"All Refrigerator" - Why aren't we using these more?

My 4 corny keezer is going to die. It will only hold 47 degrees now and runs constantly. Ice buildup in the inside corner is the real warning sign.

I've been wanting to increase my capacity as well as provide some extra storage space for overflow groceries for the family. I was looking at a 17 cubic foot chest freezer. I started to wonder if an upright freezer would make more sense, and ran across one of these...

http://www.appliancesmart.com/catalog/product/gallery/id/17711/image/518985/

The call in an 'all refrigerator'. This refers to the fact that there is no freezer compartment. It seems ideal for a high capacity keggerator. At this size it is similar in price to a chest freezer. (assuming you buy new) Why aren't we using these more? It would solve all the condensation problems of a chest freezer.

Is there something I'm missing about how this might work?

To be honest, I never knew it was an option. Too late for me, but if you can get two levels of kegs in there....rock on.

I have an upright freezer that I use as a keezer (used the coarse adjustment screw on the thermostat, keeps fridge temps great) and another that I use as a fermentation chamber (inkbird version of the stc-1000 controlling that one).

I've also seen switchable freezer/refrigerators that come with thermostats that have wide adjust-ability ranges.

One thing I'd look out for is shelving that works for how you want to use it. Lots of freezer models and inexpensive refrigerators have shelves that can't be adjusted or have limited adjustment ranges. Some also have weak wire shelving that does not hold heavy food (or a shelf full of bottled beer or kegs).

Another thing to look for is ample flat-bottom area. If you're going to keep kegs in the bottom, you don't want a compressor hump to deal with in the back.

Hammy71 said:

To be honest, I never knew it was an option. Too late for me, but if you can get two levels of kegs in there....rock on.

Click to expand...

I don't know if they are that similar in price. My keggerator freezer, 10.6 cu ft was $299 with delivery included. Their 11 cu ft. is $549 - almost double the price.
http://www.appliancesmart.com/appli...rator/danby-all-refrigerator-dar110a1wdd.html

Most refrigerators cost considerably more in energy costs in terms of operations.

I still prefer horizontal freezers with a collar for easier access and mounting of faucets (I wouldn't like drilling holes in the door). It also can boost the internal size - I doubt their 11 cu ft. model can fit 7 kegs, for example - my 10.6 cu ft does, plus 2x 3G mini-kegglets.

Finally, keezer based on freezer has advantage of having more cooling power than refrigerator, since it can cool to considerably lower temperatures - many refrigerators can only get to 39-40F on full power (not sure about these ones, of course), which means longer time to cold-crash from room T, etc.

TallDan said:

One thing I'd look out for is shelving that works for how you want to use it. Lots of freezer models and inexpensive refrigerators have shelves that can't be adjusted or have limited adjustment ranges. Some also have weak wire shelving that does not hold heavy food (or a shelf full of bottled beer or kegs).


Another thing to look for is ample flat-bottom area. If you're going to keep kegs in the bottom, you don't want a compressor hump to deal with in the back.

Click to expand...

I've not seen one in real life. I'll go take a look at them. From the pictures that one I linked seems to have all removable shelves. Hard to tell if there is a 'hump', but it doesn't look like it. On something this big I would hope they can fit the compressor in the base.

55x11 said:

I don't know if they are that similar in price. My keggerator freezer, 10.6 cu ft was $299 with delivery included. Their 11 cu ft. is $549 - almost double the price.
http://www.appliancesmart.com/appli...rator/danby-all-refrigerator-dar110a1wdd.html

Most refrigerators cost considerably more in energy costs in terms of operations.

I still prefer horizontal freezers with a collar for easier access and mounting of faucets (I wouldn't like drilling holes in the door). It also can boost the internal size - I doubt their 11 cu ft. model can fit 7 kegs, for example - my 10.6 cu ft does, plus 2x 3G mini-kegglets.

Finally, keezer based on freezer has advantage of having more cooling power than refrigerator, since it can cool to considerably lower temperatures - many refrigerators can only get to 39-40F on full power (not sure about these ones, of course), which means longer time to cold-crash from room T, etc.

Click to expand...

I was comparing against 17 cu ft models. They range from $500 - $800 and up, which is comparable for the 16-17 cu ft models of these.

Good point on energy. I guess that is part of the trade off for dealing with the condensation. I'm not using it for fermentation, so cold crashing isn't a big deal for me. I DO like to keep my kegs at 36 degrees, so I'll definitely check on that.

Commercial refrigerators are frequently all-fridge:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/app/5732402385.html

brew38 said:

Commercial refrigerators are frequently all-fridge:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/app/5732402385.html

Click to expand...

Damn! That is my city! Thanks brew28! I'm going to look into that one.

NeoBrew said:

My 4 corny keezer is going to die. It will only hold 47 degrees now and runs constantly. Ice buildup in the inside corner is the real warning sign.



I've been wanting to increase my capacity as well as provide some extra storage space for overflow groceries for the family. I was looking at a 17 cubic foot chest freezer. I started to wonder if an upright freezer would make more sense, and ran across one of these...



http://www.appliancesmart.com/catalog/product/gallery/id/17711/image/518985/



The call in an 'all refrigerator'. This refers to the fact that there is no freezer compartment. It seems ideal for a high capacity keggerator. At this size it is similar in price to a chest freezer. (assuming you buy new) Why aren't we using these more? It would solve all the condensation problems of a chest freezer.



Is there something I'm missing about how this might work?

Click to expand...

I have a 14 cf upright fridge only that I use for lagering and overflow. It holds temp well w/ no need in my case for a controller.

Before i built my keezer, i had a commercial-type (perlick) kegerator that i served beer (commercial and homebrew) from. It was loud compared to my home appliances and it used a lot more electricity than my home appliances. Not sure if these things are big concerns for you or not, but you might want to check into it before buying one.

Well, I'm in. I managed to get one of these as a floor model for $599. I can fit 6 kegs in one level, 2 deep and 3 across. If I do that on the bottom shelf I'd need to cut off the door shelves, if I put them in the top half of the unit they fit without any modification. It comes with glass shelves, I'm certain I don't trust 6 full cornies on one of those.

I think rather than cut the door shelves off I'll put my energy into making a sturdier shelf to put the cornies up high. Then I can either fit 5 more cornies on the lower level or use it for bottles. I can't imagine having much more than 6 cornies full at a time!

Tonight I'm going to start working on how to run lines and mount the taps. My initial plan....

• Run CO2 and beer gas lines through the lower back which has a removable panel to access the compressor. I am hopeful I can find some space in there without having to risk drilling through the side walls.
• Mount my secondary regulators on the back of the door at the top.
• Mount the taps through the door at about the second shelf down.

I'll keep you all posted on my progress just in case someone wants to try this in the future.

What is the inside dimensions on it? Would it fit a 15g keg along with some cornies?

Love to see a picture of the inside when you get done with the shelf, intrigued if it fits 6 nicely on top with cold crash room below for kegs as well.

Here is a picture of the fridge with 6 cornies above and a 6.5 gallon glass carboy below. (That is an 'acid corboy' so a little wider than most. Yes, I know it's sideways! It won't fit upright until I make the new shelf.)

These are empty cornies on the glass shelf. When I get my custom shelf made I should be able to get them about 5" higher and get 24" clear underneath to store whatever else. The lower level space then will be about. 27" wide x 14 1/2" deep x 24" high. That is without modifying the door shelves. If one were to cut those off you would gain about another 5" of depth.

The top is about 4" deeper than the bottom half. There is a metal cover on the back wall that hides the cooling coil there. That is why 6 kegs can fit on the top without modifying the door shelves.

It might be possible to just stack the cornies on top of each other and get two levels of them in there. They fit stacked on top of each other, but there is only about an inch of clearance total, so not much room to fit the disconnects in.

Hopefully this weekend I'll get bulkheads in for the gas lines and drill the door for the tap tail pieces.

I've not found any schematics for the refrigerant lines, so wish me luck with not puncturing one of these. From running it and feeling for temp differences, there doesn't appear to be anything in the back wall.

I've often wondered why more people didn't buy upright chest freezers and use a controller. Tons of room inside and if by some chance you decide brewing beer sucks you could just disconnect the controller and have a stock freezer you could easily sell... or use as a freezer. I'm actually considering just buying a large used refrigerator in completely stock condition so I can use the freezer above it for making ice, storing smelly bait/fish, or frozen water bottles for fishing.