Keezer with Detachable Tap tower

Hey guys,

So, I had a delima and now I think I have a solution, I just picked up chest freezer MAD cheap, 100$ for a 600$ 3 month old freezer, the people we got it from had an unfortunate turn of events, but this freezer is sweet and now SWMBO wants me not to drill in the top of the freezer because she to be able to turn it into a freezer at some point. So I didn't want to build a whole new top for it due to money constraints, but I was thinking if I could build a collar with a detachable tap tower that would be optimal. I have the idea in my head, and I will putting it into a drawing soon, my idea, however if someone has done a keezer, with a lid that is still in tact, and using a collar without having the beer served in the collar, I would appreciate input.

The reason I don't the beer to come out of the collar is because I'm to tall, which is why i was thinking of a detachable tower, so that I could detach the tower and then open the lid.

Thanks for your input.

Wes

suggestion: instead of trying to re-invent your wheel, if you're wiling to lift the kegs higher to get them in, why dont you just elevate the keezer? This allows you to serve through the collar while still not having to stoop down.

If that doesnt work for you, then you need to make a decision: what is more inconvenient- having a freezer you can't revert to actual freezer duty? or having to bend over 2-3" inches whenever you pull a pint?

Keep in mind- your wife can't use your keezer as a freezer because youll be adjusting the temp to about 40-45F as opposed to 0.

I have seen some builds where not only did they make a collar but a whole new top. This way you can remove the stock top, and reinstall it when you want to convert it back to a freezer.

If this isnt going to be a major keezer build that you will turn into a bar looking keezer (by surrounding it with would), which by the fact you dont want to build an entire new top im assuming it isnt, this is what I would do.

1. Build a collar for it, however high you want/need depending on the depth of the freezer. In the back of the freezer cut a hole.

2. Make a coffin style tap box that can sit on top of the freezer (that can be secured with something like velcro to keep it stationary).

3. Run a flexible line big enough to hold all your beer lines from the hole in the back of the collar to the coffin box.

4. insulate the crap out of the line

5. set up a computer fan (or one of the bought tower cooler fans, a directional blower might work better for the longer line) to constantly blow cold air through the line up into the coffin (which will be insulated really well)

Thats it!

This is no different than people who put their towers on top of their bar and have the kegerator underneath, they run a short line to the tower on top, you might get slight warmer beer (as 50F instead of 42F) for the first pour, but the fan should fix that for the most part.

Hope this helps

Thanks for your help,

Here is the model I came up with which I think looks pretty viable. The tap tower would sit in a holder in the back, and come up when needed, I will definitely take the insulation and other tips into account when building.

Any Suggestions? Or blaring problems?

That is a pretty cool idea. However, if it were me, I'd just remove the whole stock lid, and create an entire new "top" with an integrated tower. It looks like that would be just slightly more work than your method, and the lines will be easier to deal with if you create a new top. Just a thought.

TriangleIL said:

That is a pretty cool idea. However, if it were me, I'd just remove the whole stock lid, and create an entire new "top" with an integrated tower. It looks like that would be just slightly more work than your method, and the lines will be easier to deal with if you create a new top. Just a thought.

Click to expand...

+1

The OP's mock up seems way more expensive than adding a collar and creating your own lid. Not to mention a collar and lid is pretty simple to make and material options are endless.

With that said , the mock up does look cool.

Well one of the reasons I wanted to keep the original lid was because SWMBO re arranges everything in me and I don't have a lot of space to store a lid, we just rented our first place, and its in Baltimore by the water. I have my own room that she can't touch.

I've been lucky i've been able to get her interested in brewing so things may change

So after going to the local lumber yard, I was looking at different types of wood for this build, and discussing the build with one of the employees there, we decided that there was to much weight in the tap tower to be able to support it with such a small mounting point in the back, even if I used metal brackets to re-enforce the part where the tower would be sitting in. Especially since I wanted the tap tower to come out about 6" from the back of the fridge.

So its back to square 1. I may just suck it up and build a collar, until we can develop some sort of super wood, which is ultra light but ultra strong.

Additionally I wouldn't have to worry about cooling a tap tower.

I was thinking you could make the tower out of 3" or 4" pvc. Build the collar out of 2x6's and connect a 90 to the collar, turning up. above that, run some more pipe to make the tower. It would rise up and out of the collar like you drew above, but be much lighter. I'm surprised nobody has done this. I'll have to make one myself. Thanks for helping me imagine my future keezer.

I did weigh the PVC option, however, I wanted something that was a little more aesthetically pleasing, as it would be visible from the living room. I have seen people spruce up the PVC or cover it up, however, that's a lot of extra weight (I was partial to the diamond plating)