My Frigidaire Kegerator Build

I know this has been done before, and the other threads were a great help to me, but I just wanted to share my experience.

I started with a Frigidaire 4.4 Cu. Ft. Compact Refrigerator (model: FRC445GM).

I took the top off and dug out the foam where I wanted to drill. The top comes off pretty easy, but you do have to be careful not to break the top while pulling it off. The coolant lines run about 1.5" apart.



I wanted to reinforce the top so the tower would be screwed down firmly. So, I cut a .5" sheet of plywood to 13"x16" and dug out the foam where it was going to sit.



Here is a picture of a dry run with the copper pipes sticking up and the top on to make sure everything lined up and fit.






I filled the hole that I cut out with some foam and glued the wood to the top of the refrigerator. Also right before I put everything together I placed some foam between the wood and existing foam since I didn't cut it flat originally. While everything was drying I put a full keg on top and today everything was secured very well and the top fells very solid.

Here is the finished product:

Nice!

Did you keep the copper pipe and run a fan inside to chill the tower?

Whatever, make sure you enjoy that great tap beer YOU MADE!

Looks sharp. Well done!

TeufelBrew said:

Nice!

Did you keep the copper pipe and run a fan inside to chill the tower?

Whatever, make sure you enjoy that great tap beer YOU MADE!

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I kept the copper pipe, but I did not use a fan. It is looking like the copper pipe keeps the line cold enough.

Snausages01 said:

I kept the copper pipe, but I did not use a fan. It is looking like the copper pipe keeps the line cold enough.

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Makes sense; copper is one of the best thermal conductors.

Sweet. Just enough detail for me to borrow for mine after x-mas. Looks great!

Looks good i cant wait to do mine after the new year

I have the same fridge... I just added a 2nd tap to it and am wondering how to bypass the thermostat (or if you even did). It looks as though you removed the housing that it is stored in. If I bypass the thermo, I do have a johnson controls dial thermostat that I can use.

Edit: Nevermind... after much tinkering, I found that connecting the blue wire to the black wire allows the kegerator temperature to be controlled via the external thermostat.

If you have any questions when you start your build, don't hesitate to ask.

The refrigerator stays cold enough and will even freeze kegs if you go too cold. The copper pipe keeps the beer in the lines cold enough as well.

That looks fantastisch!

I'm considering the same fridge from Lowe's. How did you work with the inside temp regulator? Are you pleased overall? It does look like a nice fridge. It looks like the co2 fit in the back. Is that right?

I just took the temperature controller out of the housing it came in and pushed it behind the keg. I thought about just taking it out and wiring an external controller, but I didn't have the time or parts when I did it. I would eventually like to do it, but it isn't at the top of my list since I never really see it and I don't have any temp control problems.

The 5 lb CO2 tank does fit on the compressor hump.

what size in width and length is ther copper pipe, whered you get it and howmuch was it

o yea how does the copper stay in place? im doing the build this weekend and im usually not much of a handy man so all the help is appreciated and i want my setup to look as nice as yours.

Also how did you line the holes up to the fridge to the plywood to the plastic top?

o yeah last question what is the 3rd picture you posted? im asuming in the plastic top but why is it silver and not black?

I'm not at the house right now, and I don't remember what size the copper pipe was It was slightly larger than the beer out line (just bring a piece of line with you to the store and check). You can buy the copper at HD or Lowes for $2-$4. I bought precut 2' pieces and cut them down because I though I might be able to get away without having to cut them. The copper is held in there by frication and by expandable foam; I filled that little square hole with froam when I was finished. I was going to put expandable foam in the tower, but decided against it for the time being. I may go back and do it since it is very unlikely that I will ever remove the copper pipe. I just cut the copper pipe to the proper length so I go get my CO2 bottle in the fridge, but it runs up as far as I could put it in the tower.

As for lining up all of the holes I just drilled the holes in the fridge first and then measured everything and drilled the top and wood at the same time.

The top is black, but it still had the protective plastic on it in the picture, and it looks silver because of the flash.

thanks man great build like i said i hope mine turns out as bada** as yours

I just picked up one of these refrigerators today and am planning on doing the conversion once I get all the parts together. I know you said that the top comes off without too much trouble, but I'm curious as to how it is held on. Does it snap on or is it glued in place? Any advice on getting the top off without breaking it is much appreciated. Thanks.

chris_v said:

I'm curious as to how it is held on. Does it snap on or is it glued in place? Any advice on getting the top off without breaking it is much appreciated. Thanks.

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I have the same fridge and the top is held on by the foam. just work your way around the edges and the top will come right off.

As CDbrews said it is held on by the foam and a little glue. Just start at one corner and pull up gently. The top comes off pretty easy, but you do need to be careful not to crack it.

I like the copper sleeving, adding a fan just seems like a hassle. I'm still on a chest freezer w/ picnic taps in the basement, but I do have a Sanyo waiting in the wings and will try the copper.

Thanks for the advice. I just ordered my conversion kit and am going to wait until it arrives to pull the top off so I can get it all laid out first. I hope to have it up and running within a week or so depending on how long the parts take to get here. I've got a batch of Irish stout that I was going to bottle, but not I'm just going to wait and keg it - can't wait!

how does the top go back on? do you glue it ?

Steven4est said:

how does the top go back on? do you glue it ?

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Glued it and set a full keg on top while it dried.

Snausages01 said:

If you have any questions when you start your build, don't hesitate to ask.

The refrigerator stays cold enough and will even freeze kegs if you go too cold. The copper pipe keeps the beer in the lines cold enough as well.

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What exactly did you do with the thermostat and light? I just bought one of these puppies from Lowes today and installed the draft tower, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what to do with the thermostat assembly and as a result, can only fit one keg in right now.

I'm also having troubles fitting my CO2 tank on the back shelf. My PSI guage hits the roof! doh! Has anyone tried mounting the CO2 tank to the outside???

I just put the top back on and pushed it into the position it was in, the only downside is that the tower wobbles just a bit but it has not bugged me enough to fix it yet... i willl eventually get around to gluing it hopefully

I pulled the thermostat out of the white housing with the light and just put it back behind a keg.

My gauges are on an angle so I could fit them in the fridge; I’d say they are on a 45 degree angle. Just loosen them and set the CO2 tank on the hump and then tighten them once you have it in place.

Snausages01 said:

I pulled the thermostat out of the white housing with the light and just put it back behind a keg.

My gauges are on an angle so I could fit them in the fridge; I’d say they are on a 45 degree angle. Just loosen them and set the CO2 tank on the hump and then tighten them once you have it in place.

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It's been a long day and the obvious has obviously slipped right past me re: the guage haha!

Do you have a picture of what you did with your thermostat? I'm having a difficult time visualizing.

The battery in my camera is dead, so I don't have a picture of it, but I'm charging it right now. I'll try to get you a picture in a minute. Basically you unscrew the housing that the light and thermostat is in and take the thermostat out (remove the white knob first). It will be hanging on by some wires, just push it towards the back of the fridge and the second keg will fit.

Snausages01 said:

The battery in my camera is dead, so I don't have a picture of it, but I'm charging it right now. I'll try to get you a picture in a minute. Basically you unscrew the housing that the light and thermostat is in and take the thermostat out (remove the white knob first). It will be hanging on by some wires, just push it towards the back of the fridge and the second keg will fit.

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Is it safe to assume that you determined the correct temperature prior to removing the thermostat knob? I'm nervous about not being able to control the temperature.

I put the knob back on after I removed the thermostat.

Snausages01 said:

I put the knob back on after I removed the thermostat.

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Looks great. I ended up doing the same thing but also taped it to the wall with aluminum tape. I'm wondering now if it will negatively effect the temperature reading.....

My tower and all the trimmings should be coming at the end of the week. I can't wait!







EDIT: So far the tape doesn't seem to have effected the temp settings. The fridge still cycles like it has been and I feel a little more comfortable seeing the control and light are stable and out of the way, especially when I move the kegs around.

Did you run bolts all the way through to the inside of the fridge to mount your tower?

It sounds like folks in the other thread have...but the way my tower bolt holes would line up put them uncomfortably close to freon lines.

I was wondering if it would be feasible to just screw the tower in to the wood that you have under the cover.

burnsy1 said:

Did you run bolts all the way through to the inside of the fridge to mount your tower?

It sounds like folks in the other thread have...but the way my tower bolt holes would line up put them uncomfortably close to freon lines.

I was wondering if it would be feasible to just screw the tower in to the wood that you have under the cover.

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Yup. I just screwed mine into the wood and let it be!

Thanks, I think I'll be going that route as well.

is it possible to just use regular drill bits to drill the holes? Or does it have to be with a hole saw?

Same here. Cut a square out of the foam and placed some plywood in it's place and drilled screws into the plywood.

I personally didn't use a hole saw. I used a wood drill bit and drilled in a few spots until the hole in the top of the fridge was large enough to fit the beer lines, but no larger than the circumference of the draft tower. Make sense?

Is there a trick to getting the fittings off of the lines that run in to the tower? I need to get the ends off so I can run the tubing through the copper...but am having a hard time.

burnsy1 said:

Is there a trick to getting the fittings off of the lines that run in to the tower? I need to get the ends off so I can run the tubing through the copper...but am having a hard time.

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I've never figured those out. I always pry them off while cussing and replace them with the ones that can be tightened with a screwdriver.

my dremel told these things to f off