Keezer Build - GE 5.0 cu. ft.

Thought I'd share the fruits of a winter project. I live in smaller house so space is a premium, decided to go with a 5 cubic ft chest freezer conversion with tall enough collar for three kegs. Pretty happy with how it turned out.

** Started with GE 5.0 cu ft chest freezer from Home Depot ($179)

** Took off the existing seal so I could reuse it at the bottom of the cooler. Very easy to remove with a sharp knife without damaging it or the lid.

** Built a collar using 1X10 fir, reinforced internal corners, sealed and insulated with hard foam. Light enough for the hinges, gives enough headroom for the third keg on the compressor hump.

** For now I plan on running the kegs at the same pressure, so save a bit of money going with a single regulator with a three-way distributor.

** Used one of my Ranco 11000 controllers off of ebay for temp control. Temp probe kept in water bath to minimize temp swings.

** Perl stainless faucets because really, why not.

** Still need to figure out what I want to do for tap handles and a drip tray. I know I want a 13" wide drip tray but I've gotten a bit OCD about how to mount it. Easily the most indecisive part of the whole project.

** Any thoughts, suggestions?

Well done. I like the height that you get from the 10" collar.

Glue a magnetic strip(s) to the back of the drip tray and place it on the front of the keezer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ADHESIVE-MAGNET...055?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb5f09347

Very nice.

B

For tap handles - I made one from moose antler (no I'm not a hunter, but a friend had some in his workshop).

B

Great looking keezer. I used the same one for mine. For tap handles just go to Lowes or HD and check out the table legs that are pre-made. I took a couple of those and cut off what I didnt want and used them. U can get the inserts there too. Off the top of my head I think they are 3/8 x 16 brass inserts. they will be with the furniture parts in the hardware section. Good luck.

what are the interior dimensions of this freezer?

mgilroy311 said:

what are the interior dimensions of this freezer?

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I just bought this freezer of craigslist and will convert it into a keezer here in a week or two. Inside measurements are 22 7/8 wide, 15 1/8 deep, 27 height, and then it has the extra addition that sticking out in the bottom that sticks out 7 1/2 from the right side and is 9 1/2 in height.

I know its been a whilemsomce you posted this but I may be purchasng one of these freezers and was planning on using top mount taps without a collar. Do you think there would be room for the kegs in there without the collar? My concern is that there may not be enough height. Than,s

I followed your pans with the exception I put a bar towel/handle on the right side of the faucets and removed the actual control and made a bracket for a STC1000 controller. Replaced the freezer thermocouple with the one supplied with the STC1000 which fit perfectly.
Now have a Belgium Tripel and a oatmeal stout and soon a Hoppy IPA.
Works perfectly except now I cannot use it for fermenting!!!!
Thanx again for it is the only way to go!!!!

I use the same basic setup... minus the dog.

I insulate and tape the temp probe to one of the kegs for consistent temps.

I bought a cheap fan with a clip on it, and clipped it to the manifold so it blows down. Constant run. I highly recommend you do the same. If you get any moisture still, get a reusable dehumidifier from eBay for about $12.


Edit: Dammit! This thread is from 2011!!! Doh!!!

k1ngl1ves said:

I use the same basic setup... minus the dog.

I insulate and tape the temp probe to one of the kegs for consistent temps.

I bought a cheap fan with a clip on it, and clipped it to the manifold so it blows down. Constant run. I highly recommend you do the same. If you get any moisture still, get a reusable dehumidifier from eBay for about $12.


Edit: Dammit! This thread is from 2011!!! Doh!!!

Click to expand...

Dont let it bug you, I just finished my Keezer build and I was digging up threads older then this to get ideas.

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I have questions about this specific build.

Why is the collar attached to the lid? Is this simply a matter of preference or is this good practice?

It seems to me that the added weight would only put strain the hinges and make the lid unwieldy.

@SubjectB; The purpose of the collar on this build is to gain height for the third keg that will sit on the inside hump. There are a lot of builds like this that use the original hinges and the builders seem to have no problem with them. If you are going to build one you may or may not need one for height clearance or for just a place to mount taps, but then you would only need enough distance to clear the taps. Hope this helps, David.

Umm yeah, I get the vertical clearance thing.

But what I don't understand is why the collar is fastened to the lid as opposed to the freezer itself.

The build in question has hinges fastened between the collar and the freezer. Most builds have the hinges fastened between the lid and the collar, like so:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1420485305.681389.jpg

Again, I ask is there an advantage to the way the OP built it.

When you were attaching your collar to your lid, did you have any problems bolting the bracket to the collar? I am doing the same, but am concern at how low the bracket bolts to the collar that it might fracture it.

SubjectB said:

Umm yeah, I get the vertical clearance thing.

But what I don't understand is why the collar is fastened to the lid as opposed to the freezer itself.

Again, I ask is there an advantage to the way the OP built it.

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It's so you don't have to lift the keg another 4-10 inches, depending on the size of the collar... that's the only advantage. It's more preference than anything. I prefer the top hinged to the collar.

k1ngl1ves said:

It's so you don't have to lift the keg another 4-10 inches, depending on the size of the collar...

Click to expand...

That makes sense! Especially in my case, because I will also be using the keezer as a fermentation chamber. Lifting a full 6 gal. carboy out of the freezer is hard enough as it is.

Thanks!