Does Chest Freezer Brand Matter?

So my wife is buying me a Chest Freezer and Kegging system for my birthday in September, and she is one of thise crazy people that has to be the one that actually gives the gift. So she won't let me just buy it and say it's my birthday present.

So there is this 5.3cu Chest freezer at Walmart that I found for only $160. I forget the brand but like refrigerators and mini-fridges is there a brand that works best for keezers?

P.S. I want to put 2 corny kegs and a case of home brew (bottles sitting side by side) in this chest freezer, is 5.3cu large enough?

Brand itself doesn't matter. It's just the individual model and size that's going to have the biggest impact. Check out this thread for a ton of information regarding all sorts of brands and sizes to see what might work best for your pending setup: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sizing-your-chest-freezer-corny-kegs-75449/

Make sure it does NOT have a defrost mode (small ones never do). Mine has a drain plug at the bottom so I can hose it out when needed. That is a nice feature. Mine is huge, which I also recommend, but I know that isn't for everyone.

One word of advice that I think anyone who kegs on here would agree with.....buy a larger chest freezer than you would think you want/need.

kmat123 said:

One word of advice that I think anyone who kegs on here would agree with.....buy a larger chest freezer than you would think you want/need.

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I was thinking about going a lil big to accomodate the case, so I hope I get the right size.

P.S. what is a Belgium Badass?

To add to my original question; Does a Chest Freezer need a temp controller?

ChiN8 said:

To add to my original question; Does a Chest Freezer need a temp controller?

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Yes. Freezers by default (at least no modern ones I've ever seen) won't have thermostats with settings above freezing temps. It would then be a refrigerator.

Johnson controls and ranco are the two predominant controllers. You can get them prewired and ready-to-go online (i.e., www.northernbrewer.com).

passedpawn said:

Johnson controls and ranco are the two predominant controllers. You can get them prewired and ready-to-go online (i.e., www.northernbrewer.com).

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I have the Ranco. I haven't tried the Johnson, but I do like the Ranco.

ChiN8 said:

To add to my original question; Does a Chest Freezer need a temp controller?

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Simply get one of the temperature controllers the guys above have suggested and plug the freezer into it. There is no other wiring on the freezer other than to plug it in to the temperature controller. It's that simple.

kmat123 said:

One word of advice that I think anyone who kegs on here would agree with.....buy a larger chest freezer than you would think you want/need.

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Not me.

Small-ish (7.2 cu) Chest freezer + large casters = movable fermentation chamber.

Most people would want casters on the vessel itself and still have to lift it into a chamber somehow. I never lift a full keg. Also good for shaking up the vessels for rousing yeasts to wake up.

Watch for specials, too...
You can get a 7cf Holiday at Lowes on sale for $200 frequently.

It'll hole 3 kegs, CO2, and have room to spare for bottles.

SweetSounds said:

Watch for specials, too...
You can get a 7cf Holiday at Lowes on sale for $200 frequently.

It'll hole 3 kegs, CO2, and have room to spare for bottles.

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Now, I was looking at the 5.0 cu Holiday from Lowes and in EdWort's Keezer sizing thread he shows 2 kegs with enough room for the Co2 tank between the 2 kegs.

However, that lip over the compressor, does any current 5.0 Holiday owners know if that is large enough for a case of home brews?

i have a ranco and the ebay one (search the DIY forum for the thread). like them both. Kinda stupid but i wish that the ebay read in F instead of only celcius

NNatic said:

Kinda stupid but i wish that the ebay read in F instead of only celcius

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You'll be really happy then when you decide to ferment at -40°.