Frigidaire Model FRC445GB Mini-Fridge Kegerator Conversion

The 1st post indicates this is possible, I believe someone else said no... With some crafty manipulation of regulators/gauges, do ya think a person could squeeze in a 3g keg next to a 5# co2 tank on the hump, along with the two cornys up front? I'm about to order everything needed to put a triple tower on this thing, so I can dispense soda from a 3g keg.

TIA!

I think i remember reading that in order to do the 3G with 2 5G's, you need to hook up the Co2 outside the fridge. I don't have the fridge yet (getting it this weekend), but I read through all the posts to edumacate myself.

I have also read that you can't use a soda keg for a beer keg later on as it is impossible to get flavors/smells out of it.

smmcdermott said:

I have also read that you can't use a soda keg for a beer keg later on as it is impossible to get flavors/smells out of it.

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Weren't all of our cornys already used for soda in their previous lives, unless they were bought new?

I'd like to keep the co2 internal though (looking for as small of footprint as possible). It must be that the 3g is fat enough that it needs sit between the cornys instead of directly behind one..? Maybe a soda tap isn't so important...but the younger ones sure would get a kick out of it.

This is true, but i think the smell/flavor is more for the lines and tap.

smmcdermott said:

I have also read that you can't use a soda keg for a beer keg later on as it is impossible to get flavors/smells out of it.

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Not true at all. A PBW soak will take care of it.

Just finished my build. Previous posts were a big help. A friend of a friend in the granite business was able to fabricate a top at no cost. I will post pics at some point.

Well i was hoping to get this built and hopefully have it ready to test on Tuesday but keg connection forgot to put my faucet in the box so i have to call them tomorrow

I bought the fridge and everything to keg last week. I am getting the tower and lines today and should have it done by this weekend. I will def post pics. This thread was great.

What kind of prices are you guys finding? I have not seen any sales recently. Prices here (MD) run about $170 from the big box store. Keep the pics coming.

jason

If someone is getting real close to pulling the trigger on one of these at Lowes, i have a 10% off coupon. It expires in 2 weeks, so you'd have to act fast.

verotik said:

If someone is getting real close to pulling the trigger on one of these at Lowes, i have a 10% off coupon. It expires in 2 weeks, so you'd have to act fast.

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Yeah I was just going to say if you go on Ebay they have those 10% off coupons all the time for like 1 buck. That's the way to go!

Yea I wish you guys posted that earlier, HA. I bought it at Lowes for $179. I also live in CT and everything is expensive...

Im going this week that coupon code would be great

Go to the post office, get change of address form. Included in the packet is 10% off Lowes coupon.

Is there any advantage to placing the C02 tank on the outside of the fridge other than freeing up some room inside the box? Does the warmer temps help the compressed gas live longer or anything?

Thanks,
Brad

Question for those of you using a tower with this fridge. How did you keep the tower cool or did you not worry about that? I was tihnking of putting copper piiping up the tower as I have seen someone do that. Does this work alright or should I invest in a fan?

I ask because most of the time it will just be one pull from the keg. Every once and a while there will be multiple pulls, but mostly just one. Thanks in advance.

bradneal said:

Is there any advantage to placing the C02 tank on the outside of the fridge other than freeing up some room inside the box? Does the warmer temps help the compressed gas live longer or anything?

Thanks,
Brad

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No. There's still the same physical amount of gas in the CO2 tank whether or not you keep it in the fridge. The boiling point of CO2 is -70F, so whether you have it at room temperature or 30-40F it's not going to make too much difference.

Thanks, Mac - that's what I needed to know.

-Brad

Here's my Frigidaire, got from Lowes over a year ago and works like a champ. As you can tell from the pix, I drilled through the front door and mounted the faucet this way and I also built a 1 foot stand for it to stand on so it would be to low to pour. I'm wondering if the plug inside the fridge (I think it's a defrost drain plug) could be used to run my CO2 from the outside with? Anybody try this yet?

A few folks have- check through the thread, it's also possible to carefully drill a hole in the shelf area for the hose.

That is a great idea for the stand... I just got in on the perlick group buy, and I'm gonna be going through the door as well. It does feel pretty low, so raising it up would help.

You don't have any kind of drip tray... does it get messy at all?

MacBruver said:

A few folks have- check through the thread, it's also possible to carefully drill a hole in the shelf area for the hose.

That is a great idea for the stand... I just got in on the perlick group buy, and I'm gonna be going through the door as well. It does feel pretty low, so raising it up would help.

You don't have any kind of drip tray... does it get messy at all?

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I actually use one of the clear plastic tray slots that where used in the inside door for a drip tray and just leave it on the floor.

I just got my kit and fridge today, I'm totally new to all this. I plan on mounting my tower on top...re-inforced with some wood under the cover of the fridge. Here's my question...

For those of you that have done it this way...did you run the tower bolts all the way down and into the fridge itself? Or did you just run the bolts to the other side of the wood that you placed under the cover? The bolts that came with mine are probably 3 inches long!

I ran mine all the way down through the inside of the fridge.

you didnt have a probably with hitting any of the freon lines?

No. I'd suggest reading through the thread if you havent. Once you get in there and get the foam out, you'll see. Remember the rule of thumb...measure twice, cut (or drill) once. You have to be careful because some of the holes you drill will come really close to the lines, but you can watch where you drill while you are doing it and make sure to miss the lines. It isn't nearly as hard as you are probably imagining it being. Just take your time, and it'll still only take you an hour or two.

I haven't seen any pics with a sixth in it yet so thought I would post. Just finished my build this weekend. As you can see ...its a little tight with the way the line comes out of the tap, I think I will order an elbow fitting like this one to give myself a little breathing room:

http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/hoses/y_fittings/FT872_beer_elbow_fitting.shtml

I have been following this thread for a while and pulled the trigger tonight...

the kitchen sink decided to leak last night while brewing some beer. I had plans to go fishing with some friends the following day but figured I would stop by the local hardware joint after that. Fishing was worth it...






on the way home i ran into a floor model for cheap... $129!

I got home and started fiddling... I have pretty much read this thread but if i missed something that has already been covered. smack me.

This is what I am getting rid of...





I was wondering if i could leave the actual light where it sat and still fit in two kegs... I think i did. I cut the light thermo housing in half and re mounted the light where it was supposed to be...



Then extended the wires to the "back shelf"



The metal line that is the temp sensor easily pulled out for me.. I attached it with the wires an will see how that works.

Here is it with 2 kegs...



any reason pulling out the sensor line is bad?

with the light cut in half and the door shut.



I am waiting on the tower to show up...

not sure if this was worth the time.. I know most of the important bits have already been covered in this thread.

I like your light move. I don't know about the snesor, I left mine where it is for now and will clean it up when i have mroe time. Nice build though!

I got mine a few weeks ago. Have not started any type of conversion. Just reading thru I am unsure how it is going in to by bar plans yet. Am curious about moving the thermostat.

Thanks for all the good info.

MrLucky13

I drilled the hole in the top last night. I am going to sleeve it with copper tubing and secure it with expanding foam.

If anyone is interested, I will keep posting pics?

messed around a bit after work...

here is the latest..



expandable foam filled in the hole I cut to find the cooler lines. two one inch holes drilled. plywood was cut and existing foam removed.

I inserted copper sleeves though the hole and they stick into the fridge about 1/5 inch or so. filled around with spray foam and wood glued into place with silicone sealant.

A full corney now sits on top till it dries up.

I got a PM from MrLucky13 about another thread and decided to re work my light temp control situation.

here is the link

Looking Good. Makes me want to start mine.

Keep us updated.

MrLucky13

Is there a way to wire the pc fan inside of the fridge? I don't want the wires running out of the door creating a bad seal.

Hi, I'm new to kegerator conversion and homebrewing, so naturally I have a few questions. Please excuse my ignorance.

My initial intention for this machine is to run two commercial D-system kegs out of it. My questions are mainly focused on sizing and measurement. I'd do the measuring myself, but I don't have my Frigidaire with me and I need to get my kit ordered. Hopefully some of you cats experienced with this build can help me out.

1) I see that commercial 5 gal kegs are a bit wider than the cornies most people are building this setup for. Should I be able to fit two commercial 5 gal kegs (9" width) with the 5# co2 on the hump?

2) I'm planning on two taps close and centered through the door, and am deciding what setup to buy. Would 4 1/8" shanks be fine, or would they hit the kegs?

3)Should I go with low profile D couplers, or will I have enough clearance with standard ones (23" tall kegs)?

Any other advise/tips would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread as well, it has been an extremely educational read.

sybo said:

Hi, I'm new to kegerator conversion and homebrewing, so naturally I have a few questions. Please excuse my ignorance.

My initial intention for this machine is to run two commercial D-system kegs out of it. My questions are mainly focused on sizing and measurement. I'd do the measuring myself, but I don't have my Frigidaire with me and I need to get my kit ordered. Hopefully some of you cats experienced with this build can help me out.

1) I see that commercial 5 gal kegs are a bit wider than the cornies most people are building this setup for. Should I be able to fit two commercial 5 gal kegs (9" width) with the 5# co2 on the hump?

2) I'm planning on two taps close and centered through the door, and am deciding what setup to buy. Would 4 1/8" shanks be fine, or would they hit the kegs?

3)Should I go with low profile D couplers, or will I have enough clearance with standard ones (23" tall kegs)?

Any other advise/tips would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread as well, it has been an extremely educational read.

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1. I believe the keg you are referring to is what is often called a 1/6th keg. Unfortunately you will not be able to fit two 1/6th kegs. It might be possible if you mod you'r door giving yourself more depth. Otherwise you should be able to fit a 1/6th next to a corny.

2. I'm not sure about this hopefully someone else can speak to it.

3. You can fit the 1/6th keg in with the regular couplers, but it is tight. Look for my pic posted in this thread on 3/16. I plan to get the low profile in the future..but it seems to be ok for now.

An alternative to having to sixth kegs would be to buy a single corny keg, get the sixth keg of your choice, and then "jump" the beer from the sixth to your corny so you can fit two kegs in the fridge. There are discussions in the forum about how to do this.

sybo said:

My initial intention for this machine is to run two commercial D-system kegs out of it. My questions are mainly focused on sizing and measurement. I'd do the measuring myself, but I don't have my Frigidaire with me and I need to get my kit ordered. Hopefully some of you cats experienced with this build can help me out.

1) I see that commercial 5 gal kegs are a bit wider than the cornies most people are building this setup for. Should I be able to fit two commercial 5 gal kegs (9" width) with the 5# co2 on the hump?

Click to expand...

I think this pic will help you out...



The left keg is a commercial keg from San Tan brewery that I had leftover from a party. The right keg is a honey blonde that I make that my girl likes...



Got the tower tonight and fiddled about.. this should pretty much stick the fork in it cause its done and I am swilling a beer out of it as I type.



I don't think you could fit two of the commercial kegs in there...the door just shuts with what I have going on.

one more pic just cuz the girl and the dog dig it...



the fridge conversion works, uma bit tipsy!

Lucky dog.

(OK... you're pretty lucky too)

Nice build.

-Steve

burnsy1 said:

1. I believe the keg you are referring to is what is often called a 1/6th keg. Unfortunately you will not be able to fit two 1/6th kegs. It might be possible if you mod you'r door giving yourself more depth. Otherwise you should be able to fit a 1/6th next to a corny.

2. I'm not sure about this hopefully someone else can speak to it.

3. You can fit the 1/6th keg in with the regular couplers, but it is tight. Look for my pic posted in this thread on 3/16. I plan to get the low profile in the future..but it seems to be ok for now.

An alternative to having to sixth kegs would be to buy a single corny keg, get the sixth keg of your choice, and then "jump" the beer from the sixth to your corny so you can fit two kegs in the fridge. There are discussions in the forum about how to do this.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info burnsy. I was totally unaware of the keg transfer option. A corny would be a good investment anyways for when/if I start brewing 5gal batches. I would rarely even need two kegs going at the same time, but I really want the capability; you've given me new hope.

Espi said:

I think this pic will help you out...

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Espi, your picture gave me a good visual.
I just did some measuring, and I think the door is just tall enough so that I can mount my faucets above both kegs, so I shouldn't have to worry about the shanks hitting them. It's going to be close though.

Thanks guys, I now have a mental image and a rough plan to work with.

Cheers.

Cheers for all the info, am looking to build a beer kegerator.

So, i read through all 24 pages.... I havn't home brewed yet can you fit a 1/4 keg in this fridge?