Keezer collar question

So I got around to stripping down my lid to my freezer. I'm wondering if affixing the collar to it will be the best idea. From what I can tell the metal is pretty flimsy, minimal force bends it around and right to the inside of the metal is just some foam insulation. Just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be a problem once I sealed it



Also the top of the freezer isnt very solid around the top, just an uneven surface. Any tips/suggestions for attaching would be stellar

Many of the guys attach the collar to the lid, but I prefer to have it attached to the freezer itself. I used 2 x 6 material, so the collar is fairly heavy. I mounted the four taps to the end of the collar rather than the front. This keeps the taps out of the way when inserting or removing kegs. Another reason I did not attach it to the lid was to maintain the integrity of the original lid seal. This may or may not be an issue depending on how careful you are when removing and re-installing the seal. I used cord type weatherstripping caulk to attach the collar to the freezer. This stuff has the consistency of sticky modeling clay. It is easy to cut to the correct width and because it is putty like, it will even out any irregularities of the freezer body rim. It's sticky enough to hold the collar firmly in place without the need for screws, glue, messy silicone adhesive or brackets of any kind. The weatherstripping caulk is easily removed if desired and it is also dirt cheap to buy. Your can find it at HD, Lowes or most any hardware store:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CSN692/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I've been using this collar configuration for about three years without any issues whatsoever. I think if I were to do it over, I would use 2 x 4 lumber for the collar to make it easier to get the kegs in and out of the freezer, but that's such I minor inconvenience, I doubt if I will ever re-do the collar. I recently added insulation to the collar which appears to have significantly lowered the power consumption. I don't know by how much. I will know in a few days after I track it for awhile.

I kind of wish I went the way that others did with the collar on the lid, that way the taps move up and out of the way and plumbing is a little bit neater. However, this was very easy to do, and no concern about the flimsy metal of the lid not holding the weight.

This is what i did with mine. it's a 2x4 collar, mitered on the corners and held together with brass brackets. I put another collar of 1x8 (or 1x6 i cant recall) cedar and it held everything very snug to the freezer. Works for me and doesn't look all that bad.

Edit: forgot to say that between the collar and the top of the freezer i put that foam roll stuff they use on truck bed caps. It's got adhesive on one side and it "forms" to the surface above it. havent had any cooling loss through it.

More pics here too:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlisk/sets/72157622678522542/

jkeb74 said:

So I got around to stripping down my lid to my freezer. I'm wondering if affixing the collar to it will be the best idea. From what I can tell the metal is pretty flimsy, minimal force bends it around and right to the inside of the metal is just some foam insulation. Just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be a problem once I sealed it ...
Also the top of the freezer isnt very solid around the top, just an uneven surface. Any tips/suggestions for attaching would be stellar
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I used a 1/2" thick (I think?) strip of high density foam weatherstripping from HomeDepot to seal the uneven surface of the freezer lip and the bottom of the collar. Once the weatherstripping was stuck in place, the collar sits right on top of it and the weatherstripping fills in all the gaps. Then, I used angle brackets and some small sheet metal screws to strap the collar to the freezer from the inside.

I'm not going to be lifting the freezer by grabbing the collar, but it holds up nicely and solidly for everything else.

I would recommend going with a dual hinge setup so that you can simply lift the lid up for simple things are flip back the whole collar when you need to put kegs in out. I did this on my keezer and re-used the stock hinges to articulate the collar and bout some 3" door hinges for the lid.

I have a low profile, lightweight collar attached to my lid directly and I don't regret it at all. I really like having the faucets and tubing getting out of my way when I'm messing with the kegs and it also makes it easy to reach the bottom of the freezer for cleaning. I never really thought much about it, but how do the tall collar guys reach the bottom?

Bobby_M said:

I have a low profile, lightweight collar attached to my lid directly and I don't regret it at all. I really like having the faucets and tubing getting out of my way when I'm messing with the kegs and it also makes it easy to reach the bottom of the freezer for cleaning. I never really thought much about it, but how do the tall collar guys reach the bottom?

Click to expand...

Being tall helps out there. But i definitely agree it's a lot easier to do most things without the collar in the way (and plumbing, to boot). If i had to do it over, i'd probably follow the same route as you.

Mine's on the collar as well. I used 1/2" thick poplar which is both lightweight and takes paint great.

I attached the collar using hanger bolts. I have 5 taps on it and weight is a non issue.