Salton Kegerator Conversion

The Canadian Tire in my area no longer carries the Sylvania mini-fridge but they have replaced it with the slightly smaller Salton version.

The interior dimensions were virtually identical (with the depth and width being about 1" smaller on the Salton)... unfortunately that size difference meant that two cornies would not fit without some modification...

Unmodified interior:



So my plan was to shave off the 'ridges' on the side walls:

The 'ridges'


Post-grinding (simply used a power drill with grinding stone...took roughly 45 minutes to do both sides)

Like the Sylvania the door on the Salton required modification...for this I used a utility knife to cut off the plastic shelves and drink holder...only took a few minutes and left me with a secure plastic border that I used to attach the rubber seal to the frame:

Unmodified door:


Modified door:



After grinding the ridges and cutting the door the fridge was large enough to hold both corny kegs with a 10lb tank:






In total it took me a few hours to complete the project; all works well and the fridge stays at about 8* with two kegs and the tank.

My next project is to find a two tap tower and drill some holes using the copper piping method (cooper pipes keep the lines cool).

Woot! Nice mod there.

Just wanted to chime in on your Salton Conversion OCB tilly.

Thats coming along nicely

If you have any inquiries sourcing materials on a BM DIY tower or Predone tower let me know.

BeerCanuck

Nice job on the conversion! That'll look great once you get a tower on top, but as long as the beer is flowing who cares eh?!

bradsul said:

Nice job on the conversion! That'll look great once you get a tower on top, but as long as the beer is flowing who cares eh?!

Click to expand...

I hear that!

BeerCanuck said:

Just wanted to chime in on your Salton Conversion OCB tilly.

Thats coming along nicely

If you have any inquiries sourcing materials on a BM DIY tower or Predone tower let me know.

BeerCanuck

Click to expand...

Sounds good, going to check the basement of the brewery and see if I can scrounge a tower and tap....seem to remember seeing one down there....

If that fails BM's DIY tower looks great so I'd probably do that....

UPDATE

Just received an email about this conversion....here are the questions:

How did you take off the top of the fridge?
Did you have any problems drilling through the top?
Where are the hot sidecoils?

And here is my response:

Taking off the top, ah yes! forgot to mention that in the post....

Well anyways, I was worried that the top was screwed into the frame, but it's not. It's just glue. Start at one corner and pull up....use some force....it might feel like it's going to break, and it will sound like it's breaking but that's just the glue separating.......slowly work your way around the top and all will be well, there's nothing under the top that can break.

I haven't had a chance to drill through the top but I'm almost positive the cooling coils are not up there...once you pop off the top you'll see that there is only foam underneath, so if you're really worried about the cooling lines just poke around the foam with a narrow pin and make sure they aren't on top....

Does that make sense?

Click to expand...

Nice works OCB tilly
I completed a second Sylvania conversion recently for my beer brewing buddy using a pre-manufactured tower;

Using Bradsuls PVC Tower Cooling Solution idea made it a simple tower installation.

Cheers
BeerCanuck

what are the dimensions of your mini fridge? I have a GE I would like to convert and dont know if it is big enough.

RICLARK said:

what are the dimensions of your mini fridge? I have a GE I would like to convert and dont know if it is big enough.

Click to expand...

Sorry for not getting back to you any quicker, but I'll go get them right now....

EDIT:

Ok here they are:

Front floor to beginning of hump in back - a tad under 10.5"
Side to side before modification: 16"
Side to side after modification: 17"
Floor to top: 29"

OCB tilly said:

Sorry for not getting back to you any quicker, but I'll go get them right now....

EDIT:

Ok here they are:

Front floor to beginning of hump in back - a tad under 10.5"
Side to side before modification: 16"
Side to side after modification: 17"
Floor to top: 29"

Click to expand...

Awesome thank you, My dimensions are the exact same, also did your fridge have the little freezer in the top of it? Mine has the freezer tray but it is only held in by 4 phillips screws.

RICLARK said:

Awesome thank you, My dimensions are the exact same, also did your fridge have the little freezer in the top of it? Mine has the freezer tray but it is only held in by 4 phillips screws.

Click to expand...

Hey, no mine did not have a freezer; the top is level with the back ledge being about 5 or 6" I'd guess.

How wide is your fridge? 17" is the bare minimum, as you can see I had to shave mine down...

OCB tilly said:

Hey, no mine did not have a freezer; the top is level with the back ledge being about 5 or 6" I'd guess.

How wide is your fridge? 17" is the bare minimum, as you can see I had to shave mine down...

Click to expand...

I measured mine and got 17 1/2 " Width

10 1/2" Depth to the hump

29 1/2" Height after I remove freezer Tray

Im sure I will have to remove the drink rack from the Door and Shave the Sides.

RICLARK said:

...29 1/2" Height after I remove freezer Tray...

Click to expand...

Be careful how you move the tray. In most fridges with a freezer the cooling coil for the fridge is actually in the freezer. I've read about some people carefully bending those down but I'd be too worried about kinking personally.

bradsul said:

Be careful how you move the tray. In most fridges with a freezer the cooling coil for the fridge is actually in the freezer. I've read about some people carefully bending those down but I'd be too worried about kinking personally.

Click to expand...

My tray is just a tray it is not attatched to anything there is just 4 screws and it comes out, I dont think I would even call it a freezer it is Pathetic.

RICLARK said:

My tray is just a tray it is not attatched to anything there is just 4 screws and it comes out, I dont think I would even call it a freezer it is Pathetic.

Click to expand...

Pathetic for someone who wants ice, good setup for you though.

bradsul said:

Pathetic for someone who wants ice, good setup for you though.

Click to expand...

My big Question about Converting mine is, What do I do with the Climate Control device? I dont really want to get rid of it because it has been very handy for Lagering.

RICLARK said:

My big Question about Converting mine is, What do I do with the Climate Control device? I dont really want to get rid of it because it has been very handy for Lagering.

Click to expand...

Just unscrew it....probably has one or two screws....

(big night last night, friends loved the beer and cider i have on tap :cross: )

Is that duct tape on top of the fridge?
Making all of us Canadians proud OCB

Cheers
BeerCanuck

I dug into my mini fridge today even more to see what has to be done, The tray can be romoved with the 4 screws like I mentioned above but with more close examination I realized that the tray as a cord that runs into the back of it and now that the Ice is melted I can see that the floor of the tray is nothing but cooling coils. Do I just cut that cord going into the tray or will it screw up the rest of the System?

RICLARK said:

I dug into my mini fridge today even more to see what has to be done, The tray can be romoved with the 4 screws like I mentioned above but with more close examination I realized that the tray as a cord that runs into the back of it and now that the Ice is melted I can see that the floor of the tray is nothing but cooling coils. Do I just cut that cord going into the tray or will it screw up the rest of the System?

Click to expand...

That tube is the entirety of the cooling for the fridge, so I wouldn't cut it or you'll have a pretty expensive repair. I've seen some pictures of people who had managed to bend the freezer down without kinking and breaking that line but it will take some guts to try it I think.

So, now that's it been a couple of weeks since you've had it up and running how is the Salton fridge making out as kegorator?

Any foaming issues?

Is 8-10 degrees adequate serving temperature?

The thermostat control...do you just have it dangling in behind one of the Kegs? It is not clear from the pictures.


It's on sale at CT right now....I'm debating rushing out and getting one.

jimmypager said:

So, now that's it been a couple of weeks since you've had it up and running how is the Salton fridge making out as kegorator?

Any foaming issues?

Is 8-10 degrees adequate serving temperature?

The thermostat control...do you just have it dangling in behind one of the Kegs? It is not clear from the pictures.


It's on sale at CT right now....I'm debating rushing out and getting one.

Click to expand...

Hey bud, the salton is great, no complaints.

The temperature is awesome but we all know that the temperature of beer is a personal preference: some liking it close to freezing while others like 'cellar' temps....I personally go for the latter, cellar temps. I find that close to freezing temps shocks my mouth too much and mask much of the flavour in the beer. But if you're looking for the former, this fridge will give you the temps you want.

And yes you're correct, the temperature control is simply dangling: there is lots of wire for it to move around and it only takes 2 screws to detach it...pretty simple design. Keep it simple!

And no, no foaming issues. Foaming issues are usually a product of dirty lines, improper gas settings and/or over carbonation. Rarely, if ever, is the fridge the culprit.

Hope that helps and hope it makes sense, worked late at the pub tonight and filled myself up with some brandy to keep myself warm for the cold walk home, haha.

cheers

Hello,

Has anyone drilled a hole into the top of the Salton fridge yet? Any surprises? I have a conversion kit and it is going to be my weekend project so I wanted to know if anyone has done this already...

Thanks

It looks like Canadian Tire has these on sale again for a really good price, only 159.99!

OCB tilly said:

UPDATE

Just received an email about this conversion....here are the questions:

How did you take off the top of the fridge?
Did you have any problems drilling through the top?
Where are the hot sidecoils?

And here is my response:

Click to expand...

Canadian Tire has them on sale again so I'm thinking of taking the plunge.

Why do you neeed to take the top off though? Wouldn't you just drill through all the layers?

Thanks

Rudeboy

Rudeboy said:

...Why do you neeed to take the top off though? Wouldn't you just drill through all the layers?...

Click to expand...

Depending on the type of tower you're going to install, you may need to modify the underside of the plastic to fit in some sort of re-enforcement. Or in the case of my fridge, I made a DIY tower so I wanted to get the flange underneath the plastic for a nice clean look.

Now the Salton is on sale for $149

Should I ....or shouldn't I???

I definitely want to mount a double tower.

OK still haven't taken the plunge but today might be the day as Canadian Iron has them on sale again. Only place I can find a Sanyo 4912M is Costco.ca but it's more than twice the cost of the Salton.

But I have a few questions.

1. Bradsul yours didn't seem to have the steel "freezer" part but others did. If there is the steal "freezer" part can it be easily removed/bent?

2. OCB seems to say he can only reach "celler" temp with two Cornies. Is that other people's results? I'm not like some Coors Light guy you wants everything at close to freezing but depending on the style I'd like to get below "celler" temp for some brews. Especialy since I want to make the PVC tower is cooloing adequete for all range of styles?

3. Any nasty suprises on the top? How hard was it to remove?

4. How much grinding of the knobs is neccesary?

Thanks

Rudeboy

Rudeboy said:

...
1. Bradsul yours didn't seem to have the steel "freezer" part but others did. If there is the steal "freezer" part can it be easily removed/bent?

2. OCB seems to say he can only reach "celler" temp with two Cornies. Is that other people's results? I'm not like some Coors Light guy you wants everything at close to freezing but depending on the style I'd like to get below "celler" temp for some brews. Especialy since I want to make the PVC tower is cooloing adequete for all range of styles?

3. Any nasty suprises on the top? How hard was it to remove?

Click to expand...

My fridge was different than the Salton (see the link in my signature for the Sylvania) but if your choice has a freezer, you definitely can't remove it, that is where the cooling coils for the fridge are located. I've read some people have had luck bending the freezer down and out of the way, I'm not sure I'd have the guts to try it. The good news there being that the one on sale this week doesn't appear to have a freezer.

I have my kegerator set at 8.5C and it holds that temperature extremely well. But again I have a different model. Check out the link in my signature for a good method for cooling your tower. The top on mine was extremely easy to remove, just 2 screws in the back and it slips right off.

Took the plunge on the Salton. $149 can't get cheaper than that.

One more question Bradsul. I'm going to go with the PVC tower eventually and your cooling solution. The cooling solution is well documented in the other thread but is there a thread for the PVC tower? I see threads about adding drip trays, insulating, etc. But not one on the specs of building one.

I know it looks real simple but then so am I.

Rudeboy

I had concerns about the temperature of the Salton as well and so far have held of buying it. I don't like ice cold beer but wanted the option of a colder temperature range.

Let us know how your conversion goes.

Rudeboy said:

One more question Bradsul. I'm going to go with the PVC tower eventually and your cooling solution. The cooling solution is well documented in the other thread but is there a thread for the PVC tower? I see threads about adding drip trays, insulating, etc. But not one on the specs of building one.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's documented on here. To be honest it's pretty simple, you just need a toilet flange, a length of 3" pipe and an end-cap. Cut a hole in the plastic top of the fridge, paint the pieces and assemble them. I put the flange underneath the plastic fridge top so it would look cleaner, used 4 lag bolts with large fender washers to hold it down (they're visible in the tower cooling thread). Getting the shanks mounted evenly is the tough part, but if you take your time it's not difficult.

++ on Bradsul
The predone single tap is the easier to install and shiney;


copper cooling solution rocks

Cheers
BeerCanuck

OK finally done the grinding and cutting inside. Man that was a lot of work.

I'm going to just use my picnic taps for now but I'm getting a stainless double tap from morebeer.com. (The PVC looks real good but I think we're running up against my DIY capabilities, and my wife's patience.)

But I see no screws connecting the top. Anyone taken the top of a Salton?
In the alternative anyone drilled through the top of a Salton?

Thanks

Rudeboy

I picked up my Salton today (last one in the store, looks like they won't carry it anymore), and I'm pretty excited. I've already removed the door liner and replaced it with a wooden frame for the seal to clamp against. I have my first keg of Hefeweizen sitting inside being carbonated and I'm enjoying my excellent brown ale, what could be better?!?!? Next step is to start building a coffin top so the wife will let me take it out of the garage and into the house

Has anyone drilled through the top of the Salton??? I`ve tried taking the top off but it seems cemented onto there. I was thinking of taking a chance and simply drilling through the top and hoping for the best but i`m kinda scared .

Canadian Tire has the salton on sale now for $139

Have not seen any comments on drilling the top yet. Can someone who has drilled the top for a tap comment on how it went, and what the safe area is to drill.

Hey everyone. Finally got all my stuff together and contemplated the infamous question as to whether or not there are lines running through the top. Well from what I can see...NO.

The hardest part was to peel of the top of the fridge, everytime I heard a crack, I thought....''oh hell...I just messed it up!''. But as OCB said before...there is absolutely no problem. As long as you take your time and go from corner to corner (the front corners because the ones in the back have no grip) you'll be fine.

So here are some of the pics I took. I`m planning on cutting a plywood for reinforcement...although it may not be necessary...I`m going all the way.

Hope this helps some of you.

I`m planning on making a topic with the whole conversion once everything is compeleted...therefore tips and recommendations are welcome.

Special thanks goes to OCB and Bradsul!





Carefully ungluing the top part.





Area where I tested with a spike to ensure no lines are running through, area where the plywood will be placed.






Teaser pics of whats comming up
(got only a keg for now but definately planning on a second soon)





Have more pics but limited to only four...

Jealous of your faucets! I really need to pony up the cash and buy some Perlicks.