Here is my keezer. Fun, challenging, rewarding. 2 months, $600.00, later...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attach...ent.php?attachmentid=25149&stc=1&d=1304044565
Converting the Frigidaire 7.2 cu ft Chest Freezer
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pola0502ds
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Very Nice! Looks like you made the collar out of sheet metal, i like that alot.
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Quaffer
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Beautiful!
I am trying to guess the material of the collar. Is it sheet metal with oak veneer? Youre going to have to let us in on the details.
I appreciate the feedback, and Quaffer, I would love to share details. Your post was my inspiration, and I studied your post for hours to prepare for mine. Your parts list was invaluable! In the DIY forum, I posted detailed instructions and parts list.
The inside and top lip is covered in black aluminum siding, I picked up about $25 bucks worth at a aluminum siding company. I ruined many piece before I got it right.
Quaffer, I saw your keezer in last months Brew Mag. Is that you standing next to you keezer. If so, great, nice to put a face behind your inspiration.
Thanks again,
The inside and top lip is covered in black aluminum siding, I picked up about $25 bucks worth at a aluminum siding company. I ruined many piece before I got it right.
Quaffer, I saw your keezer in last months Brew Mag. Is that you standing next to you keezer. If so, great, nice to put a face behind your inspiration.
Thanks again,
Chest Freezer to Keezer Conversion: MikeE's DIY build
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/chest-freezer-keezer-conversion-mikees-diy-build-242624/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/chest-freezer-keezer-conversion-mikees-diy-build-242624/
bourgeoisbee
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I just finished building my 7.2 Frigidaire keezer and wanted to thank all of you for the knowledge in this thread. It ensured everything went right the first time. It looks great!
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Quaffer
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Quaffer
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Walnut! Aluminum siding! I love it. The glow of that wood is fantastic.
I have heard conflicting stories on Hem Fir, specifically on what it is. At the time I started this thread I thought Hem Fir and Western Hemlock was one and the same thing. Later I heard that Hem Fir is a convenience grouping of similar wood species, including Western Hemlock. Can you shed some light on this? By the way, here in the Seattle area Western Hemlock and Douglas Fir are the dominant species used for regular lumber at HD and Lowes.
You have a great writeup on your keezer. Subscribed.
Hey, this is awesome!
One question- why mess with the thermostat etc and a love controller when you can just wire it up so that you plug the freezer into an outlet controlled by the temp controller seen in the "ebay aquarium temp controller build" thread?
One question- why mess with the thermostat etc and a love controller when you can just wire it up so that you plug the freezer into an outlet controlled by the temp controller seen in the "ebay aquarium temp controller build" thread?
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Quaffer
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One could do that. The probe wire may be a little easier to handle if the controller is built in. That pesky little wire is driving me nuts. I am going to fix its location somehow so it won't get in my way anymore.
just finished mine....came out great except for the dent that lowes delivery put in it....but that got me 25% off....just wondering what people are using for a temp and t/d setting. I started at 37 with a diff of 2 ....put it seemed to be cycling alot and I was concerned about compressor life so I raised the diff to 4 and seems better
pola0502ds
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what exactly are you talking about?
boralyl
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Quaffer,
What are the dimensions of the wood used for the collar (length of each of the sides)? I am terrible with wood work (never done any actually) so I will probably have to get someone to help me with that but would like to know how to tell them to cut it..
What are the dimensions of the wood used for the collar (length of each of the sides)? I am terrible with wood work (never done any actually) so I will probably have to get someone to help me with that but would like to know how to tell them to cut it..
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This post is a good example.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/co...chest-freezer-162225/index22.html#post2822018
I cut my 0.75" x 10" poplar to these dimensions (haven't finished the build yet though). I suck at wood work also, but so far so good!
Jota21
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why miter the inside part that nobody will see, and not the exterior of the collar??
I mitered the top, but a little different than boralyl. I set the frame on top of the edges of the collar, not flush with the inside. I extended the veneer on the front face and sides to go over the frame edge when viewing from the front. This just gave it a cleaner look when opening the keezer. It adds nothing in the closed state.
However, I see what you mean since boralyl did his collar with the edges showing on the opposing sides. That's also how I put mine together, but then the veneer hid the edges. To each their own I guess. Boralyl's still looks very nice.
I saw this one in BYO, congrats on the recognition.... made me really think towards a chest freezer, although I am only on my second brew at this time, id love to start some Lagers. I'll be setting one of these up soon, just waiting on a good check in a few weeks... ill be reading the rest of this thread and studying up. I may have some questions for the people here on HBT as i start
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Quaffer
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Thank you.
I have used my kegerator for lagering a couple of times. It works, but man are those carboys heavy, bulky, and delicate. In addition, anything else in the kegerator will have to put up with whatever temperature the lager demands, 50°F for fermentation, then 32-ish for lagering. If you can at all afford it (money AND space), I'd recommend a lagering space where you do not have to lift the carboy four feet in the air to get it in there. I am in the market for an old fridge, or perhaps I'll build a pink foam box with ice jugs, or even more ambitiously, make a cold closet with an air conditioner. We have a small egg farm so it would serve dual purposes.
Good luck with your build.
I was just curious on one part of this.... I read that you said ""The boards are Western Hemlock 2x8, thinned down to 1.25" thickness on a table saw."", how were you able to thin them down on a table saw? .. that just seems like it would be quite difficult if even possible.
pola0502ds
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I didn't read the whole thread to forgive me but I have a few questions about the controller.
-Does the controller come with all the wires you need to hook it up or do you have to buy a extension cord, cut off the ends, and use the 3 wires inside it? If so, what gauge wire is it?
-I am going to add the fan at a later date, how would that change your wiring diagram?
-Your wiring diagram says the fan is hooked up to a 6VDC supply, do you have spec's on it and where you got it?
-Does the controller come with all the wires you need to hook it up or do you have to buy a extension cord, cut off the ends, and use the 3 wires inside it? If so, what gauge wire is it?
-I am going to add the fan at a later date, how would that change your wiring diagram?
-Your wiring diagram says the fan is hooked up to a 6VDC supply, do you have spec's on it and where you got it?
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Quaffer
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I pushed the 2x8 boards through with the 2" side down to the table, 8" side against the fence. The blade cuts through about half of the board so it has to be flipped over to do the other side.
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Quaffer
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I bought 3-conductor rubber cable by the foot at Home Depot. I used 16 gauge wire, but a lot of people will tell you that you should use at least 14 gauge wire if you plug into a standard 15A outlet. 16 gauge works fine for me.
Just omit the fan and the 6V power supply.
I had several such power supplies, all from old cell phones and other obsolete electronics. After trying several, I found that a 6V supply (7.7V actual) made the fan run quiet yet with a good breeze. We don't need a tempest in there; just gently shuffle the air around. All power that you send to the fan will have to be removed by the compressor, so I'd keep the fan slow and quiet.
pola0502ds
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I do wood working all the time, your a very brave man!
pola0502ds
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I went to ebay and all I can find are 6vdc power supplies that plug into a wall..
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Quaffer
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Brave of foolhardy, I don't know which. All fingers still attached.
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Quaffer
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Yes, that's it. I soldered wires to the prongs, taped it up, and then attached the supply on its back to the frame. The wires can then be connected to neutral and compressor power with wire nuts for example. I think I actually soldered the neutral splice because the wires were short.
2puttbird
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I've heard of "planing' boards on a band saw ... never on a table saw ... you must have some very skinny push sticks!
my temp controller has settings for the temperature and temperature differential (how far you let the temperature get from your set temp before it kicks on) I was wondering if anyone is using this type, what settings there using
BA_from_GA
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hoplover said:
Mine works the same way. I have had it set at 38 with a 4*diff, and itbworked great, just kicked it down a degree to see how it does.
FWIW, I have the set point (temperature setting) at 46*F using a 10*F differential. This holds the beer at 40*F. The beer temperature varies less than 1*F with this configuration. The compressor runs for about 20 minutes and is off for about 60 minutes with ambient (room temp) at about 74*F. The freezer is a 7.5 cu ft model with a 2 X 6 collar. A muffin fan running continuously circulates the air in the freezer and the collar is insulated with rigid foam. I've been experimenting with wider and wider differential settings to see how this affects the temperature swing of the kegged beer. I plan to increase the differential setting until I get a swing of 1.5 degrees min to max which I figure won't even be noticeable in the served beer. I'm trying to find a good compromise between minimizing compressor cycling while keeping the temperature variance of the beer at an acceptable (un-noticeable level).
pola0502ds
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on for 20 and off for 60? That sounds more like it. Some other people were posting it only turns on a couple times a day.
pola0502ds
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If you hinge the lid to the collar, what are you guys doing with the holes that are left behind on the freezer exterior from the hinge when it was originally mounted to it?
boralyl
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I just put the original screws back into the holes and called it a day.
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Quaffer
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A 2x8 on edge stands so tall that the blade does not quite make it halfway through the width of the board. The top of the board is therefore "safe" to hold on to. As long as the board goes straight through there is no problem, but it is difficult to correct for misalignments. The blade binds easily. I do confess being more than a little nervous doing this though. Now that I think of it, I don't recommend people doing this.
pola0502ds
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Quaffer, I have been looking at other peoples wiring diagrams for the same love temp controller. I just got mine in last night and plan to wire it tonight but on these other diagrams I never see them jumping 2 terminals. Why do you do that?
Also, are there different versions of the tsx-10140 that I should worry about, like making sure that if I use your wiring diagram I need to make sure the love controller is exactly the same. The part number is but I don't know if I can check for something else.
Also, are there different versions of the tsx-10140 that I should worry about, like making sure that if I use your wiring diagram I need to make sure the love controller is exactly the same. The part number is but I don't know if I can check for something else.
I didn't do anything with the un-used holes. They are on the back side of the freezer and not in view. The holes do not penetrate the interior wall of the freezer, so there is no air leakage or any problem like that. You could easily plug the holes with a screw if it will make you feel better, but really nothing to worry about at all.
pola0502ds
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To run power to the fan, i wonder if you can cut a hole in the hump on the inside of the freezer, under that is the compressor, and run a the wire to the fan, through that hole, and out. Silicone that hole and be good to go?
Yes, you could do it safely that way. Through the lid is another option. I would drill through the back edge of the lid and down at an angle so that the wires would not be visible and the top of the lid would remain intact. Through the collar (if you are using a collar) which is what I did.
