Chest Freezer Specs and Layouts

sirjoel said:

I just found one on CL and took my 3 ball lock cornys to test fit before buying it. They did not fit. I could have tried jamming the 3rd one in but it probably would have been ugly.

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Thanks for confirming this, were you trying to get all 3 on the floor?

Brettomomyces said:

Thanks for confirming this, were you trying to get all 3 on the floor?

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yes I was trying to get all 3 on the floor and they didn't fit. I didn't look at whether it would work on the hump with a collar though.

GE 10.6-cu ft Chest Freezer (White) ENERGY STAR Model #: FCM11PHWW

For Posterity:

Floor:
34" wide
18" deep
25 1/4" height above*

Hump (right side):
9" wide
18" deep
16 1/2" height above

If you have the right ball lock kegs (exactly 8.5 inches in diameter, or slightly out of round), you can fit 8 on the floor. I have found that newer kegs do not fit as well. I tried new AEB and AMCYL kegs with rubber handles. The AMCYL, in particular, are very big. They have about a quarter inch rubber bumper around the bottom. Old soda kegs worked better, but I had to rotate them to fit properly. 7 on the floor is much easier.

I could close the freezer without a collar*, but the keg handles are very near to the lid. I was not able to close the lid with any lines connected to the kegs.

* The light hangs down in the middle approximately 3/4", so depending on where this aligns with your kegs, you might need a collar, even if not attaching lines.

The freezer's lid is beveled, which means it will hang down 1 1/2" into any collar you build. I Recommend a 6" collar or bigger to give some space.



Cheers

divide0, excellent information! Current and to the point, nice first post!

I've been trying to figure out what model would fit 4 to 6 pin lock kegs, this unit sounds like it would fit 4 or 5 easily.

Konadog said:

divide0, excellent information! Current and to the point, nice first post!

I've been trying to figure out what model would fit 4 to 6 pin lock kegs, this unit sounds like it would fit 4 or 5 easily.

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You should be able to fit 5 no problem. I edited my post to reduce the depth to 18 inches, since I measured again, and there does seem to be some variability in the depth (manufacturing tolerances, I guess).

Anyone recently purchase an 8.8-cu ft model? Im in the market to fit five ball lock kegs and a 5 lb co2 tank inside.

I read the sizing chart but it shows models that are no longer for sale. Im assuming any 8.8-cu ft chest would work but thought to ask here before I buy.

Thanks

...I purchased a Danby DCF550W1 5.5 cu ft. to house four ball lock kegs with a co2 tank inside. This will be enough for me. I got a good price, $278 (that includes tax and delivery)!

Im happy.

ntheknow said:

...I purchased a Danby DCF550W1 5.5 cu ft. to house four ball lock kegs with a co2 tank inside. This will be enough for me. I got a good price, $278 (that includes tax and delivery)!

Im happy.

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Did you need a collar for it or did it fit the 4 kegs and CO2 as is? I'm looking for something compact that will hold 4 with no collar.

FreddyMar3 said:

Did you need a collar for it or did it fit the 4 kegs and CO2 as is? I'm looking for something compact that will hold 4 with no collar.

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That's a tall (forgive the pun) order because most models have the compressor in a "hump" at the bottom so even the listed height can be misleading.

Anyone buy a 15 cf chest freezer lately? I'm in the market

FreddyMar3 said:

Did you need a collar for it or did it fit the 4 kegs and CO2 as is? I'm looking for something compact that will hold 4 with no collar.

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I will need to make a collar for it.

FYI

Danby 5.5 cu ft DCF055A1WDB1 replaces the DCF550W1. I ordered an DCF550W1 but was told this model is not available anymore and to order the first one mentioned.

https://www.danby.com/en-us/products/refrigeration-en-us/dcf055a1wdb1/

I know there were some doubts about the Danby 5.5 cu ft actually fitting 4 kegs and to be honest I couldn't find proof anywhere online myself. So here is some proof!

There's actually a good amount of room left, enough to fit potentially 2 5lb co2 tanks inside if you really needed such a thing.

I went with this model because I have a very tight working space and wanted 4 taps. This will be a through the wall setup eventually.

The 3 on the floor are ball locks and it is kind of a squeeze but there is air around them and I will have a fan or two running in the final build. You would NOT be able to fit 4 pin locks in this fridge due to the tight space on the floor. In this pic I have 1 pin on the hump and three on the floor. Plenty of space on the hump, you could probably fit a 10lb tank next to the hump keg, even with a pin. I don't have one to test, just 20's and that will NOT fit, just tried it.

I will have to make a relatively tall collar for this to work, a ball lock sits 8" higher than the top. So 10" collar at least.

Brettomomyces said:

I will have to make a relatively tall collar for this to work, a ball lock sits 8" higher than the top. So 10" collar at least.

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My son and I just built a new one and we wanted it nice and high so we used 2x12 for the collar and this worked really well. We have three ball lock kegs in and we can easily fit one more. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1457844123.421958.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1457844080.319124.jpg

DrWill said:

My son and I just built a new one and we wanted it nice and high so we used 2x12 for the collar and this worked really well. We have three ball lock kegs in and we can easily fit one more. View attachment 344051View attachment 344050

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Sounds like 12" then! Thanks

Thanks for the photos!

Great thread, thank you all.

Also want to say my Danby was only $223 after tax from home depot, there was a big price drop recently.

ntheknow said:

FYI

Danby 5.5 cu ft DCF055A1WDB1 replaces the DCF550W1. I ordered an DCF550W1 but was told this model is not available anymore and to order the first one mentioned.

https://www.danby.com/en-us/products/refrigeration-en-us/dcf055a1wdb1/

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*UPDATE*

The Danby 5.5 cu. ft. was too small of a chest for me. I returned and purchased a Frigidaire 18 cu. ft. Model FFFC18M4RW from Home Depot.

$602 out the door (tax, 5 year warranty, delivery)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Frigidaire-18-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-FFFC18M4RW/206183049

My old chest freezer just died. I am looking for something to have 4 ball locks on the floor and a 20#CO2 tank with no collar. I have a 4 tap pillar I will use on top after I drill a hole through the top. Thanks.

Under the DIY forum, I've been postin about which freezer I was going to use. I couldn't find interior dimensions on this thread for them. So, after dropping junior off at school today, I went to lowes and Home Depot armed with a measuring tape. Hopefully someone can convert these to those pretty drawings I've seen.

All measurements are of the interior metal "tub"
Frigidaire 8.7CF Model FFFC09M1RW
16.25" deep
37.875" wide
25.5" tall
Within that space, there is a hump for the compressor. It is on the right side. The hump dimensions are
8.625" wide AND tall
Full depth

For the GE 10.6CF model FCM11PHWW, the interior dimensions are as follows...again, the metal tub:
18" deep
43.25" wide
25" tall
Hump is right side
Full depth
8.875" wide
8.75" tall

GlenQuagmire said:

Under the DIY forum, I've been postin about which freezer I was going to use. I couldn't find interior dimensions on this thread for them. So, after dropping junior off at school today, I went to lowes and Home Depot armed with a measuring tape. Hopefully someone can convert these to those pretty drawings I've seen.

All measurements are of the interior metal "tub"
Frigidaire 8.7CF Model FFFC09M1RW
16.25" deep
37.875" wide
25.5" tall
Within that space, there is a hump for the compressor. It is on the right side. The hump dimensions are
8.625" wide AND tall
Full depth

For the GE 10.6CF model FCM11PHWW, the interior dimensions are as follows...again, the metal tub:
18" deep
43.25" wide
25" tall
Hump is right side
Full depth
8.875" wide
8.75" tall

Click to expand...

Here's a photo of 10.3 GE freezer which shows how 9 kegs can easily fit in there.

Freezer was just delivered. The Frigidaire 8.7CF models FFFC09M1RW and FFFC09M1RB (white and black, respectively) will indeed fit ball locks without a collar. Barely.

I don't know why none of the pictures I upload are oriented correctly (they show just fine on my phone and iPad), but you can see from this upside down photo that even with the lid closed almost all the way, there's still space for the beer line. I didn't connect the gas line in, but I image it takes the same exact amount of space.

This thread and Thadius' insanely thorough collection of information on chest freezer models, capacities and layout possibilities was such an awesome resource, so big props to that guy.

I recently finished my own keezer build from a Frigidaire 5.0 cu ft model FFFC05M4NW, and wanted to share this model's spatial capabilities in an effort to contribute to the information in the original spreadsheet.

I can confirm the inside of the unit is able to hold 2 pin lock kegs (the ones shown in the crummier phone photo are pin lock kegs converted to ball lock fittings) with a 5 lb CO2 tank and dual body regulator. There is definitely room for a third keg on the hump, but it would likely have to be ball lock sized to fit there. Alternatively, this model is able to fit 2x 6 gallon carboys (pictured) as a ferm chamber, with plenty of room for blowoff hoses.

Do note this is possible with the added height of the wood collar I built, which is 5 3/8" tall, so this makes the inside depth of the freezer 32 1/2" deep from the floor to the underside of the lid. Without the addition of the wood collar, the unit's inside dimensions are: 26 1/4" deep, 23 1/2" long, 15 1/2" wide.

The unit comes equipped with a temperature control knob, however when set to the max temp setting, it was at around 18 degrees F. So you'll still need to add a temp regulator to this setup for storing kegs or fermenting.

Hope this can be helpful to anyone looking to construct a keezer from the same model. Cheers, happy crafting!

Thanks for provided this detail information. it has been very helpful. Can anyone confirm that the Igloo 5.2cf FRF452 can be set up to 50 degrees without an external controller as stated in the notes?

Home Depot has three Magic Chef freezers on sale: 3.5, 5.2, and 6.9 cu ft. I believe they are on sale until tomorrow, July 13. I stopped by today after work and took the interior dimensions of all three. They all have a compressor hump on the right side, and dimensions are in inches.

Height
3.5 is 26.125
5.2 is 26.125
6.9 is 26.125

Depth
3.5 is 15.9375
5.2 is 15.875
6.9 is 15.75

Width
3.5 is 16.625
5.2 is 23.5625
6.9 is 31

Hump Width
3.5 is 9.375
5.2 is 9.375
6.9 is 9.375

Hump Height
3.5 is 8.625
5.2 is 8.625
6.9 is 8.625

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-3-5-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-HMCF35W2/206174617
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-5-2-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-HMCF5W2/206174597
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-6-9-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-HMCF7W2/203445397

Epos7 said:

Home Depot has three Magic Chef freezers on sale: 3.5, 5.2, and 6.9 cu ft. I believe they are on sale until tomorrow, July 13. I stopped by today after work and took the interior dimensions of all three. They all have a compressor hump on the right side, and dimensions are in inches.

Height
3.5 is 26.125
5.2 is 26.125
6.9 is 26.125

Depth
3.5 is 15.9375
5.2 is 15.875
6.9 is 15.75

Width
3.5 is 16.625
5.2 is 23.5625
6.9 is 31

Hump Width
3.5 is 9.375
5.2 is 9.375
6.9 is 9.375

Hump Height
3.5 is 8.625
5.2 is 8.625
6.9 is 8.625

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-3-5-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-HMCF35W2/206174617
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-5-2-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-HMCF5W2/206174597
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-6-9-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-HMCF7W2/203445397

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I bought the 6.9 for a fermentation chamber.

Without a collar I can fit 2 big mouth bubblers (6.5 - plastic) for fermentation. I could fit a 3rd with a collar.

For a keezer I could fit at least 3 kegs without a collar.

Can you fit 4 ball lock cornys on the floor of 5.2?

I'm looking for the smallest possible chest freezer that will fit 4 cornys without a collar. It needs to fit under a counter top

Brewnation said:

I'm looking for the smallest possible chest freezer that will fit 4 cornys without a collar. It needs to fit under a counter top

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I have a 7.3 that I got from Home Depot it'll hold 4 on the floor with no collar. I have the collar on just so I can get a 5th one in to force carb!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1471726959.910418.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O2N4IH2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 is this the similar/same fridge as the 5.5 in the first post?

Read the first 2 pages of this post awesome work. Some of the post for the lay outs says reserved. I'm on the mobile app so not sure what that means.

That means they have a post number available but no information for them yet.

emr25 said:

Any recommendations for the cheapest and smallest footprint chest freezer that will accommodate a single 6.5 gallon glass carboy to use as a fermentation chamber?

If it could double as a keg freezer for one or two 5 gallon kegs when not being used for fermentation that would be great, but is not a requirement. I am primarily looking for a very small fermentation chamber to prepare for brewing in the spring and summer months here in GA.

Thanks!

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Did you ever get any input on this? I'm looking for the exact same thing. Want something as small as possible that can still fit a carboy (or possible 1/4bbl sanke keg) and I really don't want to add a collar. Our GA summers dictate serious temp. control is a must. Let me know what you went with.

BroomVikin said:

Did you ever get any input on this? I'm looking for the exact same thing. Want something as small as possible that can still fit a carboy (or possible 1/4bbl sanke keg) and I really don't want to add a collar. Our GA summers dictate serious temp. control is a must. Let me know what you went with.

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Have you considered a wine fridge? I know @kal uses them and can fit a carboy or plastic bucket in the ones he uses. I think that would give you the smallest footprint. He has info on his site with the exact model numbers.

crane said:

Have you considered a wine fridge? I know @kal uses them and can fit a carboy or plastic bucket in the ones he uses. I think that would give you the smallest footprint. He has info on his site with the exact model numbers.

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I actually have a wine fridge now that is great for its small footprint. Trouble is it only gets down to about 45 degrees and then the internal thermostat shuts it down. Basically eliminates my ability to lager or effectively cold crash. If I were wiser in such things I'd just bypass the thermostat but it's an older model so the odds of finding a step-by-step DIY for that project are pretty slim.

My 5 cf holiday freezer holds a carboy or bucket no problem. holds 2 cornies on the floor(obviously without a carboy in there) and with a 2x12 collar on it a 3rd on the hump.

TX_Slacker said:

Just picked up the 12502 5.0 Kenmore from Sears for $199 ($50 off on sale). It holds 2 6 gallon carboys, or 3 pin lock kegs.

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Is this with a collar or w/o?

Has anyone converted the Kenmore 12812 17.5 cu. ft. Chest Freezer into a keezer before? Wondering how many ball locks would fit with or without a collar on it.

Brewnation said:

Can you fit 4 ball lock cornys on the floor of 5.2?

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In case anyone else is still wondering, you can fit 4 ball lock kegs on the floor of the 6.9 magic chef freezer from home depot. I have a 6" collar and there is still enough room for a 3 gallon ball lock and my 5# tank on the compressor hump.