Tony's Keezer Build

Hello all,

It's time for me to go from Lurking & Learning to Building & Sharing. What follows is Who, What, Why, and How of my Keezer Build. I'm very excited about this project for many reasons, and hopefully you will follow and guide me along the way. I've not given a proper introduction, so I'll do that now.

Once upon a time, I like many received a home brewing kit as a gift. It was actually regifted to me, unused but no longer in it's orgional packaging. At the time, I wasn't very excited by the kit. I'm sure that it was because I ignoantly figured that no good beer worth making/tasting could not come from a pile of plastic containers. I don't even remember if it had a booklet of instructions. So onto the garage shelf it went, soon to be followed by a trip to Goodwill. In hindsight, an opportunity missed. I'm sure that I had received the kit because it was a well know fact that I enjoyed beer. At the time, I had a converted refrigerator in the garage that always had two of the local microbrew kegs on tap. As I like to say, "It didn't suck."

Fast forward 8 or 9 years; in that time I moved from California to Georgia, married, and started a family. Driven by our growing family, my SWMBO and I moved into a new home last year. The moment I toured the house, I knew that there was plenty of space for future projects and lots of them. The house also has a full basement, including a workshop and a separate dedicated store room (brewery). Like many I also immediately envisioned my own home bar in the basement, but we'll save that build for another day.

I play adult ice hockey once a week here in Atlanta (no Thrashers jokes, I'm a diehard Sharks fan). It was after one of my games that I learned a couple of the guys in the league were home brewers. One of the guys was sharing a few bottles of his home brew, which naturally led to questions from me and discussions about the beer making process. This is when the seed was planted. My wife and I were in the planning stages of our housewarming party. I pitched the idea of having my buddy brew some beer as entertainment for the guests, and a How To for me.

The night of the party, he came over with a Milk Stout BIAB kit under his arm, and a bunch of plastic containers. For the rest of the night, we drank beer, and made beer. It was 3am before we finally transfered our wort to the fermenting bucket.

The seed had been planted, I can now say that I've been enjoying the craft of home brewed beer for a little over 9 months now. Every drop of it crafted from a pile of plastic (glass, and aluminum) containers. My first lesson learned, what can be achived using a much of plastic.

I'm guiltly of reading hundreds if not thousands of post here on HBT. I've learned techniques and lessons. graduated from the BIAB to All Grain. built the 10 gallon HD Mash Tun Cooler, a copper immerssion chiller, and my own variant of the Mother of a Fermentation Chiller. Now I'm starting a Keezer build. I would say, at this point, I've jumped in with both feet.

In an effort to reduce the required reading, here are the rest of the details in list form.

Mission / Goals
- More space. I've outgrown our extra side by side basement fridge (limited to 2 corneys)
- A perfect tap pour (NO FOAM)
- Appealing / good looking (fine woodworking)
- Balanced system

How will the Keezer / Basement be used?
- SWMBO and I like to entertain
- Home Brew served at Home
- Our new bigger basement is my main TV area, as well as in kid mode so the real bar is a ways off

Must Haves
- Low energy usage / High efficency / Dependable Freezer
- 4+ Corney Kegs (Immediate demand for 3)
- Room for a regular Half Keg for parties
- Multiple presures (two or three)
- Drip tray
- Reuse existing equipment
- Quality build
- Appropreate bar height. I'm 6'3", so 42"+ a little is ok.
- Moveable, but doesn't have to be portable
- Lockable

Nice to Have
- Room for growth (possible addition of Nitrogen draft / Cask)
- Build to eliminate need for external cooling fan
- Drink trough like a bar for making mixed drinks
- Glass Storage **
- Retain access to drain port
- On demand, shared cooling with Fermenter (have existing Coolerguys thermostat
and fan)
- Reasonable Costs
- LED Lighting optional, but would be fun
- Integrate into future bar

Rediculous over the top ideas
- Cold Glass storage **
- Beer bottle access
- Built in glass Washer ($$$'s). Haven't seen one in a Keezer yet, but I need to build and name it to get onto the Wall of Fame here at HBT. Would that be a Weezer? or a Keezer with a Blast?

Build considerations
- Learn from those who've gone before me (Jester, tip of the hat to you)
- Best coffin cooling method. Good cool air ducting. NO FOAM!
- Limited drilling/mounting into the freezer itself
- No collar
- Sturdy base
- Don't overbuild

I think that about covers it.

If you've hung in there this far, it's a good chance you can handle the rest.

Cheers!

Tony

Let me start by saying that I skipped right past the 7,10,and 13 cu ft sizes. I figure if I'm going to put the effort into this that I think I will, I don't want to out grow it or wish I had gone bigger down the road.

For this build, I'm uisng a new 15 cu ft Frigidaire that I bought at discount ($315+tax) from a local Ding and Dent appliance store. energy Guide estimated yearly opertaing cost for this unit as a freezer $38.

Considerations for building the base
- Sized to allow for cooling gaps all around the front and sides
- Larger wheels (roll-ability on carpet)
- Impact on overall height (targeting 42")
- Flat solid base for cabinet and skirt mounting
- Rear lip for wall standoff and electrical mounting options
- Drain access
- Torsional effect of supporting the lid resting on the surround
- Keep the weight down. Don't over build it

I thought about the framing for a long time, probably too long. Because of the 48" width of the freezer, I was concerned about the span and support of the freezer and additional weight of the build. I also wanted to proved more support than just the 4 bottom feet would provide alone.

I built the base with 4 inch swivel casters through bolted with T-Nuts onto 2x6 runners. The base is 3/4 cabinet grade ply (cheeper at HD than builder grade). I cut recessed holes for the freezer feet to provide full support for the floor of the freezer. the feet are directly supported by the 2x6's. I kept the 2x6's all the way to the sides to help support the surround, and I didn't want a smaller footprint for fear of it topling over. I decided against using a furniture dolly framing structure because that would have put me well above my 42" target.







I'm pretty happy with the base, I do have a little sag in the middle, but I don't know if that is a factor a warped 2x6, or lack of lateral support. I'm going to keep an eye on it for now. I expect that after adding the structure of the surround and the skirt combined with the weight of the top, it all might even out. I can always go back and add a cross member and even a middle caster.

Next step: The Top

Cheers!

I like that. I'd add 2 more 2 x 6 supports on the other side as well. The best part is that the warranty is still good.

badbrew said:

I like that. I'd add 2 more 2 x 6 supports on the other side as well. The best part is that the warranty is still good.

Click to expand...

I'm keeping the add 2 more 2x6's in my back pocket. I'm trying to balance not over building it with having good structure. I think when I add the surround, and the skirt that will add what I need. The other option is to pull full width framing around the base of the freezer to hold it in it's place. Right now I have a stack of wood under the center of the base so I don't develope a permenant warp.

Yes, the warranty was worth it's weight in gold. Which doesn't weigh much, but you get the point.

After building the base, I figured the Top would be a good next step as it will allow me to get the proper height figured out for the surround.

Considerations for building the Top
- Get it 100% Square because the whole top will be based on it
- Cutout to accommodate the existing lid handle
- Determine the size with a good overlap to fit over the surround
- Preserve the existing handle
- Retain access to the lock keyhole

The hardest part of building this portion of the top was cutting out a pocket for the existing handle. I started out with a router, but then shifted to a sanding drum attached to my electric drill. I was able to sand and shape the cutout to the countour of the handle. In the end it came out great, but there was a lot of test and reshaping along the way.



You can see the various layers in the plywood in the picture of the cutout.



It was a surprise to me that the 2" edging I added actually created a pocket that the lip of the factory handle went into perfectly. This means that lifting on the top is actually pulling on the handle itself. :rockin:



It is my plan to secure the top to the lid by putting wooden supports into the lid itself. These combined with the guide strips and the handle pocket should secure the top to the lid nicely.




Cheers!

Today was a day to make sawdust. After several hours of measuring which included adding and subtracting fractions, I finally made my first cuts to build the coffin. I was delayed when my best laid plans where off because I didn't leave enough room for the pipes, as they were too far aft. After moving everything forward, it all started to come together.

I'm pretty happy with the outcome. The cuts remained square, and the piece is quite strong. It will have to be to stand up to the thousands of tap handle pulls ahead.

I decided that the 30" drip tray was the right way to go. I'll be ordering one in the next couple of days. I'd be interested to know whether people buy trays with drains or no drains. I'm leaning towards one with a drain. I'll probably run it down to a gallon jug in the bottom of the freezer.

There is room for 2" foam insulation all around. I decided against the multiple boards bolted to the front. If I need additional bracing, I can easily add a piece of ply to the inside of the lower front wall. I'll just drill holes that will accept the ends of the shanks if required.

I'm still up in the air about how I want to close the top and rear panel. They are both set up with screws, everything else on the coffin is screwed and glued.

Now for the pictures!

Cheers!

Looks good... About to outgrow my four tap collar keezer...subscribed to see your progress for inspiration...keep it up!

I would recommend that people draw their layout directly on the plywood top. This allowed me to visualize the drain pan (yet to be ordered), coffin layout, insulation thickness, and the ports. I had origionally placed everything too far to the rear when I laid things out.



After drawing things out, I realized that I needed at least an 8" offset from the rear edge of the ply. I have a 4" rear overhang, then another 2" to get inside the back freezer wall, and another 2" to the point I wanted to cut through the top itself. Things moved even farther forward because I want to use a piece of leftover 4" PVC Schedule 40 pipe for my risers. These will make large ports for good cool air flow. The pieces in these first two pictures are actually collars. I might use them on the top of the pipes to hold them in place. The other option I'm considering is to just use a couple of set screws drilled directly through into the ply since they fit so nicely.



I took my time with the jigsaw cuts, and the pipes fit tight. Almost too tight. Here are the real pipes in their down position.



I can now say I have pink fuzz all over the place, but I highly recommend using a table saw to cut the insulation board. I'm leaving the front tap face uninsultated for now. I'll come back and finish it off once the faucets are mounted and tested.



Nice and flush! I'm going to find a way to attach the top with hidden screws so I can remove it in the future should I need to access the faucets. You can see that the back wall is recessed. I figure the smaller the area inside of the coffin, the better the cooling of the lines will be. I have the option of mounting to the back panel, but I still want to being able to remove it for access.



Cheers! :mug

P.S. - Tapped into a new batch of Sweetwater 420 Clone. Oh, man is it good!
Mutilated1's Coldwater 420 recipe

Only issue I have is the strength of the hinges with all that added weight.

badbrew said:

Only issue I have is the strength of the hinges with all that added weight.

Click to expand...

The thought has crossed my mind to add hinges, possibly mounthing them to the surround. I've also opened up the top, and looked at how the freezer lid is attached to the existing hinges. I'm considering tying into those mount points to add an internal skeleton to help the freezer lid support the added weight. The prospect of adding cement board and tile put the weight off the charts.

Got any ideas?

I haven't seen the other Kezzer builds making modifications to their hinges.

Tonight I was able to work on the Keezer for a couple hours. I added mounting blocks to join the coffin to the top. To accommodate the new blocks, I also had to make new cutouts in the foam board. I also tested and decided that my tap spacing will be 4 1/2".

To figure out the tap spacing, I drilled holes in a piece of plywood ranging from 3" to 5" apart. Maybe it's my big hands, but I felt that 4" was the minimum, and I liked 4 1/2" the best. After I decided on 4 1/2", I used blue painter's tape so I could visualize the full layout. I can have up to 6 taps 4 1/2" apart, with extra inches on the wings. The taps (blue dots) look low, but they are centered vertically for a 6" fascia board which will attack over this face with an overhang for recessed lighting.

My fascia board is 32" over a 30" drip tray.
|-4.75-o-4.5-o-4.5-o-4.5-o-4.5-o-4.5-o-4.75-|

I don't plan to start with 6 taps, but it's there when I'm able to brew more than I drink.

That's all for tonight.

Cheers!

Tap spacing is one thing I've been going back an forth on as well. Good idea with the painters tape. I'll stop drinking BEFORE I start working next time so I can think of these ideas.

brewser7 said:

Tap spacing is one thing I've been going back an forth on as well. Good idea with the painters tape. I'll stop drinking BEFORE I start working next time so I can think of these ideas.

Click to expand...

I completely understand. However, I have no such excuse. I went to both HD and the woodworking store today, only to realized that I forgot to buy jigsaw blades for cutting metal on both trips. Three trips to the stores for hardware today. Joy! It's amazing that I'm getting anything accomplished.

I'm starting off with two faucets, which I have to have up and running for Superbowl Sunday. I drilled them today with a 7/8" Forstner bit. They came out perfect, nice snug fit.

I'll probably finish off the foam board insulation around the shanks tonight.

Love Controller should arrive tomorrow!

This is a great build! Thanks for sharing it with us!

The more I noodled on the build, the more concerned I became about the weight of the top. Badbrew got me thinking about adding extra hinges, that morphed into the overall strength of the lid itself.



I decided to build a skeleton for the lid. This will not only strengthen the lid itself, but it will give me a good mount point for extra hinges. Getting all of the pieces in was a real puzzle, but I think I have a very strong framework to build on. I'll end up mounting the top to the framework using through bolts.



Cheers!

^^^ I like that idea. Home depot hinges secured into the wood would probably strengthen the lid good. If it becomes heavy to open and close, then you could always consider some lightweight door lift shocks as well like the ones that hold tonneau covers open but lighter. Just an idea, maybe overkill.

subscribed

The Mating Dance of the Keezer. The pieces are all lined up and ready to begin reassembly.

I used a Dremil to cut the holes in the freezer lid, and the plastic inner skin. I did some fine tuning using the various grinding and sanding attachments. I would say it can no longer be returned.



I put 6 though bolts in the top, all countersunk with Tee Nuts, very solid. Then, I recut the insulation to fit around the new skeleton.



A few minutes later, the wolf in sheep clothing was buttoned up and ready to play. I'm really happy that I was able retain the wiring for the switch, light, and running lamp. Oh yeah, I decided to pull the running lamp out of the factory handle. I'm going to run it up to the coffin. I don't know where I will mount externally yet, but I have the option.



Cheers!

With the Superbowl right around the corner, I want to make sure that I'm not leaking beer or CO2. These faucets are not exactly new. I used them several years ago for a fridge conversion. At first they were dripping, but I was able to stop the leaks by tightening up the faucet to shank joint.

The plan is to have a couple of HB kegs, and a commercial beverage (likely Coors Light) on tap for Sunday.

I'm tempted to throw a couple of kegs on the lines now.

Cheers gang!

The thread has been quiet lately, but I've been working in the background.

First things first. The first pour has occurred, and it was a beautiful moment. :rockin:



Because I wanted to push the Keezer into service for the Superbowl, there were a couple of things that had to take on a temporary form.

1. Temporary veritical braces to support the top and prevent the seal from being crushed.
   
2. Added a 3rd faucet and lines to support a commercial Sankey keg. I thought my old regulator would work for this, but I found that it has left hand threads. Since my new gas setup has right hand threads, I'm going to switch over. I have a second regulator on order, which I really need now, because the I put a 1/6 keg of Blue Moon on tap for the SB should really be up around 14psi. Having the BM on top kept lighter beer drinkers and the SWMBO happy.
   
3. I wired up the new Love TSS2 Controller from Dwyer. I'm using the second probe/control to run computer fans in the coffin. The outlet box is temporary because I would like a cleaner mounting and routing of wires.

You can see in this picture that I had the temperature low. I've since brough it up to 45F degrees. Also, you might notice that one of my supports is not straight up and down. Even though they are all exactly the same length the front right board holds the lid slightly open. I didn't notice it before, but the ding and dent freezer appears to have a small crush component to it too. It's not much and I'll work it out in the build. I've since shorted that support so the seal sits right.



Some great pours coming out of the Keezer, so much so that my supply is reaching a critical phase.

Cheers!

i like the idea of all the wires going through the top, lookin good!

A little flashback to the Mission & Goals.

Rediculous over the top ideas
- Cold Glass storage **
- Beer bottle access
- Built in glass Washer ($$$'s). Haven't seen one in a Keezer yet, but I need to build and name it to get onto the Wall of Fame here at HBT. Would that be a Weezer? or a Keezer with a Blast?

Let's just say I've officially gone off the deep end. Today I placed an order for a 30" Stainless Steel Drip Tray w/Rinser. I don't know for sure if an integrated glass rinser is a Keezer First, but it sure is going to put me into the Dog House with the SWMBO if its a flop. I'll be sure to give a product review once I have it in my hands.

Cheers!

I've mounted up the Drip Tray with integrated Rinser. I have to say that I like it!

The plan is to run a small keg at 30psi to support the waterline pressure for the rinser. The main drain of the drip tray will run to a bucket of some sort. I want to keep that as close to a sealed system so as not to introduce any more moisture into the Keezer. I do like the quality of the drip tray, I'll hold off on a final thumbs up until I've run all the plumbing. I unlike most of my patrons am left handed, so the rinser is on the left. :rockin:

I apologize for the slow build. Two children, work travel, and other projects are keeping this one on the slow train. I'm trying to come up with something each week so I'm making some progress.

Cheers!

Great build so far...

Are you a woodnet member? I think I'd recognize that workbench anywhere!

Markd27 said:

Great build so far...

Are you a woodnet member? I think I'd recognize that workbench anywhere!

Click to expand...

Thank you, I'm really happy with the build.

Not a woodnet member, but you're right. I'm guessing you know its an Ultimate Workbench by Ron Paulk.

I just finish drilling all of the holes in the top. That step took several hours itself. I love the table, and it lives up to the billing, top notch!

I've been building a bed for my 2 year old daughter on the workbench. It simply is a tool itself, making every bit of the project easier.

I was going to do a collar with mine, but you have me interested in doing something similar, just waiting to see how you end up hinging the top... subscribed!

It looks great so far! I can't wait to see the finished product and steal all your good ideas!

Subscribed

After a long break, I'm getting time in on the Keezer Build. My last update showed the Drip Tray with integrated Rinser mounted, but that was only half the battle. I've recently finished the plumbing work. Like a bad operation, I was forced to reopen the patient for more internal work.



Since this is a stand alone Keezer, I'm using a preasurized Corney Keg for my water supply. The Rinser documentation mentions that a standard water line can be used (~30psi), in reality it works great being pushed by a 14psi line. I'm very impressed with the spray pattern, and the flow rate. I expect that at 30psi the orafice size and viscosity of water would simply reduce the flow rate near to what I'm getting. Again, it is quite adiquate.



A couple of build tips.

I'm using a sealed drain bucket with a 7/8 hose for the drain line. I haven't decided on the bucket size for the long term, but I picked up a small batch fermenting bucket at the LHBS. I pulled out the airlock grommet and used a cone shaped drill mounted grinding stone to get an air tight fit for the 7/8" hose. The tight fit will all but eliminate extra moisture in the keezer compartment.

Reluctantly, I cut down the two shanks being careful not to cut into the rinser value located in the shank. In the end this worked well for clearance, and I can extend them should I use the part on a future bar build. These are both 1/2 MIP. I used flexible tubing so I could easily route the lines through the lid, and down to the water supply keg and drain bucket.

I used a couple of zip-tie mounts to secure the lines in the lid being careful not to kink the hoses. The drain line couldn't make the sharp bends, so used plastic 90 joints instead. The rinser supply line makes a u-turn and joins up next to the drain line.

I'm really excited by the outcome, clean wet cold pours from here on.

On a side note, I'm thinking about tee-ing off of the rinser supply line for separate tap of carbonated water. I've tried looking it up, but what is the target volumes for soda water? I'm seeing references to 3.0 volumes. I should be able to get close to that.

Thanks for watching, stay tuned for more updates.

Hi

Unless you want to dedicate a separate regulator to your soda water the answer there is: what ever the beer is set to. 15 psi seems to work for most people.

Bob

Awesome Build! The drip tray is a great touch too, where did you find one with the washer on the side?

Bean said:

Awesome Build! The drip tray is an great touch too, where did you find one with the washer on the side?

Click to expand...

I bought it from Beverage Time. They have several lengths from 8" up, i bought the 30". The materials and product quality are top notch.

I recommend this product.

Tony

PS - When I was searching for the tray, I searched Google Images instead of the Web results. Often you will find the product by its picture easier than a straight search. Basically going in the back door.

Let's bump this thread. Any more progress

rockinmarty said:

Let's bump this thread. Any more progress

Click to expand...

Thanks for trying to Pimp the thread. The progress has been a little slow recently, but there are a couple of new things. 6 taps are now operational, one dedicated to soda water. That has been really nice throughout the summer to have for those midday flavored waters.

After having the keezer in the main basement area, I decided that it was indeed a massive piece of furniture and would be better suited in a dedicated brew/bar area. I had to trim down the depth of the top to fit through a doorway, but I now have the Keezer in the basement storage room that is quickly becoming my new brewroom. I'm not yet burning flame in the new brewroom, but I have all of my supplies in there including my fermenter. I've also moved the basement fridge into the same room since it holds my bottled beer, commercial beer, hops, and cleaned yeasts.

The items that have me hung up at this point are some design decsions.

- Final mounting of the Love Controller (but I think I'm going with the top side mount). This was the origional position I chose/cut for.
- Tthe electrical box and wire runs. Thinking back surface of coffin.
- A CO2 tank inside or out decision
- Framework for the hinges. I really don't want to over build the inner framework so I'm really chewing hard on this one.

It seems like a lot of indecsion, but it's really more of lessons learned along the way. So hang in there, the project won't die. It's just in an extended design phase, yet operational.

Cheers!

Tony

no extra pics
Nice to read what the progress was.
Cheers

Very nice build! I like the glass washer. Are you going to install tile to the top?

Well your questions and pings have kicked me back into gear, thanks for that.

I mentioned recently that I'm going through some what I've learned and how I can redesign. One of the things I have found myself fighting is tubing and CO2. Origionally, my approach was to keep my CO2 tank inside of the Keezer. With that comes plusses and minuses. On the plus side, the tank is out of sight and CO2 supply lines are all inside. Those two might be the only positive items. Things I've learned or rememberd...
- A tank takes up valuable space inside the Keezer.
- Presure of a cold take reads low, almost useless readings.
- Turning off a line requires the Keezer to be opened.
- A tank out of sight is easy to loose track of how much gas you have left.
- Adjusting a regulator or turning on/off a line requires the lid to be opened. Opening the lid introduces moisture which leads to condensation.
- Lines becoming a web of knots.

I've now switched to a Tank outside approach because I think that this is a better design. Take notice of the single loose line coming off the left and read below. :cross:



Recently, our city has had a couple of Growler Bars pop up. I've been buying a growler here and there for later enjoyment. As many know a Growler has a very short shelf life, especially after it's been opened. I can't say for sure, but I've yet to see one, so I'll call this a Keezer First! I've added a growler top off line directly to my CO2 system. This little baby does exactly what I want it to. I was looking for ways to represure a growler. I don't know if repreasure is the right word because they really aren't on preasure as soon as they are drafted. I came across a YT video where a tire valve can be added to a cap to repreasure a growler. This will help for not only growlers I buy, but my own homebrew that I take with me. I like having it tied into my CO2 system because the preasure is already regulated.



It is as simple as buying the valve from a local auto parts store, drilling a hole, and screwing it together. The valve is a threaded valve, not a normal rubber pull though type. You can watch the video below and make one yourself.





Thanks for pushing for updates, more coming soon.

Tony

THAT....is a great idea!

fxdrider said:

that....is a great idea!

Click to expand...

agreed!!

Okay, I'm interested... Subscribed.