Keezer collar to lid/freezer adhesive tips

[skibumdc]

Just a quick FYI for those attempting to create a keezer collar and worried about how to permanently attach the lid to the collar or the collar to the freezer...worry no more.

I had concerns about how well an adhesive would hold the collar to the freezer, until I tried this stuff.

Let's just say that after 12 hours(full cure time is actually 24 hours) I could lift the freezer by the collar. Seriously.

It's not going ANYWHERE!

Now, for the rest of the coffin keezer, lol.

 

[thyirishmen]

I used liquid nails for mine and let it dry 10 days. Same thing it's so strong it lifts up from the collar!

 

[mikebering]

PL premium is incredible.... but not if it ever gets on your clothes, its there for life

 

[gx1400]

I used silicone caulking which seems to work fine. I ended up putting a cabinet handle in the collar that works as a dual purpose lift handle/rag hanger. Its much easier to lift with the handle than the lid, so I'm not even tempted; also if I ever want to modify the collar or convert it back to a chest freezer, silicone is much easier to slice through than permanent adhesive.

 

[CidahMastah]

I used silicone caulking which seems to work fine. I ended up putting a cabinet handle in the collar that works as a dual purpose lift handle/rag hanger. Its much easier to lift with the handle than the lid, so I'm not even tempted; also if I ever want to modify the collar or convert it back to a chest freezer, silicone is much easier to slice through than permanent adhesive.

this was might approach and thought as well. I went with the weather proof pure silicone. Very good adhesion, but removable if I want to change the collar, go back to a freezer if I upgrade the keezer, etc.

 

[smittygouv30]

Hey,

My initial plan was to use liquid nails or something of the sorts to adhere my collar to the freezer. In reading this, I like sounds of using silicone, as it'll make conversion back to a regular freezer much easier.

My thoughts were to use a black weather strip under the collar and use the silicone as well. Reading through many of the builds, it seems not many are using the weather strip. Is this not necessary? It seems that taking away some of the surface area to apply silicone could be detrimental to the strength of the adherence. Is this worth it to ensure a tight seal?

Thanks,
Corey

 

[CidahMastah]

Hey,

My initial plan was to use liquid nails or something of the sorts to adhere my collar to the freezer. In reading this, I like sounds of using silicone, as it'll make conversion back to a regular freezer much easier.

My thoughts were to use a black weather strip under the collar and use the silicone as well. Reading through many of the builds, it seems not many are using the weather strip. Is this not necessary? It seems that taking away some of the surface area to apply silicone could be detrimental to the strength of the adherence. Is this worth it to ensure a tight seal?

Thanks,
Corey

IME - weather stripping is not needed, the silicone will work just fine.

 

[skibumdc]

I only used the adhesive to bond the collar to the keezer, but I insulated behind the collar and filled any seams with caulk and then foil tape.
I used weather stripping where keezer lid closed to the collar.

Fired it up for the first time last night and the collar never felt cool holding at 40 degrees so I think my 1" of R6 value foam insulation helps

 

[opiate82]

I didn't want my collar to be permanently attached to the freezer so I used 2x4's for the collar, but put 1x6's on the outside of the 2x4's so the whole collar slides onto the freezer (like a sleeve). I did use silicon where the 2x4's rest on the freezer to help seal it up, but that will be very easy to scrape off if I ever want to convert it back to a chest freezer.

 

[CidahMastah]

I only used the adhesive to bond the collar to the keezer, but I insulated behind the collar and filled any seams with caulk and then foil tape.
I used weather stripping where keezer lid closed to the collar.

Fired it up for the first time last night and the collar never felt cool holding at 40 degrees so I think my 1" of R6 value foam insulation helps

My keezer holds about 34F and cycles very infrequently even with a fan circulating in it. I only used silicone, 2x10's and the lid.

While the extra insulation doesn't hurt you, it won't necessarily have a significant impact for you either. I have no insulation on my collar, and it works just fine with very low cycling. Had my keezer for about 2 years YMMV

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

I'm convinced that the stuff around the top of a freezer is vinyl (as in PVC). It's the cheapest thing you could use for the application, and vinyl rated paint sticks fine to it. Paint is not going to stick to most of the other things it could be.

Bob

 

[smittygouv30]

Thanks all,
I followed the advice and used silicone only. I'll leave the weather strip out. I'm going to be extra generous with the silicone around the internal edges as I have no intentions of using insulation. I'll also use the old hinge screw holes in the back of the freezer as a site to mount a small piece of left over wood between the freezer and the collar. I'm hoping this will act as a "back brace" of sorts for a little extra support. Ideally this will make up for any differences in strength silicone has versus liquid nails or loctite.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Thanks all,
I followed the advice and used silicone only. I'll leave the weather strip out. I'm going to be extra generous with the silicone around the internal edges as I have no intentions of using insulation. I'll also use the old hinge screw holes in the back of the freezer as a site to mount a small piece of left over wood between the freezer and the collar. I'm hoping this will act as a "back brace" of sorts for a little extra support. Ideally this will make up for any differences in strength silicone has versus liquid nails or loctite.

Hi

Insulation is a good idea. It not only saves the electric bill. It also reduces the posibility of condensation on parts of the collar. No matter how well you have the collar finished, continous contact with moisture will degrade it.

Bob

 

[CidahMastah]

Hi

Insulation is a good idea. It not only saves the electric bill. It also reduces the posibility of condensation on parts of the collar. No matter how well you have the collar finished, continous contact with moisture will degrade it.

Bob

My personal experience is otherwise. I don't get condensation. Since it doesn't cycle on and off all the time I highly doubt I am losing any significant coolness (or increasing energy costs). I would love to hear proof of this otherwise.

I know everyone's heart is in the right place, but do you have anecdotal experience supporting your claims. I have anecdotal experience with my keezer contrary to what you are saying. From my experience the insulation is superfluous for an effective keezer build.

My collar has 3 coats of Polyurethane on it. It is water proof, and also doesn't have any open pores in the wood.

 

[smittygouv30]

Good comments. I'm interested to know what I should do here. I have no problem grabbing some insulation but I'd rather not lose the space it would take up if its not necessary. I've been through a lot of the keezer build threads here and it seems there is no consensus. Some use the insulation and some don't.

I have a 1x8 of oak attached to a 2x8. Is another 1" of insulation really necessary?

 

[CidahMastah]

I've been through a lot of the keezer build threads here and it seems there is no consensus. Some use the insulation and some don't.

I think this is your answer. If there is no consensus then it must not be necessary.

Trust me if my keezer was not performing well I would re-engineer it. I tend to over complicate anything (see my avatar and brew rig ha)

You can always add insulation later if you feel you need it. You will appreciate any extra space you can get in your keezer.

 

[carlisle_bob]

My personal experience is otherwise. I don't get condensation. Since it doesn't cycle on and off all the time I highly doubt I am losing any significant coolness (or increasing energy costs). I would love to hear proof of this otherwise.

I know everyone's heart is in the right place, but do you have anecdotal experience supporting your claims. I have anecdotal experience with my keezer contrary to what you are saying. From my experience the insulation is superfluous for an effective keezer build.

My collar has 3 coats of Polyurethane on it. It is water proof, and also doesn't have any open pores in the wood.

Hi

Other than a three week old keezer with some condensation issues, and degrading finish, no I have no *proof*.

I've used Polyurethane on a number of things. Leave it out in the weather for a while and it degrades. It's far from waterproof.


Bob

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I would definitely vote for silicone over construction adhesive. As for insulation, a quick Internet search shows the R-value of dimensional lumber at R-1 per inch. So, we are almost at R-2 for a 2x8 collar. A half inch or inch of foam board would go a long way to bump that up. With that said, most keezers are inside and maybe in a basement. That leaves you with a temperature differential of 20-30F. That isn't an application exactly screaming for R-30 or better.

 

[CidahMastah]

Hi

Other than a three week old keezer with some condensation issues, and degrading finish, no I have no *proof*.

I've used Polyurethane on a number of things. Leave it out in the weather for a while and it degrades. It's far from waterproof.


Bob

You raise a good point, it probably depends on where you plan to locate the keezer as to the insulation question. I would guess nearly any unit left in the sun with insulation would have condensation issues.

If you are storing your keezer out in the weather you are likely experiencing things that most people would not experience. I would not recommend storing a keezer, or any refridge out in the weather with sun exposure. My assumption was that the OP would be installing their keezer inside, more likely in a basement as jeepinjeepin stated.

Poly doesn't degrade quickly in an indoor setting IME - I have a bar I built over 10 years ago that is water still tight (poly sealed on the top) and will hold several pints spilled on it without leaking, or seeping in. Use some pledge on the top and it looks like new and you can slide a beer down it "cheers" style.

Poly displays all the attributes of being highly water resistant or water proof (with enough coats). Sure one coat will get you no where, typically 3-5 or more coats gets you a very water resistant, if not water proof coating. YMMV

 

[skibumdc]

I have my keezer in my garage, a humid environment.
Currently since I am opening and closing the lid several times a day working on beer lines, fans, cleaning etc. I do see condensation on the inside walls. None on the outside of the keezer.
Once I am done with final setup I'll put a bucket of damprid inside and let it dry out the environment and keep checking,.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Poly doesn't degrade quickly in an indoor setting IME - I have a bar I built over 10 years ago that is water still tight (poly sealed on the top) and will hold several pints spilled on it without leaking, or seeping in. Use some pledge on the top and it looks like new and you can slide a beer down it "cheers" style.

Poly displays all the attributes of being highly water resistant or water proof (with enough coats). Sure one coat will get you no where, typically 3-5 or more coats gets you a very water resistant, if not water proof coating. YMMV

Hi

I have no problem with urethane or a number of paints for standing up to the occasional spill. I just nuked my keeper pretty bad while cleaning the beer lines. No apparent damage to any of the paint.

The gotcha is continuous water contact. Damp that hangs around 24/7 seems to be what the paint or urethane really does not like. A moisture drip from condensation on the shanks for example.

One other observation - I turned off the keezer while cleaning the lines. The net effect was to defrost the thing. Even before the "oops" there was an amazing amount of water to sop up once the ice melted. I'd say at least two or three towels worth.

Bob

 

[CidahMastah]

Hi

I have no problem with urethane or a number of paints for standing up to the occasional spill. I just nuked my keeper pretty bad while cleaning the beer lines. No apparent damage to any of the paint.

The gotcha is continuous water contact. Damp that hangs around 24/7 seems to be what the paint or urethane really does not like. A moisture drip from condensation on the shanks for example.

One other observation - I turned off the keezer while cleaning the lines. The net effect was to defrost the thing. Even before the "oops" there was an amazing amount of water to sop up once the ice melted. I'd say at least two or three towels worth.

Bob

Just a tip on the cleaning - I usually get a garden hose firing in the keezer. Then I use a shop vac to suck it out. Works great for a solid clean.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Just a tip on the cleaning - I usually get a garden hose firing in the keezer. Then I use a shop vac to suck it out. Works great for a solid clean.

Hi

Probably a fine technique. I suspect hauling the garden hose into the middle of the family room might alarm the rest of the family though.

Bob

 

[CidahMastah]

Hi

Probably a fine technique. I suspect hauling the garden hose into the middle of the family room might alarm the rest of the family though.

Bob

haha - it probably would. My keezer is in the basement so such activities are permitted

 

[carlisle_bob]

haha - it probably would. My keezer is in the basement so such activities are permitted

Hi

I may give it a try. Life around here needs a little more drama

Bob