Kegerator from a quirky mini fridge

[palmtrees]

I am finally making the switch to kegs, after getting frustrated with oxygen issues with my bottled batches. As part of this, I'm building a kegerator using this fridge: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insign...mpact-fridge-graphite/6407011.p?skuId=6407011

There are some weird things about this fridge, but I'm rolling with it because it's freezerless and I got a great deal on it. (For one, the door is fronted with a glass panel, meaning there's no way I could drill through to put taps in there, and I have no space for a tower. Picnic taps are fine with me, though.)

Right now, I'm now trying to figure out how to route my gas line into the fridge so I can keep my tank outside. I can do the cornstarch test and drill through the side, but I'll admit I'm still pretty nervous about hitting something. However, another weird feature of this fridge is that the door is much wider than most. We're talking several inches wide. I've included a pic below, with gas line for scale. This got me thinking--if I can't drill through the front of the door because of the glass, maybe the extra width would let me drill through the side. I could basically create an l-shaped channel by drilling a hole through the side and then drilling a hole to meet it through the back/inside of the door panel. Am I dreaming trying to route a gas line that way? Would the tubing be able to make it around that curve? Would it drive me crazy every time I open the door? (Though I would do this on the hinge side to avoid as much movement as possible.) Is it just more trouble than it's worth?

Someone tell me if this is a bad idea and I just need to suck it up and find a spot to drill through the side wall. Or maybe it will work!

 

[day_trippr]

Too bad there's pretty much zero detailed information about that unit to peruse.
Before you hole anything, check under the slide-out bin for a drain port. It may have a plug/seal installed.

Otherwise...I don't see any obvious condenser, so I'm guessing that unit uses the cabinet skin. When the compressor is running is the skin warm?
If so, while that can be helpful in finding a relatively safe spot to hole - which would not included any area that actually heats up - I would consider going through the floor in front of the compressor hump.

[edit] Just found an owner's guide and given it requests almost 8" lateral spacing it's clear it uses the skin as a radiator for the condenser loop, so the sides are definitely out wrt running a hole. As well it makes no mention of a floor drain (frost free, makes sense)...

Cheers!

 

[palmtrees]

Thank you for the help! The skin does indeed get hot when it's running. There is a drain hole in the back just above the compressor, but it's too small to route a gas line, so I would have to widen it. That would be fine, except as you predict there is a plastic tube in the bottom section of the drain right now that would monkey with my drill. And the angle of the compressor underneath it makes it impossible to try and pry the plastic out.

Could I drill another hole right next to the drain? Am I safe in assuming nothing is routed right next to it?

 

[day_trippr]

"Assume" is not in my lexicon - except as a perjorative cast at others after something bad happened

I expect you can indeed find a safe spot on the floor to hole through for your gas line, but as the unit is so small, you have the opportunity to literally set it on one side and get a clear view of what lurks under the interior floor. Assuming you don't doddle at it to find a safe spot to drill through, you would have to let the unit rest up-right for just a few hours to let any displaced compressor lubricant to drain back to its sump before powering the unit up, but that should be worth having confidence you're not going to hit anything critical.

Cheers!

 

[palmtrees]

That sounds like a plan! Thank you so much! And I will try to drill this a few days before filling my first keg so I can have some patience to not turn it on immediately.