ANCIENT freezer - thoughts

[pcqypcqy]

I have a very old freezer that has the compressor etc mounted externally to the fridge space, meaning the floor is flat inside and fully usable. Fits maybe 6 or 7 cornys and my tall 6kg gas bottle.

Just wanted to get some thoughts on how to convert this thing.

Initially I am doing a cheap/nasty collar just to get started as shown in the photos. The height inside is fine, so I'm only doing the collar for ease of tap installation. I currently only have 2 kegs and 1 tap.

Eventually I was thinking that I should be able to drill through the top panel (i.e. the bit that isn't the lid) and bring the beer lines up through next to where the compressor etc sits. Does anyone know where the coils sit in something like this?

The metal shield that hides all the wiring and the compressor also provides a neat place to install my thermostat unit at a useful height.

Has anyone done anything similar with such an old freezer? I've searched through the forums a bit and haven't seen a unit like this.

 

[madscientist451]

I'm assuming you tested it and it works? My first idea is to simply use it as fermentation temperature control, get a modern freezer for your kegerator.
You could put the time into converting the old freezer to kegerator then have it quit working and maybe then not be able to get parts to fix it.
Also the older units use more electricity than the newer ones. Using it as a fermentor temp control won't be using as much power as keeping kegs cold.
Other than those concerns, if you are confident you can keep it running, I'd say go for it, looks like an interesting project. Cheers!

 

[pcqypcqy]

It works fine. Not sure how it goes on the consumption side of things, I've misplaced my meter. But my guess is running a freezer at fridge temps is usually fairly economical, especially as it's winter here.

Using this for fermentation was the original plan, but two things happened. 1. I had a chilled, aerated wort in my 20 litre white bucket and as I went to lift it in I realised it didn't fit through the lid and 2. I started thinking about the possibilities of the housing on the top and mounting the taps up there.

I would keep any conversion flexible so that if the unit died, I can always disconnect everything and re-use on another freezer later on.

 

[ChefRex]

What type of insulation is in it? I have an old one that had collapsed fiberglass in it, I removed it and used two part pour foam to reinsulate, big pain in the ass.

 

[nettekdl]

I recently picked up a similar one off craigslist, it caused $4500 in smoke and fire damage to my garage. Beware old freezers lol