How stupid does this sound?

[andre the giant]

I want to build my own beer fridge. That's right, build my own.

My bar is built out of an old desk. I want a fridge in the area where the chair used to go. Unfortunately, its too low to accommodate a dorm fridge. So here's what I want to do.

I want to build a custom sized box into my bar, insulate it, line the inside with sheet aluminum, rip the guts out of a used dorm fridge, (very carefully so as not to damage the components or lose the freon) build that into the box, build some insulated doors, and plug that sucker in.

My siding contractor has rolls of aluminum for use in soffets, and he has a bending machine. If I give him the measurements, he'll bend it for me in no time at all. I'm thinking that the hardest part will be getting the refridgeration components installed intact.

Does this sound like a stupid idea, or a brilliant one?

 

[homebrewer_99]

Sounds like a minifridge would fit into the same area.

 

[kornkob]

Sounds like a fantastic custom job. Have fun.

 

[david_42]

You might want to look into this Peltier Heat Pump "a thermo-electric device that translates electric power into heat, and perversely, into cool." I have one on order that I plan on building into a portable kegger. I don't have a handle on how much cooling one of these can provide (have to experiment), but since it has no moving parts and can run on 12v DC, I thought it would be worth trying.

In your application, you could use the back of the kegger as a heat sink.

 

[andre the giant]

Here's a better idea of what I want.

I want a fridge that will fit in the open center area, and will hold a couple cases of beer and a carboy. Unfortunately, mini fridges are too tall, and dorm fridges are too small to hold a carboy. I could use a chest freezer against the wall behind the bar, but then I have to move the bar that much further into the room....

So, I'm thinking I'll enclose the center, (between the drawers) and turn that into a built in fridge.

 

[casebrew]

Jack up the desk, slip a mini-fridge into the knee hole.

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

Here's a better idea of what I want.

I want a fridge that will fit in the open center area, and will hold a couple cases of beer and a carboy. Unfortunately, mini fridges are too tall, and dorm fridges are too small to hold a carboy. I could use a chest freezer against the wall behind the bar, but then I have to move the bar that much further into the room....

So, I'm thinking I'll enclose the center, (between the drawers) and turn that into a built in fridge.

I can't help but think you're going to do $300 worth of work because you want something that will fit in an $100 table. Not dogging you, just laying that viewpoint out there.

 

[waskelton4]

I had a similar question posed a little while ago about a piano..

one of the replies suggested building the cooling box and then getting a small small fridge and cutting a hold in the side (i think simply removing the door would be better) and putting it in the cooling box.

they make some pretty small ones.. not sure how much cooling they actually do though.

ws

 

[Lounge Lizard]

I saw in your basement thread, where you have an extension on top of this desk to make it tall enough for a bar. What if you were to make an extension that would fit under the desk? That way you use regular dorm or mini fridge.

 

[TDRacing13]

raise the desk up to fit your fridge

 

[Monster Mash]

If it were me I'd build a bar to fit the fridge rather than build a fridge to fit the...er...bar, desk thingy. Besides bar stools would look funny in front of a desk.

I built this in my house so people would have a place to sit to enjoy a beer.....

 

[sudsmonkey]

NICE bar!!! That 'ar is some fine looking work.

I'd like to chime in on the " raise the desk" side of the issue. Building your own fridge would be a cool accomplishment, though. Raise the desk, put some diamond tread or a wooden veneer on the front of a mini fridge and call it done ( and custom). I have a marble topped kitchen table that my Dad had made out of some heart pine and a piece of marble wainscoating he took out of an old building being torn down when I was little. It wasn't tall enough for the arms of the chairs I am using to fit under it. I put 1 1/2 " blocks of contrasting hardwood on the bottom of each leg. It looks nice and I can push the chairs up under it so we can get around our small kitchen.
Follow the path of least resistance and spend more time drinking beer. Monkey

 

[Lost]

Convenient post, I've been thinking about doing the same thing.

In your case I do think it would be easier to raise the bar. Bed Bath and Beyond has some stands to raise a bed frame that would work fine for this and would look better than concrete blocks.

In my case however, I have a unused space under the stairs so I'm thinking about cutting a door in the drywall to access this space. Then I'd build a box of sorts out of styrofoam or housing insulation and enclose that in plywood (for rigidity) and then take the innards out of my old fridge and hook it up. I'd use the 'fridge' for my kegging setup and mount the taps and tray on the wall under the stairs. Really, for me it's the only way I can manage to have the kegs indoors.. the other option is to leave the fride on my back patio where the $#@% neighbor kids walk by from the adjacent complex.. and I don't want them helping themselves to my beer and I don't care to lock up the taps or fridge. Plus I don't think the fridge will work too well or last too long out in the Florida heat and humidity. It's already starting to rust and the seals are crap so it didn't stay too cool even inside the house. Damn, I wish I had a garage!

Anyhow, I too am interested in the possibility of using the innards of the fridge to build a custom fridge. What would I do with the freezer lines?

 

[andre the giant]

Hey all...

the only problem I have with jacking it up higher is, the thing is already 4.5 inches or so off the ground. It has castors underneath it. In addition to that, it's pretty tall already. I'd say the whole thing is 4 feet tall already. Here's another angle of the apparatus.

I'd love the easier option... I'm going to go to a used appliance place today. If I find something that will work, I'll definitely take the path of least resistance. But if not, I don't mind the work of trying to make it myself. I consider it a challenge.

Oh, and Monster Mash... Nice work! You have a bar to be proud of. Unfortunately for me, the big red bar/desk that I have is an "heirloom" from my wife's family, so I've got to make it work. If I built it myself, I would do things MUCH differently.

 

[kornkob]

And actually, from the front, it looks pretty nice.

It sounds like an interesting project. You should blog it.

 

[Cap'n Jewbeard]

I do need to allow my lazyness quotient for the day, and say, yeah, just elevate. But... should you ever build a fridge... that's pretty great.

 

[andre the giant]

Ok... consider the plan scrapped. The biggest factor preventing me from doing this is the apparent lack of cheap, used, dorm sized fridge's in the area.

I have opted to get a cheap, tiny fridge to fit underneath and hold smaller quantities of beer, and a small chest freezer in the storage room for lagering and mass beer storage.

Don't worry though.... I'll think up something equally strange sometime soon and share the experience with you.

thanks for the replies.

 

[olllllo]

Raise the Bar?

What about cutting into the floor to fit a dorm fridge?