prepare your GMR04 4.4CF minifridge for kegs!

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NoNothing

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I was given a free mini fridge by my dad to take up to school and keep in my room. Its a GE Spacemaker GMR04 with a lock. The lock is fairly useless on it and on first inspection it wouldent make a kegorator because of a small freezer that takes up the entire top of the fridge. But, after a little fiddling, and I mean little, this fridge is great for kegs!

Here you can see the little bugger freezer wont allow a keg to fit in!
IMG_0249_Small_.jpg


so now we get started to mod the fridge.


What you will need:
A screwdriver

THATS IT.



On the back of the fridge there is a diagram showing that the only place there is cooling ('evap') is the freezer, and on the sides of the fridge there are heat disipation coils, nothing on the top of the fridge like the Sanyos to worry about drilling through. So we need to get the evap out of the way.

To remove the little lid for the freezer just pull it out, its plastic and will bend and come right out.
Now there are 4 screws holding the freezer up, remove those, you can put them back in the holes to seal them once we move the freezer later.
Here is a picture of the freezer with the door removed and the screws out, it droops a little, this is fine.
IMG_0253_Small_.jpg


Now, the freezer is still in the way. So we need to CAREFULLY bend it back. There is only one line connecting the freon (r134a) line to the evap. So very slowly and carefully bend the freezer back so it is flush with the back of the fridge. You will encounter the most resistance from the freezer rubbing the side of the fridge itself, this is fine, the fridge sides are what will 'hold' the freezer in place (no need to put new screws in). You REALLY need to be careful to avoid kinking the freon line here. (as a side note, does anyone know what r134a smells like, or any other sign that its leaking? so I and anyone else can know if they do cause a problem and dont fall asleep with this thing running and be brain damaged?)

I should mention, in order to push the freezer back you will need to remove the cover to the temp control (the probe is attached to the freezer) so the freezer can bend in its path. To do this remove the 1 screw behind it, and 1 screw behind the nob (pull the nob off) to remove the case, and remove the 2 screws holding the unit in place. Now bend the freezer down and you wont run into any problems.
Here is a pic of the freezer pushed back.
IMG_0256_Small_.jpg
 
Now we need to finish it up. I wont be discussing adding a tower or anything on this thread, just how you can get space for 2 cornies and a 5# tank in the fridge. (one bonus over the sanyo is the shelf already exists for the CO2 there is no need to build a plywood one.)

There is no room for cornies with the door plastic on so we need to get it off. Same as the sanyos there are about 16 screws all along the inside of the seal, remove those, pull the door out, and replace all the screws and the seal. As an added bonus, cut out the inside of the door plastic leaving only the outside that touches the liner to hold the seal against the door better.

Screws:
IMG_0259_Small_.jpg


Door plastic removed:
IMG_0260_Small_.jpg


All back together minus the temp control casing:
IMG_0261_Small_.jpg
 
IMG_0257_Small_.jpg


Now your cornies will fit and you can work on the tower. (Which I will do and upload photos/howto later, but for now this is a picnic tap kegerator)

Enjoy!



Ill try to answer questions in this post as I can. I am in my new house right now with no WiFi and only an iPhone with EDGE. I had to stop at a cybercafe to make the post :) (addiction? or passionate?)
 
wouldnt have thought about folding mine down like that. very interesting and great idea. hows the cooling with it in that position? do you have air space behind the freezer section for airflow? keep us updated on the ice over that occurs.
 
with the fridge at "coldest" in 30 mind the freezer was covered in ice. I felt no cold leak around the door seal and the temp inside the freezer was sub 40f (it was lower than the only thermo on hand could read)
 
well what i was meaning was the cold plate being bent down do you have air space behind it inside the fridge? I am sure there is since i just did this to mine. but mines a different model. it has an L shape instead of a U shape like yours. I had to bend it gently with force in the center to work it down since it has ledges to hold it up. i was able to get down to 37* as it was with 2 cornies and a carboy and the 17" foam extention. I have cut a peice of foam and mounted the fan i was using to blow air down over the plate to keep air circulating. just finished it up and closed it up with the extension pending time to finish the door. I am going to use shower board on the door.

Thank you very much for this idea.
 
glad I could help. That was the point of the post.

I would log to see some pictures of yours and how you did it.

Mine has a about 1.5" space behind it and it's touching the walls of the fridge so 0 on the sides.

More cleaencw would be nice but oh well.
 
glad I could help. That was the point of the post.

I would log to see some pictures of yours and how you did it.

Mine has a about 1.5" space behind it and it's touching the walls of the fridge so 0 on the sides.

More cleaencw would be nice but oh well.

that's about what i have behind mine. i figured if it works out ill take some pics of what i did. right now its down to 57*at the coldest setting. i have the fan blowing down. ill regulate it then flip it and see how pulling the air up works. if that doesn't then ill blow forward. i just need to find a way of sealing the air flow so it will pull the air properly. sheet alum is cheap enough so i am sure i can find a way of doing it.
 
Im getting the same fridge for free and that was my exact thought!!!! so glad it works!!! Kegerator here i come!!
 
This gives me hope for my mini freezer I have downstairs. Second kegerator in garage here I come! haha some day. Need to build the full size on for the basement and build the bar first I guess.
 
Would placing a pipe of 1/2" copper pipe or something rounded benind the cooling line help prevent it from kinking? I have the same fridge but am stressed about kinking that line. Any tips would be appreciated.

Cheers.

LD
 
Would placing a pipe of 1/2" copper pipe or something rounded benind the cooling line help prevent it from kinking? I have the same fridge but am stressed about kinking that line. Any tips would be appreciated.

Cheers.

LD

i wasnt to gentle with mine and it was fine. i was more worried about crimping the plate then i was about the tubing.
 
So does anyone know if there are any lines running through the top of the fridge or just in the freezer part i want to build my tower tonite and attach it. Any help would be awesome!
 
I have one of these as well. Anybody check the top yet to see if there are any lines through the top of the unit? I want to add a draft tower to mine, as well.
 
Had this kegerator running for about 3 1/2 months i drilled for the tower in the center of the top and didnt come across any lines, also no lines on the area for the screws!
 
This looks alot like the $50 kenmore I got off of craigslist and am doing the same thing to. I wasn't too gentle with the bend, but i didn't hear a hiss.... so hopefully it works. It did crack the paint where the pipe flattens out but then, I did see a bead of water freeze on the cold plate... hopefully done tomorrow!
 
Does anyone have a picture of this with 2 kegs? i am trying to find out what size kegs will fit in this fridge I just bought one.
 
One question.

T-Maxx or E-Maxx on top of the fridge?

Never mind, I just saw that it's an E-Maxx. Awesome man, that really brings me back to my RC days. I have an 1/8th scale now, but haven't used it in years.
 
I was wondering if you still had that fridge and if you found it to still be working well? I got the same fridge yesterday and wondered if you may have any good tips?. I spoke with a buddy of mine who works refridgeration and he said it would be unwise to bend down the freezer plate to the back like that because the oil can build up in the lower section of that plate making it hard on the compressor over time. He mentioned that it could start sounding louder and the coolness of the fridge would be affected. I had these questions for you:
1. Have you found the loudness of the fridge to be affected?
2. Has it stayed cool for the time you have modified it?
3. Would you have anything to recommend?

Thanks for taking time to hopefully respond.
 
Is anyone trying to convert this fridge? I had a few questions but no answers
 
Any updates on the fridge? She still running strong? I'm about to do this Saturday. Thanks.
 
Thanks for this write-up. I know its old, but my brother just told me he has one of these that I can have. I'm just happy it works! Thanks!
 
I have had this fridge converted like this for a while except I didn't bend the thing far enough to fit a CO2 tank on the ledge. I am thinking about drilling a hole through the side or back for a CO2 line or a bulk head to attach CO2 lines through. Does anyone know if there are lines that go through the back or sides of the GE fridge?
 
If you look at the back of the fridge, there should be a diagram showing where the coils are located. I'm at work right now, so I can't tell you for sure where the coils are located. I know that mine has a diagram on the back with the location. hope this helps.
 
Hello everyone,

I am in the process of converting this and just so everyone knows, pin lock kegs won't fit unless you grind the shelf slots off the sides of the fridge, they are just a hair too fat. I even tried one ball lock and one pin, but they both have to be ball lock.

Sucks too since I could have gotten some cheap pin locks from a friend!!!

I thought I'd add this info to the thread.
 
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