Advice on Fridge or Freezer for Kegarator

[tek210]

I have an Oster mini fridge which I converted to a kegarator a few years back. A while back it just died on me and the company has gone bankrupt, at least this section of the company, so I am not able to get that repaired. I have been procrastinating on getting a replacement.

I am wondering if there is a current fridge model out there which can easily be converted to a kegarator? I know because of the limitations with the piping in the top, this can be a tricky one.

The alternative I am seriously considering is going with a chest freezer. I found a 5.5 cu ft freezer at Lowes for $170. Adding in the temperature regulator, I am still in my price range. I have a dual tower setup that I am hoping I can just attach to the lid of the freezer. Do I need to install a collar, or is that just needed if I were to just install taps without a tower setup?

I was thinking I could add a strut to control the opening of the freezer so it does not slam open. I know I have seen them in woodworking stores for use in something like a toy box.

Any advice is appreciated.
Joe

 

[Swib]

I don't know about current mini-fridges, so someone else will have to adress that.
As for keezers, I would suggest you build the STC-1000 aquarium temp controller. It should cost you a total of $40 and works great.

The collar on a keezer has 2 big advantages:
1 you don't have to drill any holes in the freezer to run taps, tubing, and wires. That way you can always resell/repurpose the freezer in the future. If you drill through the lid youd only be able to sell it as a keezer which will limit potential buyers (unless you bought a new lid)
2 collars provide additional height so you can fit a keg on the compressor hump, thereby maximizing your useable space.

 

[tek210]

For $170 I am OK with putting a hole in the lid. This will only be used as a kegarator. If I can fit 2 kegs and the CO2 tank with valves, that is all I need.

 

[tek210]

With regards to the temp controller, I had been looking at the one below, but the one you reference is cheaper if that one works too.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002EAL58/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Swib]

With regards to the temp controller, I had been looking at the one below, but the one you reference is cheaper if that one works too.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002EAL58/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The Johnson controller is fine. The big benefit of doing an STC-1000 build is that it's digital and you can get very precise control that way (you can actually set 4 different parameters in the controller which I think is great). The only downside is all temps are displayed in Celcius. There are a couple of good threads in here detailing how to build one. Note that shipping times from Hong Kong are much shorter than they used to be.

You only plan to have 2 kegs now, but have you considered cold conditioning a third keg? Or charging one while you serve from the other two? Just some food for thought.

 

[tek210]

The Johnson controller is fine. The big benefit of doing an STC-1000 build is that it's digital and you can get very precise control that way (you can actually set 4 different parameters in the controller which I think is great). The only downside is all temps are displayed in Celcius. There are a couple of good threads in here detailing how to build one. Note that shipping times from Hong Kong are much shorter than they used to be.

You only plan to have 2 kegs now, but have you considered cold conditioning a third keg? Or charging one while you serve from the other two? Just some food for thought.

For the STC-1000, do I need to cut the power cord and hard wire it to the controller? I don't see a plug input on it.

As far as needing more space. I may consider going with something bigger, but the 5 cu ft will fit nicely in my dining room area. I am not sure if something bigger will be a good fit. But I will have to think about that aspect.

 

[Schumed]

i would do some hunting on Craigslist before ever buying a new fridge/freezer. New appliances are meant to last the orginally warranty and when they do break are almost never worth fixing. Trust me I've gone through 4 $2000 fridges in my kitchen in 2 years...everytime I talk to the repair guy to get his opinion he says buy an older one.

I picked up and 80's style fridge drill a few holes and hooked up four faucets. Been happy with it. I do like the look of the keezers with the towers and have been hunting for one on CL in KC so stay out of my way...J/K

 

[tek210]

i would do some hunting on Craigslist before ever buying a new fridge/freezer. New appliances are meant to last the orginally warranty and when they do break are almost never worth fixing. Trust me I've gone through 4 $2000 fridges in my kitchen in 2 years...everytime I talk to the repair guy to get his opinion he says buy an older one.

I picked up and 80's style fridge drill a few holes and hooked up four faucets. Been happy with it. I do like the look of the keezers with the towers and have been hunting for one on CL in KC so stay out of my way...J/K

I have done some searching on Craigslist for a freezer or fridge and have seen some, but none that I felt strong about. Will have to do another search to see what is out there now.

 

[Swib]

For the STC-1000, do I need to cut the power cord and hard wire it to the controller? I don't see a plug input on it.

As far as needing more space. I may consider going with something bigger, but the 5 cu ft will fit nicely in my dining room area. I am not sure if something bigger will be a good fit. But I will have to think about that aspect.

There's a decent STC write-up here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

But if you find it difficult to follow, there are other similar threads.

 

[Gear101]

every think about lookig on CL for one?

 

[tek210]

Am thinking if I mount the tap tower onto the lid that I will need to add at least one hinge to support. Was looking at some woodworking sites for hinges that are typically used for toy boxes. Does anyone know if the 5 cu ft Holiday freezer from Lowes has any refrigeration tubing in the top 6 inches of the unit? I am looking at mounting the brackets in the left and right corners and I want to make sure I would not be hitting any lines with a screw.

 

[tek210]

Well I decided to go with the keezer using the Holiday 5 cu ft. Will be picking that up shortly. Ordered the control for the freezer yesterday. Off to my homebrew guy to get a couple batches this weekend. Looking forward to giving it a try in 6 weeks. Thanks for the advice from all.

http://www.learntobrew.com/store/it...hermostat_Digital_Temperature_Controller.html

 

[JoshuaWhite5522]

I have a pretty extensive setup on the top of my keezer, and I haven't beefed up the hinges and I haven't had any issues. I do however place a 2x4 to help support it if I have it open for cleaning or keg swapping.

 

[tek210]

I have a pretty extensive setup on the top of my keezer, and I haven't beefed up the hinges and I haven't had any issues. I do however place a 2x4 to help support it if I have it open for cleaning or keg swapping.

Is this one of the Lowes units? And does it open to vertical or does it open all the way to the back side?

 

[JoshuaWhite5522]

I picked mine up on the military base, but I think they sell the same one at lowes. It opens to about a 90 degree angle when fully open. Again if I have it open that far for any length of time, I brace it with a 2x4.

 

[tek210]

I picked mine up on the military base, but I think they sell the same one at lowes. It opens to about a 90 degree angle when fully open. Again if I have it open that far for any length of time, I brace it with a 2x4.

Cool appreciate the info. Can't wait to get the taps flowing again. Going to be a long 5-6 weeks.