Keezer Collar Sanity Check

I plan on building a keezer collar for my freezer out of 2"x2"s, veneer plywood, and reflectix. I'll also do something along all the edges to cover up the joints. I'm attaching some pictures of the freezer and my sketchup drawing (forgive me, I'm a noob). I have the 2 tap holes and slot for my STC annotated already. I plan on routing all the wiring through the rear of the collar at some point. In the drawings, the darker tones would be the veneer and the lighter are the 2x2s.

Main questions:
1. Does this all make sense? Will it work well?
2. What can I use to cover the edges where all the veneer plywood joins?
3. Structurally, will it hold? I plan on using hefty amounts of wood glue and screws
4. Is the reflectix enough of a thermal barrier?
5. Will the existing hinges hold the weight of everything?

Bump... Anyone?

-Yeah, that looks like it would work.
-Are you going to butt join the plywood or use 45 degree cuts? The quick and dirty way of hiding the 45 degree seams is don't; use a black marker to hide the cut edges. If you want to spend some money just purchase some edge molding and install that over the butt joints.
-That 2x2 frame and plywood should be strong enough. How thick is the plywood?
-As far as insulation goes some people don't use any but I would definitely use some. I use the 2" ridged foam insulation but reflectix will work in layers.
-The stock hinges should be fine as long as you use long enough screws to hit the 2x2.

Make sure you post pics of your progress.

Thanks for the input, I was beginning to think I was on a wild tangent that nobody wanted to touch!
I think butt joints will be easiest for the plywood. I'm thinking 1/4" veneer will be good enough, maybe 1/2" if I (or anybody) think it's too thin.
Some nice wood edge molding sounds like the winner to me.
I think a combo between the ridged foam and reflectix will hold up well for the garage in the mean time.
Eventually, I plan to build a coffin around the sides and front along the same lines once I have space to move it indoors! Production will probably start in April once the weather has turned for the better. I'll definitely post WIP pics along the way!

1/4" plywood is enough with some bracing on the under the top, after all its not supporting any weight. You can always add another layer of plywood later if you decide to add a coffin, tile etc.

I am assuming that you are adding a collar so you can put another keg on the compressor hump.

Food for thought:
- Are you planning on using the stock hinges to hold up the entire wood assembly? They might need some assistance from a gas actuator (vehicle parts store) to keep it up. In my experience they don't have a great deal more holding power than the stock lid needs.
-Big giant lid? yes-> Put the whole thing on wheels. If you plan on having this near a wall with a 14" thick lid on it, you'll need it to be 14" from the wall before trying to open it.

purplehaze said:

1/4" plywood is enough with some bracing on the under the top, after all its not supporting any weight. You can always add another layer of plywood later if you decide to add a coffin, tile etc.

I am assuming that you are adding a collar so you can put another keg on the compressor hump.

Click to expand...

I did'nt think about the top... I do plan to use it to store glassware, etc. I'll use something thicker... maybe 3/4" or 1"?

Yes, I need about 8" of extra clearance to fit another keg or the 20# co2 tank I have on the hump!

Zepth said:

Food for thought:
- Are you planning on using the stock hinges to hold up the entire wood assembly? They might need some assistance from a gas actuator (vehicle parts store) to keep it up. In my experience they don't have a great deal more holding power than the stock lid needs.
-Big giant lid? yes-> Put the whole thing on wheels. If you plan on having this near a wall with a 14" thick lid on it, you'll need it to be 14" from the wall before trying to open it.

Click to expand...

Hinges - I was orignialy planning on it. That is definitley one of my greatest concerns as far as opening it for swapping kegs and playing around on the inside. I'll look in to that. Any advice on fixing it to the freezer? It does have external coils on the backside, so I don't have to much space to work with before things start to collide with those.

Wheels - Yep. I was thinking a simple 2x4" frame will suffice for this.

After looking up gas actuators... I assume you meant something like this: Amazon Hood Lift/Strut. I could fix it internally, but still not sure how to attach it to the existing freezer body without risk of damage.

That little lift strut is exactly what I was referring to. One way to solve a couple issues would be to attach the collar firmly to the freezer body. I used a couple metal plates and the stock hinge screws at the back of it. Extra insurance is a couple of small angle brackets on the interior at the front; most say it isn't needed but I tend to over-build things. Then have only your top open. The stock hinges should be more than capable of that. If not for some reason, you would have the wooden collar / frame to use to attach the lift strut to. Also solves the problem of being close to the wall. Only problem is it means you need to lift every keg that much higher, and your shanks might be in the way.

Take the tank out so you can put 2 cornies in it?

IslandLizard said:

Take the tank out so you can put 2 cornies in it?

Click to expand...

I'd still ahve to make a smaller collar in order to route the gas lines... May as well keep it all internal! Plus, it gives me a nice project to work on.

I agree on the need for a collar, but it doesn't look you can fit 2 cornies in there as is, with the tank present. It's easy to route your gas hose(s) to the inside through a hole in the collar.

Zepth said:

That little lift strut is exactly what I was referring to. One way to solve a couple issues would be to attach the collar firmly to the freezer body. I used a couple metal plates and the stock hinge screws at the back of it. Extra insurance is a couple of small angle brackets on the interior at the front; most say it isn't needed but I tend to over-build things. Then have only your top open. The stock hinges should be more than capable of that. If not for some reason, you would have the wooden collar / frame to use to attach the lift strut to. Also solves the problem of being close to the wall. Only problem is it means you need to lift every keg that much higher, and your shanks might be in the way.

Click to expand...

Haha. All the problems you mentioned are exactly what I don't want. I'm capable of lifting a full keg of the would-be new height, but don't want to. Plus, as you mentioned, the shanks and tubing could snag up as well. I could attach it to the molding around the top of the freezer I'm sure. I doubt anything important is in that region!

IslandLizard said:

I agree on the need for a collar, but it doesn't look you can fit 2 cornies in there as is, with the tank present. It's easy to route your gas hose(s) to the inside through a hole in the collar.

Click to expand...

Theres enough space in the back right corner. The jumble of co2 tubing and the regulator are probably giving a weird perception. Also, the co2 regulator is horizontal right now instead of vertical, that will clear up a lot of space too.

Something to check before you buy a lid assist of any kind, many of the older freezer hinges can be adjusted to increase the tension by rotating one half of the body clockwise tightening the internal spring. Not to sure about the newer ones.
Not a huge improvement but might be enough if your borderline.
cheers
jbrown

Jbrown57 said:

Something to check before you buy a lid assist of any kind, many of the older freezer hinges can be adjusted to increase the tension by rotating one half of the body clockwise tightening the internal spring. Not to sure about the newer ones.
Not a huge improvement but might be enough if your borderline.
cheers
jbrown

Click to expand...

I'll be sure to check it out. I really haven't inspected them that closely. I believe the freezer would be old enough, as it has exposed coils on the rear.

kenny_d said:

Theres enough space in the back right corner. The jumble of co2 tubing and the regulator are probably giving a weird perception. Also, the co2 regulator is horizontal right now instead of vertical, that will clear up a lot of space too.

Click to expand...

Does it fit 3 cornies without the tank? More taps!

IslandLizard said:

Does it fit 3 cornies without the tank? More taps!

Click to expand...

This is true... I'll take some measurements/make some cardboard cornys to test it out.