GE 7 CF (FCM7SUWW) keezer conversion

HeavyHandedBrewing said:

I recently purchased the GE 7.0 from HD and love it. I am using the party taps right now while I plan out the collar for it. First though I need to build a base for it to sit on. I will be doing basically the same build as TomSD with 4 swivel casters. Do you connect the wheeled base to the freezer or does the weight of it once its full keep it in place while it is being pushed around. My freezer is in a position currently where I will need to move it off the wall to move the kegs in/out once I install the collar, so freezer will be being moved regularly. I believe in the KISS philosophy and I do not want to do more than necessary, and since I live in an apartment, I need to plan out my build to do in the driveway or in my father-in-laws garage. Thanks for any insight or advise.

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For my 7.0 cu ft. GE keezer I just built a base with 2x4s with 3" casters on it and with the weight of the freezer it stays on just fine. No need to physically attach it.

kmat123 is exactly right. I built the sled and dropped the keezer on it with no attachments. In all the dragging around I have done it has never budged and might as well be bolted down. At most you might want to put sides on it to prevent slide if you go up/down stairs/ramps or go on grass or thick carpet but in normal operation I have never needed it.

kmat123 said:

For my 7.0 cu ft. GE keezer I just built a base with 2x4s with 3" casters on it and with the weight of the freezer it stays on just fine. No need to physically attach it.

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Thank you for the info. In all my looking through the posting on all the ge 7.0 keezer builds, no one said if they attached it or not. Just wanted to make sure I did it right the first time and did not encounter an incident later on. If the freezer fell on its side in the living room with kegs and beer bottles in it, SWMBO would put a real cramp in my hobby, if she did not kill me first. She already tolerated (to a degree) the fermentor exploding in the kitchen a couple months ago and spraying a good part of the 9 foot high ceiling with wort and sediment.

Hey maybe you posted this somewhere in the thread, but I didn't see it. Just got a similar freezer off CL today and was wondering, how did you mount the original freezer gasket onto the collar? There is a "bump" that runs along one side of the gasket from how it was originally mounted on the indentation of the door. Did you have to cut this bump off before you glued it on the collar or did you create a similar indentation in the collar or do something else?

I had to cut mine off to remove it then it stapled back onto the collar fine. From the sound of it yours fit into a groove in the lid. If it isn't that big you can probably ignore it. If it is too big then just trim it off.

Cool thanks for the info and this great thread! Can't wait to get started!

I wish I had read this thread before cutting my gasket on the outside rim of the plastic lip.. I'm going to have to remove it anyway to be able to seat the collar, and now the flap part of the gasket is gone. I'm torn between trying to glue the rest of the gasket to the wood or just getting some weather stripping at home depot.

Weather stripping is cheap and it comes in different colors if you plan to paint or chalkboard yours. I'd just go new. If you cut that flap off there really isn't much left to glue down. Besides if you get rid of all the spring it won't seal well.

I'll try the weather stripping.. Hopefullu it hold the seal well enough. At first I didn't plan to chalk board, but that option is seeming cooler and cooler.

Quick question: have you ever tried putting a commercial 1/2 barrell keg in there? Did it fit?

You mean the 15 gal kegs? Won't fit... someone gave me the width earlier and I measured it.

When I get commercial I just go with sixths. The local barrel stores usually have them in stock in a decent selection.

Damn.. Well there goes my plan of bringing home a keg of Ruby next time I go to Portland.

Ask if they carry sixths... they probably do as they are becoming much more common.

Im about to start a similar build with a similar freezer and was wondering how the chalkboard paint was holding up on the freezer? I really want to paint mine all black but and a little concerned about chipping.

Holding up great. I just clean it off with a damp cloth every once in a while to keep it black.

I love the chalk board paint but for some reason worry about it chipping off, I may just go for it and see how it works out. I plan to do the entire fridge (except the back) like some others have done.

Any tips on priming sanding painting in hindsight? I read a few of the notes you made ITT and others but just wanted to hear what you thought a year later.

Yeah... I should've primed. I kick myself in the ass to this day for that mistake. I had the primer but just got lazy. Instead of priming I just roughed up the surface, cleaned it and painted it. I have seen and talked to people that got a smooth first coat and had awesome results that primed. I had a hard time with the first coat and had to sand it down before applying the second coat. Only other thing is to get some good sponges and use them instead of a roller. Even the rollers that say they are smooth coat don't do as well as a sponge IMHO.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy with what I have and it has held up great but it could be better and that is what always bugs me after finishing a big project like this.

Ok great, thanks for the tip.

One more thing, what type of sponge did you use?

Does the chalk board paint work on appliances with textured surfaces or was yours smooth?

Coff - I just used paint sponges from Home Depot. I got a bag of the small trim/detail ones and a couple big ones.

Craig - This freezer is smooth finish but I'm pretty sure others have had good results with the textured surfaces. A light sanding and prime should take care of most of it then a couple layers of chalkboard paint should take care of the rest. Worse case the writing surface is a little bumpy which would suck for cleaning.

I just scored one of these freezers for $20 on Craigslist. It was listed for $25, but the guy was happy to get rid of it so told me only $20! I already have the "EBAY" aquarium temperature controller ready to go, now it is time to start building..

good evening. just about to start a keezer build. wondering what size boards for collar? 2x? I was thinking about 1x8 to save weight, but not sure it'll be stong enough. Plan to double the hinges (bought spares from Sears) for more options. cheers!

altrob said:

good evening. just about to start a keezer build. wondering what size boards for collar? 2x? I was thinking about 1x8 to save weight, but not sure it'll be stong enough. Plan to double the hinges (bought spares from Sears) for more options. cheers!

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1x10 is what I used. 2" is too thick sadly since the lip is pretty small. Also anything less than 10" is not going to have room on the hump. You could go much shorter on the collar if you are willing to cut the hump off the lid though as it hangs way down.

Hello all,

I have been reading this thread and am interested in taking on this project. I think i have an understanding of the construction that is needed to build the keezer itself (thanks to TomSD's multiple posts), but i am not sure i know exactly what hardware and connections I would need to purchase to complete the project.

Maybe I missed it somewhere in the thread, but could someone please point me in the right direction of what is needed in terms of parts (i.e. inventory of hoses, couplers, taps, etc.) that are needed to complete the keezer?

Thanks,
Jeff

I left that out as it is really a personal choice. The basics though are a faucet with tap handles, a shank, beer line with keg fitting, keg, air hose with keg fitting, CO2 regulator, CO2 tank. Add to that a manifold, secondary regulator or simple splitters so you can provide CO2 to whatever number kegs you install and you are good.

The reason for not listing it though is there are so many options from uber cheap or packaged in a kit to expensive and you can change things out or use other options to achieve your goals.

There is a picture of most of the guts I used in this thread but here it is again.

Thanks, TomSD. I have done some research on the inner workings of kegerators/keezers on this forum and noticed that there are a lot of options. I haven't yet figured out what my preferences since i only have experience with bottles and am just learning about kegging.

In general, my tastes tend to fall in between uber cheap and expensive -- somewhere in the middle where i feel like i'm getting good value.

with this in mind, is the best next step for someone in my situation to contact a distributor like KEGCONNECTIONS to talk through all the options, or is a local home brew store likely to have a good selection of parts needed for the keezer?

Thanks again for any insight!
Jeff

I'd go with kegconnection. My LHBS is way overpriced when it comes to kegs.

thx. 1x10 it is. the UPS trucks are converging with keezer goodies from around the country. this should be fun!

Marlowefire said:

I'd go with kegconnection. My LHBS is way overpriced when it comes to kegs.

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Thanks for the tip. I'll start there and see how things go.

Jeff

For kegs and plumbing I would go web all the way. As you do though keep an eye on the forums and search around. Some places, and/or brands, are much better than others. In many cases you will learn you can get a cheap item and live with it but a better one will make a huge difference... a classic example of this is Perlick vs pretty much any other faucet. They are a better design, don't stick and are a joy to use. Save some money going with cheap faucets though and you'll probably regret it.

The flip side of that is a secondary regulator. You can see mine in the pictures of the open keezer and in the parts picture I linked earlier. It is a top of the line Micromatic, it has four regulators, it was quite expensive. You could go with something much cheaper or just get a manifold or even just split right off the primary regulator and probably never even notice the difference. I wanted a nice regulator though and I wanted the flexibility and precision I got with this one.

Another example is lines. I bought what I thought was enough lines to plumb everything but ran short so went to my LHBS to grab another length. It wasn't the same quality as the stuff I bought originally. Now, over a year later, it is obvious. There is nothing wrong with it really but the difference is clear. The original line is supple and easy to work with, even when cold and under pressure. The LHBS line is stiff and wants to stay where it was which makes it a pain in the butt when changing out kegs or cleaning out inside the keezer.

Kind of running on but it gives you an idea of the choices you can make that can impact both the cost and the build quality/performance of your finished keezer. Keep an eye on the forums, use google and do your research and you'll most likely be happy with the results. There are lots of options out there... don't just grab the cheapest keg conversion kit and go with it.

Great thread here, and I have the same freezer, currently used for a fermentation chamber. I've been considering going to kegging and your thread sparks some ideas. I do think for me, with limited workspace and limited tools, it would be better to just go with a tap tower through the lid and be done with it. Then I'll buy another one to use for fermentation. Just wanted to give you a thumbs up on yours, though.

Cheers!

Tom, I am going to buy this freezer as well, i see you fit 4 cornys on the floor, are they ball lock or pin lock? Sorry if it was already mentioned in this thread I read through most of it but may have missed it, Cheers!

Ball lock, pin lock are too wide to fit four on the floor. Make sure they are not converted ball lock kegs either as those are just pin lock kegs with ball lock posts on them.

Just a bump to this thread to let everyone know that this freezer is on sale at Home Depot right now from $219 to $168. I just bought one and also used a 10% off coupon and got it for $161.78 total!

Offer valid until 11/28/11

snail said:

Just a bump to this thread to let everyone know that this freezer is on sale at Home Depot right now from $219 to $168. I just bought one and also used a 10% off coupon and got it for $161.78 total!

Offer valid until 11/28/11

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Plus free shipping!

Does the trick with using the adjustment screw in the built in temperature controller work, or is an external temperature controller needed?

I don't think I would want to run a ferm chamber or keezer without an external controller even if it did work. As to your question... I don't know, I never tried.

daksin said:

Plus free shipping!

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Both HD and Walmart have 7.0 cu ft GE freezers for $159. HD includes free shipping (haven't checked Walmart.com).

Great thread, getting wonderful ideas on how to do my build.

A question for someone who has done their builds. I am considering using "white wood" from HD for the collar. If I do this, the max width is 1x8 which is 3/4"x7 1/4" actual. From reading earlier posts, this might be extremely tight if I wanted to put a corny on the hump. Would it be possible for someone to do an actual measurement? I have mostly ball-lock but I could use a pin-lock on the collar (as they aren't as tall)? I am only considering this route to minimize project time, eliminate any change that could mess up the warranty. I am planning on putting this in my kitchen so I can avoid that long walk to the basement where my old ugly converted refrigerator sits.

Thanks to all for some awesome looking builds in this thread.

Oh, one other thing. On the subject of fitting a half-barrel, there is a plan B. When I had my first batch of home-brew ready in the keg, I already had a half empty 1/4 barrel (pony style) in my converted fridge with no room for the keg. So, I simply did a keg-to-keg transfer from the pony keg to an empty corny. (No air exposure.) You simply rig up from your bev out on the sanke keg a line which goes to a qd which is connected to the bev line of the target empty corny. Then apply co2 to the sanke and when it's pressure is higher than the target corny, the beer will start to transfer. Then vent the pressure on the target once in a while and you can do the transfer. So, while not perfect, you can use this method to transfer a 1/2 barrel to 3 5-gallon corny kegs. The extra 1/2 gallon you just drink while you are doing the transfer

copyright1997 said:

Both HD and Walmart have 7.0 cu ft GE freezers for $159. HD includes free shipping (haven't checked Walmart.com).

Great thread, getting wonderful ideas on how to do my build.

A question for someone who has done their builds. I am considering using "white wood" from HD for the collar. If I do this, the max width is 1x8 which is 3/4"x7 1/4" actual. From reading earlier posts, this might be extremely tight if I wanted to put a corny on the hump. Would it be possible for someone to do an actual measurement? I have mostly ball-lock but I could use a pin-lock on the collar (as they aren't as tall)? I am only considering this route to minimize project time, eliminate any change that could mess up the warranty. I am planning on putting this in my kitchen so I can avoid that long walk to the basement where my old ugly converted refrigerator sits.

Thanks to all for some awesome looking builds in this thread.

Oh, one other thing. On the subject of fitting a half-barrel, there is a plan B. When I had my first batch of home-brew ready in the keg, I already had a half empty 1/4 barrel (pony style) in my converted fridge with no room for the keg. So, I simply did a keg-to-keg transfer from the pony keg to an empty corny. (No air exposure.) You simply rig up from your bev out on the sanke keg a line which goes to a qd which is connected to the bev line of the target empty corny. Then apply co2 to the sanke and when it's pressure is higher than the target corny, the beer will start to transfer. Then vent the pressure on the target once in a while and you can do the transfer. So, while not perfect, you can use this method to transfer a 1/2 barrel to 3 5-gallon corny kegs. The extra 1/2 gallon you just drink while you are doing the transfer

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You need a 10" high collar in order to have a ball lock corny on the hump with clearance for the QDs.

kmat123 said:

You need a 10" high collar in order to have a ball lock corny on the hump with clearance for the QDs.

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What if I use that area only for co2 and pin lock?

copyright1997 said:

What if I use that area only for co2 and pin lock?

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You might be able to fit a 5# CO2 tank on the hump with a ball lock but won't be able to fit a pin lock on the hump with 4 ball locks on the floor.