Reinforcing fridge floor questions

So I'm looking to upgrade my kegerator to hold 6 kegs up from two (you call only two beers on tap living...?) The kegs as of now sit on the veggie crispers but they're barely making it with 10 gallons let alone 30.


So my plan is to take out the crispers and build up a floor using 3/4" oak as the platform.

Since I need some way to secure the board I was thinking of using L brackets to hold the platform in place. My question then is do you think it's safe to drill into the fridge wall to mount the brackets?

Here is a picture showing where I want to mount the brackets (indicated by the blue arrows.) I want to put brackets on the backside of the 4x4" legs too.

I wouldn't drill into the fridge at all - just use 2x4 legs (or 4x4, if you really want it sturdy), measure carefully so the the new floor is flat, and glue/screw it all together.

If you want extra rigidity, add some L brackets. No reason to risk hitting something in the fridge walls that could be a problem.

My $0.02.

I agree, The table you show in the pictures isn't going anywhere once you build it ups. You'll also want to be able to get it out for cleaning every once in a while. The brackets would just make that hard. You won't need brackets on the 4X4's either. Two 2" drywall screws through the top per leg will be sufficient.

If you want to get real fancy, you could coat the plywood in fiberglass to make it non-porous.

Well all the condenser coils are on the back and underneath on this fridge so I shouldn't run into anything but insulation.

I'm afraid that without attaching it to the fridge somehow it will wobble around and become unsturdy.

It might not be clear from the picture but the back of the fridge is sloped so it would be difficult for me to put legs in there to support the back.

Also not clear in the picture is that the board is resting on a small plastic piece in the back (all it's supported by) left over from the crispers. I do not trust this small piece to hold up with 30 gallons on it

Ah, I thought there would be a ledge in the back to support the shelf. I still would avoid using brackets just for the cleaning issue. I would epoxy some wooden cleats all the way along the sides for support. Also move the 4X4's closer to the middle to react the moment at the center of the beam. You may only need one 4X4 that way.

I have the same set up with a 3/4 piece of ply and 2 2x4 legs. I have 6 cornies plus the o2 in there. I use the same for my fermenter without issue.

1GR8DA said:

I have the same set up with a 3/4 piece of ply and 2 2x4 legs. I have 6 cornies plus the o2 in there. I use the same for my fermenter without issue.

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So does that mean you made it with the brackets or without. Is a picture possible?

Damn man 6 cornies and the co2..... must be a big fridge.

No brackets. It's tight but they fit. For the fridge I left the drawers in and put the 2x4s over the vertical sides. Have had this setup for 2 years with no issue. Now, due to the pressure, the drawers do not open but provide a remarkable amount of support.

That's pretty much the config I was thinking about. Only instead of the cleats (2X4's) being held up by the drawers, they would be held by epoxying them to the fridge side. I would use a 5 min or longer curing epoxy for strength.

Sounds like the 3/4 plywood is strong enough not to need a center support. That just leaves more room for bottles underneath.

would the epoxy really be strong enough to hold up 30 gallons plus the weight of the kegs?

3/4 anything is super strong. Figure 8 lb (roughly ) per gallon x 5 x 6 is about 240-250 lb. For that size piece of wood is no issue.

Epoxy no but wood screws or wood screws plus epoxy yes.

just something to keep in mind, the side of the fridge is almost only a thin layer of plastic with foam filled inside, so even if you screw in there, there isn't much to hold onto..

plus of course as everyone else's caution, you just want to make sure you don't hit a freon line or something, i went through this when i built my kegerator with a brand new bar fridge, you hit a line and the firdge is no good with a void warranty...

Should be, I (and professional club makers) use it to attach golf club heads to their shafts. That puts the adhesive into an impact load condition way worse than the static load your shelf will see.

Just be sure to prep the surface of the fridge well. Make sure it's clean and dry. Also, lightly sand the glue surface to give the epoxy something to cling to. Don't use the quick set epoxy either. It's not as strong as the 5 min version.

You could also shoot a couple sheet metal screws into the sides but I bet they do more harm than good. The sheet metal the sides of the fridge are made of won't give much support over time. I'd trust the epoxy over sheet metal screws any day in this application.

1GR8DA said:

Epoxy no but wood screws or wood screws plus epoxy yes.

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[cue caveman voice] Wood screw hurt, wood screw bad, bad wood screw.[end caveman voice]

The pitch of the thread on a wood screw is not appropriate for the plastic and/or metal the fridge is made of. You usually want to pick your fastener based on what material you attaching to not on the material you are attaching. If I was attaching a metal bracket to a wooden wall I'd use a wood screw. Here I'm attaching a wooden bracket to a plastic/metal wall, hence a sheet metal screw.

Either way, I'd only depend on the screws to hold the cleats in place until the epoxy sets.

My platform rests on top of the drawers. It is not fixed to the inside walls at all. The wood screws are to fix the 2x4 feet to the plywood and nothing else. Hence, wood screws.

Sorry, I misunderstood. I don't think to OP is going to be able to use your config though. It looks like his drawers were about twice a tall as yours and can't be used as structure.

I use a no drawer set up in my fermenter. The rear shelf is big enough to just allow a front set of feet without manipulating the fridge walls

You sir, are a lucky man.