DIY Walk In Cooler Build

[kluge9]

... might as well spend the extra to get the working solution without the need to KLUGE anything.

Hey now, watch your mouth.

Kidding aside, excellent project and glad to see the shelves finally fill up

 

[Irrenarzt]

I'm really glad this is working out for you. If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to see how much your electric bill increases after the install.

I will need a few months to figure this out. I think I will be approximately breaking even as I will be unplugging 3 chest freezers.

 

[Irrenarzt]

So I placed the order today for the rest of my faucets/drip trays/hardware to finish the draft part of the walk in cooler. Solar Steve is coming down this weekend for one last final push and we will do a river float trip on Sunday as well.

I've got to say Todd at Keg Connection is super cool and gave me a link to the new Keg Connection beta site only for HBT people. The new site was super easy to navigate and I was able to snag the rest of the parts I needed quickly and painlessly and all for 7.95 flat rate shipping. His wall mount drip trays are the best in the business, are super easy to keep clean and sanitary and are a value price considering the construction and the fact that they are 100% made in the USA. PM him to get a link to the new site and he'll give you a 10% off coupon code and a free bottle opener.

Thanks Todd. I really liked the ease of use of the beta site and how painless it was to register. You're doing great work and offering the homebrewing community the best product at the best prices.

Support HBT vendors, especially Keg Connection. I can't wait to get this stuff all up and running.

 

[Travestian]

Solar Steve is coming down this weekend for one last final push and we will do a river float trip on Sunday as well.

Float trip as in floating a keg down the river? Sounds fun!

Just one piece of advice. Sunscreen...

 

[Irrenarzt]

We probably won't bring a keg but there will likely be a fair amount of beer involved.

As for sunscreen, I use this:

Seems to work pretty well.

 

[kerklein2]

Bullfrog gel. Unstoppable.

 

[Travestian]

Bullfrog gel. Unstoppable.

I second this.

I also read recently about the spray sunscreens that the fumes from the aerosol spray when breathed in can be quite dangerous, especially to kids.

 

[Irrenarzt]

I used to use the bullfrog spray back in the day. Works pretty well. I've never tried the gel.

 

[Irrenarzt]

I second this.

I also read recently about the spray sunscreens that the fumes from the aerosol spray when breathed in can be quite dangerous, especially to kids.

Good to know, I'll look for the gel.

 

[dieden187]

Bullfrog gel. Unstoppable.

Bullfrog doesn't mess around.... It is by far the best sunscreen brand out there.

 

[menisale]

Irrenarzt, thank you for your reply. It jives with the information that I got from Ron.

I sent an email to Ron from Coolbot, what a great resource he is. if anyone is looking to build a cooler there is great information on the Coolbot website. i'm figuring just from the information that i got from him it is worth the cost of the Coolbot, even though i already own the controller i would be using if i rigged it up on my own.

Thank you to everyone. I'm assuming in January you will see a post of me building my walk-in cooler. But it will be quite uninspiring compared to yours.

 

[Irrenarzt]

No worries menisale. I hope you have a fun time building your cooler. I know I had a good time and I wouldn't change a thing. Half the fun is building stuff for me. I'm sure your build will be equally as inspiring as mine.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Been busy with other stuff this week but the taps should be here soon. Big props again to Kegconnection for getting everything in the mail fast and at a great price.

Knowing that the taps are on their way, I got a jump on this today by framing out the area where the taps will be on the wall:

Solar Steve is on his way down now and will be here tomorrow so we should get most everything sorted out this weekend. Still waiting on Ghettogyle Greg to get the service panel done but if not, I have a backup plan that is actually kind of slick if he continues to slack off.

 

[Carlscan26]

Been busy with other stuff this week but the taps should be here soon. Big props again to Kegconnection for getting everything in the mail fast and at a great price.

Knowing that the taps are on their way, I got a jump on this today by framing out the area where the taps will be on the wall:

Solar Steve is on his way down now and will be here tomorrow so we should get most everything sorted out this weekend. Still waiting on Ghettogyle Greg to get the service panel done but if not, I have a backup plan that is actually kind of slick if he continues to slack off.

I forget if you explained it but what is that bulkhead made out of? Did you assemble that yourself or was that a kit?

 

[Irrenarzt]

It's made up of a 2" ABS plastic center pipe with 3" stainless/ABS toilet flanges from Home Depot. It's a bit of a kluge as I had to machine adapters to glue the 2" pipe to the 3" flanges but it's tight and it sealed up nice. I insulated the pipe as it went into the wall with spray foam and the inner wall is insulated with a foam liner used to insulate pipes. The ID is 1.5" inside the insulation which should be enough for the 5 lines I plan to run though there. Both flanges are screwed into their respective walls so it's not free to move around at all.

 

[Carlscan26]

It's made up of a 2" ABS plastic center pipe with 3" stainless/ABS toilet flanges from Home Depot. It's a bit of a kluge as I had to machine adapters to glue the 2" pipe to the 3" flanges but it's tight and it sealed up nice. I insulated the pipe as it went into the wall with spray foam and the inner wall is insulated with a foam liner used to insulate pipes. The ID is 1.5" inside the insulation which should be enough for the 5 lines I plan to run though there. Both flanges are screwed into their respective walls so it's not free to move around at all.

Damn - you call that a kludge? Nice work!

 

[Irrenarzt]

Well it's a kluge in the sense that I had to turn down some ABS rings to adapt the center pipe to the flanges. And the fact that I used toilet flanges. But hey, I suspect its going to work just fine and you will not see the flange where the taps will be. You still see the flange in the cooler but that's not as much of an issue.

The cooler is holding 35 F with relative ease so far. But it's been pretty mild lately as the peak heat of the summer is starting to wane a bit.

 

[Carlscan26]

Well it's a kluge in the sense that I had to turn down some ABS rings to adapt the center pipe to the flanges. And the fact that I used toilet flanges. But hey, I suspect its going to work just fine and you will not see the flange where the taps will be. You still see the flange in the cooler but that's not as much of an issue.

The cooler is holding 35 F with relative ease so far. But it's been pretty mild lately as the peak heat of the summer is starting to wane a bit.

It kind of reminded me of the ring/face of the pool light well that the my pool light locks into. It's far from the ugly I would have built. :rockin:

 

[Irrenarzt]

So Solar Steve, Fat Jeffrey and myself worked a bit yesterday.

Got the roof painted with the desert tan elastomeric:

That should keep the HOA off my back as reflective materials aren't allowed. Let's hope he doesn't see the door. It still needs another coat.

Ghettogyle Greg brought over the service panel:

The main bulk of the work was spent cleaning up and insulating the wall with all the scrap XPS that was left over.

 

[Travestian]

Not gonna lie. One of the reasons I look forward to weekends is cause I know you'll have been working on this and I can't wait to see more results!

 

[Irrenarzt]

Thanks man. I appreciate the good words. I've been slacking a bit with recent weekends (vacation, judging etc.).

Speaking of slacking, we got off to a slow start today as we drank a boatload of high gravity beers last night. Ghettogyle Greg came over and we got a bit schlitzed. I really like that Stone 17th Gotterdamerung IPA. Tasty stuff.

Regulator gang for carbonating/serving:

Priming the service panel:

Solar Steve prepping out the serving area:

 

[finsfan]

it so close i can taste the beer flowing from the taps I know youve heard this from me and everyone else already but hell of a project here!

 

[Irrenarzt]

Service panel is up, a big thanks to Ghettogyle Greg.

It's just pressed in, aka the "interference fit". Should work fine unless we have some kind of earthquake. If that's the case, then I've got bigger problems.

Building up the beer inventory a bit:

Still have a ways to go but brewing weather will commence here fairly soon and I have a few trips to beer destinations coming up soon so that will help a fair amount.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Shelves of beer. That's the picture we've all wanted to see! :fro:

 

[Irrenarzt]

I will be adding more beer but right now it's like 2 go in, 1 go out so it's building slower than I would like.

 

[mrwizard0]

I will be adding more beer but right now it's like 2 go in, 1 go out so it's building slower than I would like.

It sounds to me like you are drinking half of what you could be

 

[Irrenarzt]

My lady friend is the main reason for this phenomena. I could restrain myself a bit better if she wasn't coming over as much...

 

[Hello]

500 posts later, this is a great story and a great build. I can't wait to see the finale. I take it you're not the guy who just brews in his kitchen.

 

[Irrenarzt]

No I only make starters in the kitchen for the most part.

 

[Irrenarzt]

So I got the vinyl strip curtain up tonight:

Not sure if I like it much as it is definitely less convenient to get in and out of but it'll be helpful in terms of efficiency.

Also, I've got a trip planned on the weekend of the 7th to lovely Austin Texas. I'm definitely hitting up the Jester King for the Rubicale release but if any locals want to hang out and show me the spots, that'd be great. My lady friend backed out so I'll be rolling solo.

In the least, suggestions as to where to go are welcomed. Thanks in advance. And if anyone can let me know about potential checkpoints there, that'd be great. The last thing I need is to go to jail in Texas. They'll execute me for not having the proper accent.

Officer: What's that big old box you have there son?

Me: That's two cases of 3711 primaried then barreled aged on Brett Brux craft beers officer.

Officer: You call that beer boy? All I see is some crazy Rick James looking kneegrow on the bottle. That's got to be some kind of drugs or something like that.

Me: I swear officer, it's a barrel aged sour stout called Funkmetal.

Officer: Ain't no such thing as a beer named Funkmetal boy. I'm taking you in for being under the influence of drugs. You kids today and your crazy Funkmetal drugs.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Scored 2 bottles of Oak Smoked Old Guardian and a bottle of the Class of 88 Barleywine tonight and the girlfriend didn't come over so add 3 more bottles to the stash.

 

[KingKegII]

Such an awesome build, nice craftsmanship in every step.

As for Austin, definitely hit some of the craft breweries there, just google Austin craft breweries for a listing. You can also try this bar called Austin Brew Exchange, think real-time fluctuating beer prices like a stock exchange except the prices change based on what's being ordered that night. Haven't been yet but plan on going soon; they def have a good selection. For an even better selection try the Ginger Man, great selection, relaxed atmosphere.

 

[Irrenarzt]

I've heard of the Ginger Man so I was planning on that. I was told of a place called the Salt Lick as a must hit place for carnivores. I'll be staying close to there so I think I'll hit it up for dinner at some point.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[KZE80]

I've heard of the Ginger Man so I was planning on that. I was told of a place called the Salt Lick as a must hit place for carnivores. I'll be staying close to there so I think I'll hit it up for dinner at some point.

Thanks for the suggestions.

You should check out Jester King. Crazy, delicious stuff they're doing down there.

 

[Irrenarzt]

That's the main reason for the visit. I'm amped to check them out.

 

[Travestian]

Salt Lick is a definite must go. I'm originally from Austin. Only removed by way of military service. Not a beer place to go to but I HIGHLY recommend Rudy's for some AMAZING BBQ!

 

[Irrenarzt]

I've been to Rudy's but I think I'll hit up the Salt Lick this time. It's kind of close to Jester King and the place I'm staying so I should be all set. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Well the weekend is here and so I'm working on the cooler of course. Nothing sexy today as I'm putting down another coat of elastomeric on the roofs to start.
One big issue I'm having is the hinges on the cooler door are creaking big time so I took out the pins and greased them with some Paul's green bearing grease for MTB's. If you know this grease, it is robust and lasts a long time on bikes, even in wet conditions. So I'm hoping this will work. After this, I plan on working in the garage to get it organized a bit so I can finally brew again someday. I doubt I'll work on the taps at all as I need a piece of hardwood for the backer board. Solar Steve has one at his house so he will work on that in the next few weeks. I'm headed up there for Red Rocks in a few weeks so if I'm lucky, he will have it ready for me then.

 

[pkrath84]

Salt Lick is a definite must go. I'm originally from Austin. Only removed by way of military service. Not a beer place to go to but I HIGHLY recommend Rudy's for some AMAZING BBQ!

LOVE RUDY'S, salt lick is amazing and the beer exchange is a great time!

Id also like to throw Bangers Sausage House and Beer Garden out there for awesome links and tons of great beer on tap!

 

[BarrelheadBrew]

+1 for bangers.. awesome brunch there.

 

[jay8s]

WOW just read though this whole thread. My SWMBO would KILL me if I tried this project. She already hates that I horde beer. I love seeing what others are doing to feed this hobby!!!