silicon to seal the lid to the collar but after setting up over night it is solid. As lite as the lid is I can't see it going anywhere as long as I don't open it using the lid.

AllDone.JPG


All that is left is running the tubing and putting the drip pan on. Going with a SS mud pan for the drip pan and will use a piece of wood and magnets to secure it to the keezer.

JustNeedTubes.JPG
 
Pretty much done now. I have the system plumbed and the fan mounted along with the power and sensor running through the collar. The only thing I'm missing is one ten foot length of tubing for tap #4. Once I pick that up though it'll be easy enough to run.

FinalPlumbing.JPG


I switched back to the Johnson controller and ran everything through the collar then foamed the hole in. I ended up rewiring the Johnson controller to make my life easier. One plug is always on for my fan and the other is on the relay for the freezer. Saved me running three cords back to the wall.

JohnsonA19AAT.JPG


Only real items I have left are the drip pan, which I have everything for just need to come up with a good way to do it, and dealing with air flow inside.

AllButTheDripPan.JPG


The chalk board wraps around the sides so plenty of room for notes and stuff I don't need out front.

SideView.JPG


In my testing I'm noticing that since the kegs are so tightly packed and sit so snuggly on the bottom of the freezer the pockets between them will be much cooler than the rest of the space and will ice up given half a chance.

I have plenty of head room though so plan to make a grid of wood or metal to raise them up a couple inches to improve air flow. With the fan pointing straight down at the hump this should increase circulation greatly. If needed I have ducting that I originally planned to run but didn't need. I might run it down so the fan blows directly into the void I create under the kegs.

Either way the bulk of the work is done and I'm sitting here drinking my first draft from it right now so... whoppie!
 
Thanks!

You can often get a good deal on a freezer on CL or I see them occasionally on freecycle. I was having a hell of a time finding one that wasn't either over priced or total crap though so bought one... of course a week later I found a decent one for like 20 bucks, lol. Oh well I have a fermentation chamber once I clean it up. :p
 

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