Suitable mini fridge for kegging

Hey guys,

I'm new to the forums and am trying to get info on setting up my first keg system. I've found all the things I need locally and for a reasonable price, but selecting the right mini fridge to store it all in is sort of confusing me. I don't want to drill holes in the fridge, just using a picnic tap for now. I don't know very much about fridges and less about mini ones. I only want to put one keg in the fridge at a time for now..

I've got a few questions about this..

1) Will a corny keg setup fit in a 32" tall mini fridge that DOES have a small freezer at the top?

2) If not, can the freezer compartment be removed without screwing up the fridge too bad?

3) Finding a used fridge without a freezer compartment seems unlikely. None for sale locally that are in my price range.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Cheers,

Feragoh

1) A corny is approximately 25" tall and will need a little extra wiggle room to get in and out and fit the connections. Each fridge is a little different, you will need to pocket a tape measure and confirm that your fridge will work.

2) Yes and no. I have read of a few people successfully bending the evaporator (the cooling "plate" that also makes up the freezer) to the back of the fridge. However, I recently was part of a thread where a guy attempted this and made a large paper weight. No word back yet as to whether or not he found a repair facility who could service it.

3) You have to look around to find any mini fridge that lacks the freezer, used or new. I would suggest looking at wine chillers. I found one at a local consignment store for like $170, it appeared as though it might hold 4 cornies (and had a neato-looking glass door) and already had a thermal controller built in (the question is how low it could be set). Keep your eyes peeled!

Good luck.

*clarification*
Cornies are approximately 25" when they have the rubber tops and bottoms

The size most people go with is a 44" I believe. Since corys are roughly 23" plus a few inches for your CO2 and tap line I don't think there is any way a 32" would work.
http://www.micromatic.com/beer-questions/sizes-keg-draft-beer-available-aid-11.html

Ato said:

The size most people go with is a 44" I believe. Since corys are roughly 23" plus a few inches for your CO2 and tap line I don't think there is any way a 32" would work.
http://www.micromatic.com/beer-questions/sizes-keg-draft-beer-available-aid-11.html

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Huh. I don't like their chart. The picture clearly has rubber handles on the keg, yet when I measure all 4 of mine, I get 24.75" with the handles. Maybe all of mine (different manufacturers too) are abnormally tall ;-)

Wally world sells a Danby w/o a freezer. It is easy to put a tower on later if you want.

See this link:

http://www.kegkits.com/kegerator4.htm

tjpfeister said:

Huh. I don't like their chart. The picture clearly has rubber handles on the keg, yet when I measure all 4 of mine, I get 24.75" with the handles. Maybe all of mine (different manufacturers too) are abnormally tall ;-)

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I'm sure there are a few variables out there. I have a few different kegs, I'll have to measure them to see the sizes and any differences.

The freezerless models for conversion are mostly discontinued, but they still show up Craigslist, garage sales, etc. The two best freezerless models I've found are the Sanyo 4912 or Kenmore Elite 4.9. For general mini-fridge conversion I have some info here.

For bending the freezer tray I've had success with the conversion I did. Here's what it looks like, holler if you want more info...but pic pretty much shows it.

Ebeer; I am curious about what I am seeing in that picture. Did you tug more line through? The unpainted part I am assuming used to be outside the of the fridge "box." If this is the case, did it require much force? Because the additional length would obviously make it easier to bend without resulting in a stress induced rupture.. Props, BTW.

tj. what I did was unplug the fridge for a few days to make sure it was room temp that way you don't risk snapping that tubing in half. then carefully bend it with out kinking it.

-=jason=-

Flomaster said:

then carefully bend it with out kinking it.

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That would be the secret I'm not sure the guy in the other thread understood. Years of bending brake lines for cars have taught me what you can get away with in the way of steel, but I know the aluminum used on AC lines also has a tendency to crack when stressed too far. I think this is what happened to the other guy as I suggested that he use a wooden dowel or something as a make shift bender to avoid kinking.

tjpfeister said:

Ebeer; I am curious about what I am seeing in that picture. Did you tug more line through? The unpainted part I am assuming used to be outside the of the fridge "box." If this is the case, did it require much force? Because the additional length would obviously make it easier to bend without resulting in a stress induced rupture.. Props, BTW.

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There was little extra line that I pushed through. Not a ton, but just enough to make a difference. Room temperature is the way to go. Might even be a good idea to put a heating pad or hot water bottle on the line before bending.

The part I found most brittle was not the supply line, but the freezer box itself. The coolant snakes through the box in built in channels...bending the box was very dicey and I went very very slow. But it came out fine.

Thanks guys,

It seems bending it back is the common consesus among the few threads I've read. I don't know if I'm going to risk it.. Maybe I'll just bottle until I find the perfect fridge w/o a freezer in it.

Cheers,

Feragoh

ettbeer said:

i have 2 similar fridges i got both for free so i had no worries about bending. one i made into a 1 corny kegerator and one i use as a ferm chamber.. bending those lines while warm is pretty easy.. go slow and be careful, there's nothing to it really. you can find them on craigslist for $20-$40. i can fit a 10# Co2 tank and 1 5 gal corny in them. i recently piped the Co2 line into the fridge to avoid the tight fit. a 5# tank and 5gal corny work perfect.. this is the "refaced dorm fridge"

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Dude, that is awesome. If I could somehow build one like that it may convince the wife to put it in the kitchen.

Thanks man,

It seems bending it back is the common consesus among the few threads I've read. I don't know if I'm going to risk it.. Maybe I'll just bottle until I find the perfect fridge w/o a freezer in it.

Cheers,

Feragoh

The Frigidaire I just bought from Lowes has no internal freezer to bend/kink. It was $139.