I'm in the process of building a keezer (with a lot of help from Seabee John) and I need to attach my wooden collar to the freezer. Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions on how to do that? I was thinking of just using an adhesive. Any help would be much appreciated.
Attaching collar to kegerator freezer
- Thread starter NPaulson
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on my keezer the upper hinge screws are the only mechanical attachment that holds the collar on, the weight of the collar and gravity do the rest. i used 1/4" thick eva foam weatherstripping as a gasket, glued to the lower edge of the collar with no other sealant used. i have no air leaks and minimal condensation.
most people use silicone sealant to bond the collar to the top of the freezer, i didn't want to do that in case i decide to turn it back into a freezer.
most people use silicone sealant to bond the collar to the top of the freezer, i didn't want to do that in case i decide to turn it back into a freezer.
I used rope type weather stripping caulk to attach the collar to the freezer. It's sort of like a sticky modeling clay. The beads in the flat ribbon make it easy to rip to the desired width and you can mush it together at the corners and ends. It's also very easy to remove if need be later on for any reason. I used 2 x 6's for the collar which is fairly heavy. The freezer lid hinges are attached to the collar only, not to the freezer body, the same as marzsit described in the previous post. The combined weight of the collar and lid is sufficient to hold it securely in place. No adhesives, glue, screws or brackets were used or needed. The rope caulk is also very cheap and you can get it at Home Depot, Lowes or most any hardware store:
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/M-D-Building-Products-71522-Rope-Caulk-30-Feet-Gray-3439247.html
It makes a good seal and takes up the slack for any minor imperfections in the wooden collar. My converted freezer has been in use for almost 3 years and I've had no problems at all with the collar to freezer seal.
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/M-D-Building-Products-71522-Rope-Caulk-30-Feet-Gray-3439247.html
It makes a good seal and takes up the slack for any minor imperfections in the wooden collar. My converted freezer has been in use for almost 3 years and I've had no problems at all with the collar to freezer seal.
I used silicone caulk. It holds well enough.
I used liquid nails.
IMO, using silicone type caulk is much too messy. I wouldn't use that stuff on my freezer or my bathtub. Liquid nails would be somewhat preferable, but I prefer something that can be easily removed. Pretty much any adhesive or caulk will work I suppose so long as it can provide a good seal as well as hold the collar in place.
njnear76
Well-Known Member
This worked for me too. It's less painful and messy than any other technique! :rockin:
silicone isn't messy if you mask off the seams using good masking tape, and don't lay too heavy a bead in the seam. silicone is fairly easy to remove, unlike liquid nails.....
I too used liquid nails and then ran a bead of silicone along the seams on the inside. Haven't had any problems and the freezer doesn't cycle too often.
it's funny, some kids you just cant teach...
The idea behind posting build pics is that you tantalize us with a new pic now and then, and people keep coming back to your thread so they can either oogle and awe at your craftsmanship or torment you with constant berating over your lack of beer knowledge and crappy carpentry skills...
considering that I know you fairly well... I guess I understand why you haven't posted pics yet....
Razorbrew
Well-Known Member
I didn't use anything. Just a good snug fit of the collar in the space the lid would have closed against originally.
Seat the collar into place and check it out. You may not need an adhesive either.
Sounds like you have a rather unique freezer with the slot or whatever. Most have lids which simply seal against the flat top of the freezer walls. One major problem with the collars is that they are often not true, flat and square and this can lead to gaps where the collar mates with the lid, freezer body or both. Some type of sealant or caulk is usually required to make up for these slight imperfections. With some of the DIY collars I have seen, the imperfections appear to be more than just slight. It only takes a tiny pinhole size air leak to cause excessive condensation problems.
I'm going to take that to mean I'm awesome somehow. Hehe, regardless, there will be lots of brewards when all is done.
mvdilts
Well-Known Member
g-nome - one thing the collar does is give added height to the inside of the keezer so you can fit more kegs of beer or your beer lines (e.g. fitting one or two corny kegs on the hump). See this thread (post #11 shows a good example as does #38). - so yes, you are correct it allows for another keg or two on the hump.
1. Cheaper to mount faucets through the collar and especially so if you would require two towers. I have not priced out towers, so I'm guessing on this.
2. Towers need to be cooled for best results.
3. Some people, myself included, like to use the top as additional counter space. My converted freezer is in my rather small kitchen. I lost some floor space, but gained some counter area.
4. Some take advantage of the added height so they can utilize the hump space as you mentioned and others use the extra head room to keep some bottled beer cold too.
5. Sometimes having towers mounted on the lid may not be practical due to space limitations. IOW, when you open the lid with a tower on top you need some clearance behind the freezer in order to open the lid all the way. This would be a problem in my cramped kitchen.
That's all I can think of. Towers really appeal to some folks as do fancy tap handles and such. I prefer the understated approach with through the collar faucets and the plain stock black plastic tap handles. It's basically a personal preference kind of thing.
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
All are very good reasons. Another one I can think of applies to me. I have a warranty on the freezer. A collar allows me to make a keezer without voiding the warranty. I got a great deal (~50% off) on a freezer from lowe's, and if it stops working over the two years, they replace it for free (including pick-up and shipping!). So, in a couple years, I'll get rid of the collar, and upgrade to a Jester-type of keezer.
johnodon
Well-Known Member
+ 1 to Liquid Nails if you never plan on having to remove the collar.
