For my next DIY project... new kegerator

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John Beere

Deep Six Brewing Co.
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So my parents have had this old icebox for just about as long as I can remember. Growing up, it was in my playroom and contained a TV and my Odyssey II - Quick game of Pick Axe Pete anyone? No? How about KC Munchkin?

Anyway, I got it from them years ago and did the same thing for my boys but its just sort of been sitting around for the last few years. I've decided to see what I can do about cleaning it up and turning it into a kegerator. I'm thinking that I can buy a small chest freezer, rip the guts out of it, and then reinstall inside the icebox. I'll use heavy foam board to insulate it - like my walk-in cooler is made of.

I'm guessing I can squeeze 4 kegs inside it along with the freezer guts.

I'm still not certain where to put the taps and am open to suggestion. I'm open to all suggestions. In fact, this might never even take off if I can't come up with a workable design...

Here are a few pics as it stands now - dismiss the random crap.

DSC00669.jpg


DSC00671.jpg
 
You could Seal off that shelf behind it and make an Irish coffin style thing....

Thats not a bad idea but my ex-wife has laid claim to everything on top of it... just hasn't picked it up yet.

The only reason I'm hesitant to do something on top would be that if it was made of wood, I'd have to match the stain - and it is already pretty tall... around 4'. Regardless, doing it like an irish coffin was what I sort of had in mind as well. That or figure out how to put the taps on the front of it.

I failed to mention that I just purchased this two tap setup off eBay that I'd like to incorporate, but again, it may be too tall to work.

173925291_o.jpg
 
Yeah that probably will be too tall to work...so you could just send that over to me...i'll take it off your hands...pm me for my address...

Anyways yeah the wood would be a problem...if you could keep that shelf on top and it is the same wood grain, you could put wood then cover it with a piece of stainless, that would look fairly sharp...
 
While it might be a really nice project and probably turns out awesome ... are you sure you want to gut that nice thing and not turn it over to your boys couple of years down the road? Just a thought...
 
Yeah, if I can't do it in some way that makes it look like it is *supposed* to be a kegerator and enhance the quiality of it, I probably won't do it and just do something like Jester or BrewPastor...
 
Extend the back and enlarge it enough for six kegs.

Shop around for some old style tap towers and antique tap handles.

You might be able to get away with gutting a mini-fridge instead of a freezer. I think the 1.7cf dorm fridges have enough BTU's to chill that much space, if you insulate it well enough. Once it is closed, you won't be opening it that often.

That ice box could potentially make a very nice looking kegerator!
 
I would be pretty darn hesitant to do anything to the enclosure so as to keep it "original." From the picture all but the back looks intact.

I would go with some sort of Irish Coffin that sits on top, doesn't have to match wood color and just paint in a period color of the ice box. Rather than holes in the top, have insulated lines from the rear of the icebox to the rear of the IC.

Or don't do anything to it. Blemish's aside, it looks like a nice piece.

/tg
 
Extending the back isn't a bad idea...

I'm having a hard time explaining this, but what if the taps were inside the doors? I could make some sort of insulated front inside it that was about 4~6" behind the original doors...
 
Extending the back isn't a bad idea...

I'm having a hard time explaining this, but what if the taps were inside the doors? I could make some sort of insulated front inside it that was about 4~6" behind the original doors...

I have been playing with that idea for my kegerator. I may have enough room to set up at tap rack on the inside. However, my fridge is pretty big.
 
I would be pretty darn hesitant to do anything to the enclosure so as to keep it "original." From the picture all but the back looks intact.

I would go with some sort of Irish Coffin that sits on top, doesn't have to match wood color and just paint in a period color of the ice box. Rather than holes in the top, have insulated lines from the rear of the icebox to the rear of the IC.

Or don't do anything to it. Blemish's aside, it looks like a nice piece.

/tg

Extending the back isn't a bad idea...

I'm having a hard time explaining this, but what if the taps were inside the doors? I could make some sort of insulated front inside it that was about 4~6" behind the original doors...

These were the two ideas that first came to my mind. Either run the lines through the back to a remote tap box or make a unit that fits inside the box. That looks like a very nice piece and it would be tragic to modify it.
 
When i was in college i lived in a fraternity house, and we were not permitted to have kegs... We theorized about doing something like that with the fridge that we always kept our kegs in... Our implementation was just a 2x4 inside the fridge but we could have made it look a lot nicer...

The upside of that is you can keep the kegerator in a normal place and it doesn't scream, "this guy is a drunkard"... Which honestly, no matter how you put it, having a large kegerator in your house does...
 
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