HBT members inspired me: My Keezer Project

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jlandin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
Messages
181
Reaction score
19
Location
Mel Bch, FL-US
Edit: Build started 11.21.09 and completed 12.13.09. Final build cost here. Here's the completed keezer pic:
IMG00191.jpg


Original Post:

Well, I've been lurking around this forum for a few weeks and this is my first post. I really enjoy all of the amazing DIY projects you guys have come up with on here. So in my travels through the posts, I came across Jester's original keezer thread and WOW! It totally blew me away. This really inspired me to expand beyond my 2 keg day-tap setup in the bottom of the garage beer fridge.

Thus was born, my very own keezer project, which I thought I would share with those that shared with me.

While the majority of my design came from Jester's original post, there are MANY others that continue to help me through this learning process. My duct system is based on Rockybottom's post, lots of posts on Love controllers (like John Beere's kickass ferm cabinets), and on and on.

The project is not done yet, but here is where I've gotten so far. I'll continue to post my progress here and I plan to finish in the next couple of weeks. Sorry for the picture quality, these are from my blackberry.

First, I picked up a Frigidaire 14.8 cu ft on craiglist (8 corney's plus CO2) and some wood. I built a dolly using 2x6s and put in 2 fixed and 2 swivel castors:

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Framed up the sides with 2x4s. My overall surface height target is a standard 42" bar height:

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I cut the plastic out of the lid interior and found the insulation to be pretty lame. I replaced the insulation and then put a 3/4" piece of plywood on top of the door and a 1/4" piece of plywood on the inside of the door. It's all sandwiched together with 3 1/2" bolts with barbed t-nuts.

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I then skinned the front and sides with 1/4" tongue and groove sanded pine (I will do the back once I get the light wiring complete):

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I built a hinged access door on one side where the compressor access is:

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I'm putting in 4 taps with perlick 525ss faucets:

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I'm still waiting on the arrival of the love controller, stainless drip tray, shanks with stainless shrouds, and a few other odds and ends.

I've just started on the coffin. I still need to built the hinged access door on the back, plumb in the shanks, and insulate the duct:

IMG00117.jpg


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All in all, I'm please with the progress. I have a huge collection of commercial bottle caps that we were thinking about using on the surface as a glassed-in mosaic. I'm not sure, tile or stone seems a lot easier. :)

Anyway, thanks to everyone on this forum for all of your amazing projects that inspired me. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, they are very welcomed. I'll be updating as things progress.
 
The coffin trim and the hatch are now done. Today is staining day.

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Just playing with some bottle caps. Still not committed to that idea..

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Nice work.
I have a freezer with a Johnson controller but still using picnic taps. I've been bouncing between a collar or a tower/coffin top. I really like Jester's build too. This may be the inspiration I was looking for. A question for you... Does the cabinet knock down? In other words... if you need to move it (not just roll it around), do you have to move it as a unit, or is it possible to get the freezer out?

Ed
 
I second the question of "Are you worried of it over heating?"

I notice that you have the door propped open with a stick, has anyone put shocks on the lids to keep them open, like the hatch of a car. I know my RX-7 had some pretty small shocks for the hatch.
 
I'd be a bit concerned about the lack of air-flow on the exterior or is the condenser only on the back?
 
@wildwest450 and david_42
The compressor is on one side at the bottom, behind the side door I put in. This side (and mainly only the lower portion) is the only area that feels even slightly warm to the touch after running the compressor for several hours (from warm to 5 degrees). What I did was I left a 1.5-2" space between the entire outer wall of the freezer, and the outer 1/4" tongue-and-groove pine skinning. I haven't installed them yet, but I have some small electronics fans that will push the air out of these spaces whenever the compressor is running (like a duct). This should alleviate any potential for overheating. The main reason for adding the the side door was to have access to the compressor compartment (the "step" on the inside). Since it's a used freezer, anything could happen, so I wanted to at least have easy access to replace the compressor if needed.

@HIM_Tattoos
As for propping the door open with the pipe... That picture was before I had permanently fastened the coffin to the top. Now that I have, the weight of the coffin acts as a counter balance to the bar top when opening the door. With the exception of the first 1ft of door-opening, the rest is a breeze, and the door stays open on it's own as originally designed. That may all change if I put a stone top on it. :)

@Ohio-Ed
The freezer is not attached to the dolly or frame. So it could potentially be (somehow) removed from the framing. The lid of course can be unbolded from the freezer.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Today I'm working on wiring in some LEDs to shine down from the coffin trim, as well as doing some staining. I'll post some pics of the progress later.
 
Wow, that's very nice.

Our bedroom was covered with similar tongue-in-groove pieces, which I took down and replaced with beaded board as they were really showing their age. The backs of the board, however, are in great shape. I plan on doing something similar.

If a design like this can cope with the temperatures, it's probably the way I'll be going.

Thanks for sharing.
 
In your first three posts you have outdone everything I have done related to homebrewing. Well done! It looks great!

Your call on the bottle caps, but I think the wood stained would looked excellent.
 
Your call on the bottle caps, but I think the wood stained would looked excellent.

I meant to say the same. I think stone or tile would look better than the bottle caps. I've seen the caps done and it looks good, I just think stone or tile would better suit the style of this keezer.
 
Very, very nice! Good job.

I have the same freezer (in black), and will give you a small word of caution: Mine does feel a little warm to the touch, on the outside walls, after it's been running a while. So just keep an eye on it.

Maybe two or three muffin fans would be a good idea, if there is room between the wood sides and the freezer.

I'd be leery about covering up the vents on the compressor access panel on the side too.
 
Ok. I just called it a night after working on the keezer off-and-on today.

First I drilled the mounting holes for the LED lights and sanded the entire keezer with some fine sandpaper to smooth out the hard corners, etc. Then some wood putty here and there, and again some fine sanding.

Then I stained it:

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Then I soldered all of the LED wiring together. I ended up doing 5 bright white 3.3V LEDs wired in 2 parallel legs (one with 3 LEDs in series and the other with 2 LEDs in series).

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Once wired, I installed them through the inside of the coffin. These are upside-down L-shaped holes, so the LEDs are fed in the back and down through the underside of the trim on the top-front of the coffin. The 4 taps will be below and between the 5 lights:

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The LEDs are then pushed into the chrome LED holders and then mounted on the underside of the trim above (and behind) where the taps will be (when my shanks come in):

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They really look cool, especially glinting off of a perlick when I hold one in place. :) This picture just doesn't do it justice:

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Anyway, that was it for today. Tomorrow, probably at least the first 1 or 2 coats of poly on the whole thing. I really need to figure out what to do about the top. I'll probably take a run to the local tile store and see what I can find.

More updates to come as progress is made... hoping to get it finished soon!

--
Josh
 
Ok, I think I'm sold on the bottle cap idea. We did a quick test, and laid out a mosaic pattern, and it really looks cool.

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Planning to us crystal clear epoxy resin to fill it.

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The blank space is where the SS driptray will be, when it arrives.

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Otherwise, making progress with the poly coats today.

--
Josh
 
Did they all end up the same brightness, wiring them in series?
 
In your first three posts you have outdone everything I have done related to homebrewing. Well done! It looks great!

Your call on the bottle caps, but I think the wood stained would looked excellent.

I retract my last statement. The pattern you made up with the caps actually looks really good. Normally they're scattered about randomly, but I like how that looks. Good call.
 
Did they all end up the same brightness, wiring them in series?

Yes. However, I ended up changing the light wiring to put the LEDs in parallel. I realized that I mistakenly reused a previous calculation for only 2 LEDs. Now that I'm having 5 LEDs, I don't have enough voltage to put them in series and get the full brightness that I want.

A great site for calculating the resister needed in LED wiring is here. They have calculators for single, series, and parallel configurations. Or you can do the calcs manually with ohms law. :)

Hopefully another coat of polyurethane after work today.

--
Josh
 
Yes. However, I ended up changing the light wiring to put the LEDs in parallel. I realized that I mistakenly reused a previous calculation for only 2 LEDs. Now that I'm having 5 LEDs, I don't have enough voltage to put them in series and get the full brightness that I want.

A great site for calculating the resister needed in LED wiring is here. They have calculators for single, series, and parallel configurations. Or you can do the calcs manually with ohms law. :)

Hopefully another coat of polyurethane after work today.

--
Josh

That computes. Here's more info than anyone wants, I'm sure, but...

To spec correctly, first decide what current you want to run through your LEDs (i.e., 20mA is typical). Then, look at the V/I curve in the LED's datasheet to get the Vf (forward voltage) of the LED at that current. Note that this Vf changes with current.

Multiply the Vf times the number of LEDs you have in series. I..e, 2 * 3.3V = 6.6V. Subtract this from your supply (i.e., 12V - 6.6V = 5.4V). Then, the resistor value you need is V/I = 5.4V / 0.02A = 270 ohms.

Resistor wattage is simply V^2 / R, or in this case 0.108 watts. Those common resistors that you can get at Radio Shack are 0.25W, so one of those would be fine.

Wiring them all in series guarantees they all see the same current, and that is the ideal way to do it. They will each have identical illumination. Wiring them in parallel might result in differing illumination due to manufacturing tolerances with Vf.
 
I figured there'd be about a 1.4V voltage drop across each one (since they are diodes), and that the ones further down the chain would be progressively dimmer.

But if it works, it works. :)
 
I figured there'd be about a 1.4V voltage drop across each one (since they are diodes), and that the ones further down the chain would be progressively dimmer.

But if it works, it works. :)

White LEDs (actually they are blue with yellow tint on top) are between 3 and 4V. Red/Green/Yellow are about 2V.

The brightness is controlled by current, so if they are in series they all get the same current, and the same brightness.
 
The brightness is controlled by current, so if they are in series they all get the same current, and the same brightness.

Cool. I learned something then. It's been a few years since I played around with discrete components...LED technology has passed me by, I guess. :D
 
Finally done with the polyurethane! Much less messy work ahead. I remounted the newly rewired lights, their switch, and the 12V power cord.

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The light switch is mounted on the side of the coffin:

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The power wire exits the bottom of the coffin through a hole in the overhang (not through the lid) and down the back between the wood and the freezer:

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The power supply makes its way into the compressor compartment where it is plugged into an appliance extension cord along with the freezer cord:

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The extension cord now acts as the main power for the keezer:

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I left access to the hing screws for removing the entire lid/coffin. This will prove especially useful when I move the keezer into the house!

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I started on the gas distribution, but I couldn't get very far as I'm still waiting on some parts. UPS tracking says I can expect the love controller tomorrow and the driptray/gas-fittings/shanks/etc on Thursday.

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As for the top surface, after going back and forth on it, I've decided to use porcelain tile for now. I think eventually we'll remove the tile and do the bottle cap mosaic, but for now, it's just too involved.

I've been saving the receipts. I haven't done a tally yet, but when it's all done I'll post a final build cost.

--
Josh
 
How did you avoid the refrigerant lines in the side when you drilled for the gas line? Also do you have a plan for the Love temp sensor or just leave it hanging in the freezer?
 
How did you avoid the refrigerant lines in the side when you drilled for the gas line? Also do you have a plan for the Love temp sensor or just leave it hanging in the freezer?

I'm keeping the CO2 tank inside the freezer, on the hump so I won't need to drill through the side wall. However, if ever I want to have an external gas hookup in the future, I would go out through the lid.

--
Josh
 
I'm keeping the CO2 tank inside the freezer, on the hump so I won't need to drill through the side wall. However, if ever I want to have an external gas hookup in the future, I would go out through the lid.

--
Josh

+1 Whenever you're running lines into a chest freezer, the best way is either through the lid where there are never any coolant lines simply because of how they are built (lids have to be removeable), or through the collar if you're building a keezer with a collar on it.

Unfortunately I'm at work right now and can't see all the awesome, but I will definitely be checking this thread again when I get home today!
 
+1 Whenever you're running lines into a chest freezer, the best way is either through the lid where there are never any coolant lines simply because of how they are built (lids have to be removeable), or through the collar if you're building a keezer with a collar on it.

Unfortunately I'm at work right now and can't see all the awesome, but I will definitely be checking this thread again when I get home today!

I'm dealing with this problem right now. Removed my collar for weight and it wasn't needed for height any more. Now I don't have a way to bring my Love probe in/ It's too short to go around back through the lid and down to the bottom of the freezer.
 
Doh! I should have read the descriptions better. The holes I saw that look like they go through the freezer wall are the access screws for the hinges. Oh well. I may go through the lid/coffin for my gas line, a 20lb tank = another keg.
 
It's too short to go around back through the lid and down to the bottom of the freezer.

I'm not sure about your freezer model, but it looks like there are no coils in the hump on mine. You could potentially drill there. I would think if you leave the freezer off to warm up, then kick the compressor on, you should be able to feel the hump with your hand after a few minutes and see if it has coils in it.

Edit: I haven't figured out a plan for the probe on mine yet. I've read of people submerging them in blue-goo, or even in a sand-filled yeast vial. I'm not too clear on the physics involved, but what's wrong with just having the bulb exposed inside the freezer? Is there a best-practice for this sort of thing on the Love controllers?

--
Josh
 
I have my temp probe hanging in the middle of the freezer, not touching anything. I have a couple of computer case fans circulating the air inside, and have the controller set to keep the temperature within a range of 2 degrees, so the compressor is not constantly cycling on and off. Seems to be working well.
 
I'm not sure about your freezer model, but it looks like there are no coils in the hump on mine. You could potentially drill there. I would think if you leave the freezer off to warm up, then kick the compressor on, you should be able to feel the hump with your hand after a few minutes and see if it has coils in it.

Edit: I haven't figured out a plan for the probe on mine yet. I've read of people submerging them in blue-goo, or even in a sand-filled yeast vial. I'm not too clear on the physics involved, but what's wrong with just having the bulb exposed inside the freezer? Is there a best-practice for this sort of thing on the Love controllers?

--
Josh
I the idea with submeging the probe I believe if that the air temperature will change more quickly then it would take for a volume of liquid or goo be affected by a change. More closely simulating the temperature swings of the beer inside the keg. Remember the idea is to controller the beer's temperature, not specifically the air around them.

Thanks for the HUMP info. i maybe shoot an email to Magic chef to confirm.
 
I the idea with submeging the probe I believe if that the air temperature will change more quickly then it would take for a volume of liquid or goo be affected by a change. More closely simulating the temperature swings of the beer inside the keg.

Thanks for the info, that makes sense.

The brown truck just came and brought me this:

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I also ordered a half barrel of Sierra Nevada Celebration to help break in the keezer alongside my homebrew! :mug:

--
Josh
 
Is that the probe on the left? Wow, that's much, much heftier than the one I'm using.
 
Is that the probe on the left? Wow, that's much, much heftier than the one I'm using.

It sure is! The thing is more beefy than I thought it would be. Not a special order or anything, just the standard one that comes with the TS13010.

--
Josh
 
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