Very old GE Food Freezer, what to do with???

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Rhys79

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I just picked this old freezer and a couple of 1/2bbl kegs for free. I'm planning on turning the kegs into keggles. I'm not sure what to do with the freezer though. I was considering turning it into a keezer untill I opened it up to see how the shelfs came out and saw this...

100_09121.JPG


What the hell is up with that? Instead of havin a cooling coil and fan, the coils are attached to the bottom of the aluminum shelves. There goes using it for a kegerator, I can't take out the shelves.

I'm sure it would be FAR too much work to do anything about the coils so as to remove the shelves, and the space between shelves is to small to use it as a lagering box. Think I could throw a thermostat on it and use it as a fridge instead? I have plenty of freezer space already. Or should I just take it to the scrap yard?

Ideas welcomed!!
 
You might as well try bending those lines around and see if you can re-route the shelves to give you more space, especially if you're going to take it to the junker anyway.
 
Not really seeing that as doable, as without fins and a fan to radiate the cold, the loss of surface aread without the shelves would significantly reduce the ability of the thing to stay cold.

I can't relocate the shelves as the brackets that they are riveted to are molded into the side walls of the freezer.
 
I bet those shelve clips would come apart pretty easy.


Remove the shelves and carefully bend them down against the back of the wall.

Mount an AC fan inside on the same circuit as your temperature controller so it blows air around the back whenever the compressor cycles.

What do you have to lose if you are going to junk it anyway?
 
I would sell it on craigslist and use the proceeds to buy a freezer. No sense ruining a perfectly good freezer(and you will) trying to bend those coils out of the way.
 
byersj said:
I just picked this old freezer and a couple of 1/2bbl kegs for free. I'm planning on turning the kegs into keggles. I'm not sure what to do with the freezer though. I was considering turning it into a keezer untill I opened it up to see how the shelfs came out and saw this...

100_09121.JPG


What the hell is up with that? Instead of havin a cooling coil and fan, the coils are attached to the bottom of the aluminum shelves. There goes using it for a kegerator, I can't take out the shelves.

I'm sure it would be FAR too much work to do anything about the coils so as to remove the shelves, and the space between shelves is to small to use it as a lagering box. Think I could throw a thermostat on it and use it as a fridge instead? I have plenty of freezer space already. Or should I just take it to the scrap yard?

Ideas welcomed!!
Click to expand...

you could build a nice sized yeast bank and hop storage
 
EvilTOJ said:
I would sell it on craigslist and use the proceeds to buy a freezer. No sense ruining a perfectly good freezer(and you will) trying to bend those coils out of the way.
Click to expand...

+1 here, if you have enough freezer space already i'd list it on cl and buy a small chest freezer:mug:
 
+1 on selling it. Those coils are a bear to defrost without damaging them. Plus, it probably needs to output of Bonneville to run it.
 
I actually just bought the exact same freezer. It is really easy to just unscrew the sides of each shelve and bend it so it is in the back of the freezer. They should be flush with the back wall. Hope this helps
 
stefanz9052 said:
I actually just bought the exact same freezer. It is really easy to just unscrew the sides of each shelve and bend it so it is in the back of the freezer. They should be flush with the back wall. Hope this helps
Click to expand...

+1 Bend away - carefully. I've just totally disassembled a 3 cu ft mini fridge. I'll post some pictures later on the process. The coils were pretty easy to bend. I'm now in the process of installing the parts in my beer cart.
 
I'd say sell it (or junk it, but at the right price it will move, and it's all profit if it came free) and buy a newer one.

This setup actually works quite well as a freezer, but the age implied is such that you can get a lot more efficiency (kilowatt-hours in to cold out) from a newer freezer. Advances in refrigeration efficiency over the past few decades have been significant (though you have to shop carefully to actually get them...)

The running cost will trump purchase cost for a new one in relatively short order.
 

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