Part 1 of 3
After doing extensive research regarding kegerator builds I came to several conclusions:
1. I did not want to have to go to the garage to get a beer so a large refrigerator or keezer was not going to work for me. Having no SWMBO to contend with, the living room was ideal placement for my kegerator, so a mini-fridge build would need to be done.
2. No adequate used models that did not pose significant problems could be found locally, so a new refrigeration unit would be required. The suggested Danby unit was not cheap and still required extensive internal modification, and was also not available locally and I really did not want to have one shipped.
3. It is almost impossible to find a 4.4-5 cubic foot mini-fridge that does not have a freezer unit or internal door units
ENTER THE WINE AND BEVERAGE COOLER
While many of these devices are rather pricey (as they are designed to showcase their contents) there are a few reasonably priced models that are in the same price range as a decent mini fridge. The advantage is that they do not require door modifications and do not have freezers. Furthermore, they are designed to maximize internal storage capacity, so many use slim controls. After looking at several models I came across the TRAMONTINA 80901/502DS, which was available at a nationally known big-box wholesaler headquartered in Northwest Arkansas (and to which I have a membership).
I did more online research to see if I could find examples of homebrewers using this model, and to my surprise (because it seems that many of our ingenious homebrew inventions have left nothing new under the sun), I could find no examples. I placed a call to their customer service line, explained my plans, and that I intended on voiding the warranty on day one after purchase. After being put in touch with a Texas based engineer was assured that there were NO coolant lines in the top of the unit, and they followed up by email with a technical drawing showing the placement of the electrical wires for the internal LED light.
The one problem with this model is that like most of its brethren, and unlike the mini-fridges, it does not have a plastic top that can be removed an internally reinforced for the tower. This necessitated building a finished counter top for the unit. The instructions for this build are below:
1. Construct a reinforcing top for the unit. I utilized a finished piece of ¾ furniture grade finished craft pine board from a building supply store. Cut the board to 20 ½ wide and 21 deep. This sizing allows for the door to close beneath the top. The unit has a hinge on the right side that would interfere so I traced a template and routed out the space for the hinge cover to a ½ depth
Wooden Top with space for door hinge routed
2. This step is where the technical diagram came in handy. I did not want to accidentally drill through the wires that supplied electrical power to the flush mounted internal LED light. I also knew that I wanted my 5lb CO2 tank to be placed on the shelf in the rear created by the space for the compressor; that I needed clearance for the regulator and tank valve; and I wanted minimal interference with the opening for the tower so that I could add a tower chiller at a later date if necessary. I cut a 3 diameter hole in the top of the unit and the wooden top. As the wooden top is exactly the same size as the top of the unit, the follow measurements apply to both (cutting them together exceeded the depth capacity of the hole saw. The center of the hole should be placed 10 1/8 from the left and right sides, 12 5/8 from the front (include the door on the unit) and 8 3/8 from the rear of the unit.
Wiring Diagram from Tramontina
Drilling template with measurement
Drilled Unit Top
Interior Hole, flush mount led light visible
Drilled Top with template removed
Wooden top drilled, on top of unit
Continued in next post....
After doing extensive research regarding kegerator builds I came to several conclusions:
1. I did not want to have to go to the garage to get a beer so a large refrigerator or keezer was not going to work for me. Having no SWMBO to contend with, the living room was ideal placement for my kegerator, so a mini-fridge build would need to be done.
2. No adequate used models that did not pose significant problems could be found locally, so a new refrigeration unit would be required. The suggested Danby unit was not cheap and still required extensive internal modification, and was also not available locally and I really did not want to have one shipped.
3. It is almost impossible to find a 4.4-5 cubic foot mini-fridge that does not have a freezer unit or internal door units
ENTER THE WINE AND BEVERAGE COOLER
While many of these devices are rather pricey (as they are designed to showcase their contents) there are a few reasonably priced models that are in the same price range as a decent mini fridge. The advantage is that they do not require door modifications and do not have freezers. Furthermore, they are designed to maximize internal storage capacity, so many use slim controls. After looking at several models I came across the TRAMONTINA 80901/502DS, which was available at a nationally known big-box wholesaler headquartered in Northwest Arkansas (and to which I have a membership).
I did more online research to see if I could find examples of homebrewers using this model, and to my surprise (because it seems that many of our ingenious homebrew inventions have left nothing new under the sun), I could find no examples. I placed a call to their customer service line, explained my plans, and that I intended on voiding the warranty on day one after purchase. After being put in touch with a Texas based engineer was assured that there were NO coolant lines in the top of the unit, and they followed up by email with a technical drawing showing the placement of the electrical wires for the internal LED light.
The one problem with this model is that like most of its brethren, and unlike the mini-fridges, it does not have a plastic top that can be removed an internally reinforced for the tower. This necessitated building a finished counter top for the unit. The instructions for this build are below:
1. Construct a reinforcing top for the unit. I utilized a finished piece of ¾ furniture grade finished craft pine board from a building supply store. Cut the board to 20 ½ wide and 21 deep. This sizing allows for the door to close beneath the top. The unit has a hinge on the right side that would interfere so I traced a template and routed out the space for the hinge cover to a ½ depth
Wooden Top with space for door hinge routed
2. This step is where the technical diagram came in handy. I did not want to accidentally drill through the wires that supplied electrical power to the flush mounted internal LED light. I also knew that I wanted my 5lb CO2 tank to be placed on the shelf in the rear created by the space for the compressor; that I needed clearance for the regulator and tank valve; and I wanted minimal interference with the opening for the tower so that I could add a tower chiller at a later date if necessary. I cut a 3 diameter hole in the top of the unit and the wooden top. As the wooden top is exactly the same size as the top of the unit, the follow measurements apply to both (cutting them together exceeded the depth capacity of the hole saw. The center of the hole should be placed 10 1/8 from the left and right sides, 12 5/8 from the front (include the door on the unit) and 8 3/8 from the rear of the unit.
Wiring Diagram from Tramontina
Drilling template with measurement
Drilled Unit Top
Interior Hole, flush mount led light visible
Drilled Top with template removed
Wooden top drilled, on top of unit
Continued in next post....
