Frigidaire Model FRC445GB Mini-Fridge Kegerator Conversion

I picked one up on sale last night. I'm testing to make sure it works before I start ripping it apart.

I haven't ordered my kegging system yet, but I am wondering if 2 pin locks will fit in the fridge ok? I've read they can be a bit wider than ball locks, is that correct?

Pin locks might fit if you modify the door. They definitely will not fit as is like ball locks.

Thanks! I plan on removing the interior door moldings and replacing with a flat sheet of plastic to hold the seal on.

Pin locks seem to be a bit cheaper, but I think from other discussions I will just go for the ball locks for the most space including the other benefits.

I dont think the pinlocks will fit they may be to wide. i wish they would as i would like to use pin locks

Good thing I ordered the ball locks. I assumed you could unscrew all the plastic molded shelves. Not so! I will leave them as they seem to fit with ball locks?

tmbc10784 said:

Good thing I ordered the ball locks. I assumed you could unscrew all the plastic molded shelves. Not so! I will leave them as they seem to fit with ball locks?

Click to expand...

Yeah I know. I was going to just take off the shelf to provide more room but the only way to make more room on the door would be to saw off all of the relief parts of the mold.

pinlocks do not fit. I tried. the fridge is too narrow to fit 2 pinlocks side by side.

I'm working on a conversion. This morning I tried two pinlocks; ain't no way it will fit without carving out some of the internal plastic mold. Seems like a pinlock and a ball lock might work together however, anyone tried that?

I prefer pinlocks, however sometimes their width is a hindrance, as is the case here. I guess I'll be moving on ball locks. So, where is the best deal on ball locks kegs?

do you think 2 pinlocks would fit if you remove the plastic on the door? that should give them a bit more space?

I picked one of these up this afternoon. Is there supposed to be a panel over the compressor, or am I crazy?

cheesecake said:

do you think 2 pinlocks would fit if you remove the plastic on the door? that should give them a bit more space?

Click to expand...

nope, it wasn't a question of getting the door to close. they just would not even fit in the fridge side by side.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4jBkQLrnwDcHf48zZBgUxA?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/noq2ysnnyc29lJPL_-LHdw?feat=directlink

The temp controller turns a homemade draft tower chiller on the same time it turns the fridge on. I'll post How-to instructions on the draft tower chiller soon.

So, my Fridgidaire model FRC455GB took a dump sometime last night. Went to pour a pint this fine afternoon and the temp was 61F in the fridge.

Knowing something about refrigeration systems I started poking around. Traced the problem back to the PTC Thermister motor start. A device that controls voltage to the start winding. I've been looking on the internet all afternoon and found 1 supplier. In China, Minimum order - 10,000 units. All I need is 9,999 other people who need the same device.

My search continues. I'll probably convert to a more traditional "solid state" start.

My point. Whoever owns one of these fridges runs the risk of being, "dead in the water", over a 5 cent disk.

any luck on fitting the standard "1/6" keg?

I was able to fit it just fine. However it fit better when I put on a Sankey 90 degree elbow. Otherwise the lines would kink at the top. I was also able to fit a 3gal corney on the back hump along with the 1/6th keg. However, you wont be able to fit a 5gal with it. I may try to modify the door later to see if it would work.

Here's my LOVE controller added into this fridge. Sorry for the crappy phone pic.

Can you tell me how you wired this up. I have another controller and would love to do the same thing.

schupaul said:

Can you tell me how you wired this up. I have another controller and would love to do the same thing.

Click to expand...

Just click on the Broken Glass Brewery link in my sig, I have a detailed write up of the build, and a wiring schematic for a Love TS-2.

Better yet just click here for the Love Temp Controller install, and wiring schematic. I also show a neat little way to make a water tight probe container, it is better than taping the temp probe to the keg!

Click here for a comprehensive kegerator build on the Frigidaire model.

Bumbler said:

So, my Fridgidaire model FRC455GB took a dump sometime last night. Went to pour a pint this fine afternoon and the temp was 61F in the fridge.

Knowing something about refrigeration systems I started poking around. Traced the problem back to the PTC Thermister motor start. A device that controls voltage to the start winding. I've been looking on the internet all afternoon and found 1 supplier. In China, Minimum order - 10,000 units. All I need is 9,999 other people who need the same device.

My search continues. I'll probably convert to a more traditional "solid state" start.

My point. Whoever owns one of these fridges runs the risk of being, "dead in the water", over a 5 cent disk.

Click to expand...

I'm posting this here because it directly relates to the mini fridge in this thread and many people have this unit.

Here's the scoop. They do not make replacement parts for this unit. If your unit stops the most likely cause is PTC Thermister motor start. It seems to be the week link. It's found on the compressor and supplies power to the start winding. The thermistic disk is very brittle and can easily break.

The offending part.



The following is a legitimate fix to an otherwise dishonest business practice by the manufacture. I have tried numerous suppliers to obtain the original replacement part. the "3 in'1 start" fix is not a golden bullet, but will will give many years of extended life to an otherwise 1 year old piece of garbage.

Your compressor is fine if it OHM's out. (Continuity between the start and common terminal, and the run and common terminal, and there is no short to ground.

The fix is simple and cost about $10 + 1 hour of your time. It's a 3 in' 1 start. Model #RC0810. It supplies power to the run and start winding and has its own overload.

Due to limit of pics you will see the 3 in' 1 start later.

To replace.
Unplug unit from wall outlet.
Remove cover from side of compressor. Spring clip holds it on. pry off with screwdriver.



After cover removed you can see the PTC Thermister and overload.



Remove everything under cover. Pull it straight off pins .Non of it will be reused. What's left is 3 pins for the run/start winding. Common on top, start on left, run on right.



Now, to install the 3 in' 1 start. there are 5 wires. Red, Black, and White on one side and 2 Black on the other.



Start with the R,B,W. Black goes on the top pin, White goes on the left pin, and the Red goes on the right pin.



The 2 Black wires. 1 is the 120V from the thermostat suppling voltage to the compressor. The other is your 120V neutral.



Put the cover back on the compressor and the unit is ready to run again.



Quick, simple fix.

If unsure with electricity, consult an experienced neighbor.

Thanks for the info. I hope to never need it, but if I do...

Bumbler said:

The 2 Black wires. 1 is the 120V from the thermostat suppling voltage to the compressor. The other is your 120V neutral.

Put the cover back on the compressor and the unit is ready to run again.

Quick, simple fix.

If unsure with electricity, consult an experienced neighbor.

Click to expand...

So the common (white) from the actual power supply cord, and the compressor lead (black)?

Is that right? I cannot see where the wire from the Thermostat is coming from...

I have the same model, and I have a Love Temp controller hooked up to it, so I guess I'm a bit confused about the 120V from the Thermostat supplying the voltage. i wanna be ahead of the game incase mine decides to take a crap.

Sweet work around though!

Cheers!

Schnitzengiggle said:

So the common (white) from the actual power supply cord, and the compressor lead (black)?

Is that right? I cannot see where the wire from the Thermostat is coming from...

I have the same model, and I have a Love Temp controller hooked up to it, so I guess I'm a bit confused about the 120V from the Thermostat supplying the voltage. i wanna be ahead of the game incase mine decides to take a crap.

Sweet work around though!

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Yes, the 120V hot and 120V neutral on the "3 in' 1" are both Black. Polarity on these two wires do not matter. The manufacturer should make one of the wires white, but they don't. It comes with a wiring diagram right on the device.

I guess when I say thermostat I'm referring the the device that controls the power to the compressor. Weather it's the thermostat that comes with the unit or an external thermostat.

I use a line volt Ranco thermostat. My 120V from the thermostat is in the black cord strapped to the bottom of the fridge in the second Pic.

If it's still unclear I can do better this evening.

What model of Love controller do you have?

Bumbler said:

Yes, the 120V hot and 120V neutral on the "3 in' 1" are both Black. Polarity on these two wires do not matter. The manufacturer should make one of the wires white, but they don't. It comes with a wiring diagram right on the device.

I guess when I say thermostat I'm referring the the device that controls the power to the compressor. Weather it's the thermostat that comes with the unit or an external thermostat.

I use a line volt Ranco thermostat. My 120V from the thermostat is in the black cord strapped to the bottom of the fridge in the second Pic.

If it's still unclear I can do better this evening.

What model of Love controller do you have?

Click to expand...

I have a TS-2, I chose the TS-2 model because it is available inthe blue LED. Since it is only for a kegerator, I did not need a dual stage controller.

I have a decent write up on rhe install which can be found here.

Schnitzengiggle said:

I have a TS-2, I chose the TS-2 model because it is available inthe blue LED. Since it is only for a kegerator, I did not need a dual stage controller.

I have a decent write up on rhe install which can be found here.

Click to expand...

After seeing your write-up on your TS-2 controller, schematic very helpful, I can see exactly where the 2 black wires attach.

Bumbler said:

After seeing your write-up on your TS-2 controller, schematic very helpful, I can see exactly where the 2 black wires attach.

Click to expand...

Awesome! Great addition for the fix, I must give credit where credit is due though, ClaudusB is responsible for the awesome wiring schematic.

I did my conversion about page 28.... I have read most but I am going to move my CO2 tank to the outside. I remember it being covered in the past. If its worth it I will document it. It seems the model number has changed. Sorry I didn't read every post till now.

Espi said:

I did my conversion about page 28.... I have read most but I am going to move my CO2 tank to the outside. I remember it being covered in the past. If its worth it I will document it. It seems the model number has changed. Sorry I didn't read every post till now.

Click to expand...

Very cool, do a detailed write up on moving your co2 tank to outside the fridge. I think it would be a great addition to this thread.

I know someone has done it before, however, if I remember correctly all they did was showed the location of where they drilled the hole post move, so the hose and whatnot was already there.

Not that moving the tank would be a huge challenge, a detailed write-up with lots of pictures is always helpful for those who learn/understand things better visually.

In regards to the temp of the unit: Has anyone successfully extended the wiring for the original thermostat? If so has anyone tried moving the probe higher up on the unit so it reads the colder temp at the top? I'm thinking this would trick the stat a bit and allow you to run the unit a few degrees warmer if you want.

Hello. I am new to the forum and looking forward to brewing my own beer! I'm planning on building a kegerator out of a chest freezer for myself but I also am building my brother a kegerator to hold a half barrel for Christmas. Anyway, I can get this fridge cheap locally and if at all possible would like to use it for his application. I know it's a couple inches short in depth. My question is whether the area in front of the compressor is plastic and styrophoam? If so I can cut it and modify it to fit. Let me know if I am crazy. Thanks for the help.

freethinking3 said:

Hello. I am new to the forum and looking forward to brewing my own beer! I'm planning on building a kegerator out of a chest freezer for myself but I also am building my brother a kegerator to hold a half barrel for Christmas. Anyway, I can get this fridge cheap locally and if at all possible would like to use it for his application. I know it's a couple inches short in depth. My question is whether the area in front of the compressor is plastic and styrophoam? If so I can cut it and modify it to fit. Let me know if I am crazy. Thanks for the help.

Click to expand...

If you are looking to fit a half barrel in this fridge you may want to extend it with a collar, rather than butcher the compressor hump.

IMO if you are looking t make a kegerator for a half barrel, I would use a small full-size fridge, or chest/upright freezer.

Two corny kegs in this model fit extremely tight, a half barrel would need about twice the depth this unit offers. I'm not sayin it can't be done, I'm just sayin I wouldn't do it. Just sayin...

Agreed, and that's what I'm doing for myself. I just need to come up with a smaller application for my brother. He lives in a college apartment. I'll keep exploring options. Thanks for the info.

Gentlemen (and Ladies),

I believe this is my first post - I read so many, I cannot remember if I have replied to any as of yet.

Several.....OK two really.......a "couple" of other members have asked the specific question about shank length for door mount applications with this fridge (specifically when backing with a little block of wood). But alas....there has been no reply to either query.

So as my (presumably) first post - I'll reiterate the previous queries - what length shank should one order when preparing for a "Through-The-Door" application using a backer of some type?

Disclaimer - I have not yet purchased the fridge myself - I am assembling the parts order by order so as to NOT arouse any suspicion from Fair Wife as to my ultimate goal (not world domination anymore...just good homebrew on tap).

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the info I received from this thread. I was able to successfully adapt this fridge to hold a 1/2 barrel without any modification to the exterior.

freethinking3 said:

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the info I received from this thread. I was able to successfully adapt this fridge to hold a 1/2 barrel without any modification to the exterior.

Click to expand...

Could you please post some pics? Being able to switch out a 1/2 barrel when two cornys aren't around would be awesome. I've been thinking of doing this conversion for a long time and that would definitely encourage me!

Here are some pics. I had to carve out the door and extend the rear hump an inch to make it fit.

I've made my way through 44 pages of this thread. Amazing info by all. Thanks.

Before I embark on my own fridge conversion, I saw Lowe's now only offers a Frigidaire model LFPH44M4LM. It's 4.4 cu. ft. and *looks* like it is the same interior for the most part. I'm just wondering if anyone has this newer model and does it present any issues above and beyond the conversion discussed here; i.e. removing the freezer shelf, moving the thermostat to allow 2 cornys, installing a tower, etc.

Cheers.

All.....

When moving the temperature control/thermostat/light housing out of the way, I have seen several photos of others who have simply removed the light and control dial and innerds from the plastic housing and left them dangling in the fridge.

Is this safe in this capacity? Would it be wise to place a plastic bag over and zip tie it on or something to keep the moisture out of the dial components?

I FEAR the electricity....I respect the electricity, I DONT UNDERSTAND the electricity.

What should I do? I'm having a HARD time making the 2 cornies fit while keeping the light/thermostat in the housing.

drgraffnburg said:

I've made my way through 44 pages of this thread. Amazing info by all. Thanks.

Before I embark on my own fridge conversion, I saw Lowe's now only offers a Frigidaire model LFPH44M4LM. It's 4.4 cu. ft. and *looks* like it is the same interior for the most part. I'm just wondering if anyone has this newer model and does it present any issues above and beyond the conversion discussed here; i.e. removing the freezer shelf, moving the thermostat to allow 2 cornys, installing a tower, etc.

Cheers.

Click to expand...

If you do a quick search for that model number I think the consensus is the a little different interior door style but nothing that will change in the conversion process. Just finished mine up (new model) Had to do some slight alterations to allow a 1/6 bbl and corny to fit but alas, it can be done.

@windknot - Shank length I used was 5 1/8. Put a little square block of 1/2 in mdf to hold shanks in place. Could easily get by with a shank 1" shorter.

Just want to say "thanks" to every single person contributing to this thread... serious and great resource for building my first kegerator!

On that note, I picked up the "new" model of the this fridge at Lowes today and wanted to warn everyone: make sure you check the thing for damage before you buy it. I took one home and the door was falling off, along with a side being seriously dented.

Fortunately, Lowes took it back, but the one I was exchanging for I checked for damage... and it was dented too. The interior of the door was also pretty messed up. I was able to get them down to $130, the dent isn't that noticeable. Make sure you check before buying!

hi folks,

Truly an epic thread here. I've read probably 95% of this thread and now I come to the tribe with some design questions. I am breaking in my LFPH44M4LB now to ensure it's functioning properly before i cut anything.

Unto the fun stuff!

1) For those with this kegerator, did you secure the tower to plywood under the plastic top OR through the ceiling inside the fridge?

- For those that went the plywood route, I see several options on how to do this but what about the tower stability? Were you happy with this decision?

- For those with the through hole design approach I am sure those coolant lines were a bit of a p.i.t.a.

- For either option, what did you do with the foam you had to remove? Fill back in with expanding foam? Create a collar that sits around the coolant lines up to the lid/plywood?

2) copper tubes vs forced air into the tower. Looking at this thread, it appears there are many coolant lines that run on the top.

- those that went the copper route: Were your copper lines tubes close to coolant lines? Do you have a line-freezing issue? Do you get foamy first pours? How did you secure the copper tubes? I saw one option using adhesive

- those that went forced air route: Is this overkill? How about condensation on the tower (inside or out)? How much more db does this add to your fridge?

- those that didn't do either: how are those first pours??

3) This fridge and it's longevity (i see brumbler's broke at some point)

4) If it isn't addressed in my questions, what would you have done differently with your build?

I have in the fermentor Dale's Pale Ale which is going to be the first to be poured from my conversion.

thanks for your thoughts/advice!

Jon