Another Keezer build... Jester Rip-off

[Im_Lars]

It turned out great. Good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bigbeergeek]

I'd drink beer out of it.

 

[KUbrew]

Great build! Looks like flawless construction, I'm very impressed. Are you still having condensation problems? I've got a similar unit and I think the fans blowing air into the coffin is bringing in moist air from the outside down into the freezer. I've tried several things but nothing seemed to help during the summer months, not as bad this winter though.

 

[mtbiker278]

Thanks for the comments! Best remedy I've found is leaving a towel in the bottom to soak up the condensation. I'll change the towel out every so often with a dry one. Other than that I don't really see much else that can be done

 

[KUbrew]

That's what i've resorted to as well. I think this summer I might buy a small dehumidifier and see if it helps.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I've been using scrap cardboard in the bottom of mine...

 

[mtbiker278]

thought about that but I've seen too many cases of mold in a cold room/refrigerator when cardboard has been used. If anything I might pick up a big jar of desiccant from work and place that into the keezer.

 

[ferd36]

I am building a keezer and am going through ordering all the parts. Where did you order the drip tray from? Everyone I find is either super expensive or has a plastic insert. I am looking for a stainless steel flush mount with drain.

 

[Tat2nBrew]

I am building a keezer and am going through ordering all the parts. Where did you order the drip tray from? Everyone I find is either super expensive or has a plastic insert. I am looking for a stainless steel flush mount with drain.

I ordered mine through Keg Connection but it wasn't cheap.

 

[mtbiker278]

The one I got was through Beverage Factory. At 36" all stainless you're looking at $100+. Not sure how much the drain adds on. Basically there aren't any cheap large driptrays anywhere.

 

[BigLuke]

I am building a keezer and am going through ordering all the parts. Where did you order the drip tray from? Everyone I find is either super expensive or has a plastic insert. I am looking for a stainless steel flush mount with drain.

This Amazon.com: Beer Drip Tray 24" Stainless Steel Surface Mount Drain Tray, with Drain: Kitchen & Dining is the one that I went with and couldn't be happier. I flush mounted it by routering out the base plywood and adding tile around it. It is only 24" but it is all stainless. You can go 36" but the insert is plastic i think.

Mine can be seen here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-shameless-jester-rip-off-keezer-build-279003/

 

[jgs13]

Do you have to move the keezer to open the lid? How do you keep the coffin from hitting the wall? I'm trying to decide if I want to go with a coffin build or just a simple collar and that is one of my concerns.

 

[mtbiker278]

yeah you have to pull the keezer out from the wall to open the lid. Fully loaded it can be a bit difficult by yourself (wishing I went with ball bearing casters), but I only have to move it maybe a foot and 1/2 away from the wall. You could build the lid such that the coffin was more centered on the lid instead of pushed back. I like having the extra counter space.

 

[jgs13]

Yeah I thought about casters too. I may do that either way I go. I got a good deal on a 12.8 cf chest so when that is full moving won't be an option. Your wood work looks great, thanks for the post.

 

[mtbiker278]

Posting up a better picture since the last couple were kind of blurry and dark.

 

[coroboto]

I believe I have this correct.... you removed the lid so you do not have to route your lines through the lid?

Currently I have a freezer that will fit four plus corny kegs, four kegs, four taps (barb and spigot) a four way Co2 splitter, a Co2 tank and all my lines...and a four spigot tower. The freezer is top load.

I have seen this style keezer and another style keezer that just puts a foot extension between base and lid with spigots in the extension.

what should I do? any suggestions? I really want to make this a SIMPLE project that I can improve upon later.

I guess I just cut a hole in the lid of my freezer to feed my supply lines through it?

Please advise....I hate making waste.

 

[mtbiker278]

The simplest thing would be to make a collar for your chest freezer. No need to cut into the lid then, and you can always upgrade to a coffin keezer later. Do some more searching on here. There are literally hundreds of builds in the DIY section.

 

[rwagner23]

I'm tagging this for reference. Gonna start building my in January or sometime after then.

 

[troubled_dog]

Sweet build! As I was looking though the build I noticed you were from Frederick! I grew up in Frederick! I hope when I get around to building a kegger it turns out this good. Great build.

 

[killjoy08]

For your dolly, the simple 4 2x6's with a piece of plywood, did that hold the weight of everything needed? I have a 15 cu ft freezer and have seen some beefed up dolly's with several 2x4's running support and to as simple as yours. I was looking at running two 2x4's horizontally as an upper and lower, and several 2x4's running vertically, but wasn't sure if that was overkill?

 

[mtbiker278]

running 2x4" vertically sounds a bit overkill to me. Structurally you'll only be supporting a couple of places where the bottom of the chest freezer has "feet" or bump outs. the 2x6s I used cover 80% of those feet and give me a large area to mount the caster. if there was anything I would beef up it's the casters themselves. Something with ball-bearing would make it loads easier to move around instead of the vulcanized rubber wheel on an axle. Even if the keezer weighed 1000lbs, each caster would only be supporting 250lbs which is well within the limits of a 2x4 or 2x6. I would also suggest using plenty wide wheels so you don't dent anything like hardwood floors or linoleum.

Hope this helps!

 

[killjoy08]

running 2x4" vertically sounds a bit overkill to me. Structurally you'll only be supporting a couple of places where the bottom of the chest freezer has "feet" or bump outs. the 2x6s I used cover 80% of those feet and give me a large area to mount the caster. if there was anything I would beef up it's the casters themselves. Something with ball-bearing would make it loads easier to move around instead of the vulcanized rubber wheel on an axle. Even if the keezer weighed 1000lbs, each caster would only be supporting 250lbs which is well within the limits of a 2x4 or 2x6. I would also suggest using plenty wide wheels so you don't dent anything like hardwood floors or linoleum.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for this! It helps alot and saves some time/possibly $ on the dolly part which i will use to good wheels!

 

[jbsengineer]

Did you provide any ventilation for the coils or did the skirt sit right against the sides?

 

[mtbiker278]

The skirt sits about 1-2" away from the freezer depending on how it's positioned. I also have fans that blow air up from the bottom to cool the sides. I highly recommend either wider spacing and an open bottom is you'll be using passive cooling. If you're actively cooling the coil you can get away with a narrower area. I would search for Hoppopottomus' build for more details.

 

[DuffyBros]

I'm halfway thru my build. I have 7 kegs. The problem I'm running into is all the moisture building up is causing mold/mildew. I bought one of the largest wireless dehumidifiers on amazon but didn't notice a difference. Im thinking about adding a fan or possibly a second dehumidifier. Any other suggestions or advice?

I like brewing not scrubbing with bleach lol!

 

[mtbiker278]

Yeah I ran into that problem as well. The best solution I found was to keep the keezer full, use a chemical dehumidifier (mentioned in this thread somewhere), and throwing a towels down on the bottom between the kegs. The towel ironically has the bigger impact.

My theory is that either the box on top, or the weight on the lid is causing moisture to get into the keezer. It's usually worst in the summer. Right now with the weather being relatively dry it hasn't been much of an issue.

Good Luck!

 

[castermmt]

I'm halfway thru my build. I have 7 kegs. The problem I'm running into is all the moisture building up is causing mold/mildew. I bought one of the largest wireless dehumidifiers on amazon but didn't notice a difference. Im thinking about adding a fan or possibly a second dehumidifier. Any other suggestions or advice?

I like brewing not scrubbing with bleach lol!

I live not to far from Orland (Lowell, IN) and get the condensation issue when opening and closing the lid to often. I keep my temperature around 33F, so mold is not an issue. My fermentation chamber which is a 14.8 Cf chest freezer requires me to clean it between uses to ensure I don't get any mold, I keep that between 50F and 68F. I use a clorox spray to wipe it down with and it works well.

Hope this helps, Castermmt

 

[mtbiker278]

Well I have sad news. I think the compressor in my freezer S$%@ the bed last night. The fans I have attached to the power strip controlled by the johnson controller are continuously running, but I don't hear any compressor noise, and the temp is reading around 58 degrees (previously 38).

Sad to say but I'm either going to have to find the exact same freezer for cheap, or start a whole new build.

 

[PeakingFox]

Well I have sad news. I think the compressor in my freezer S$%@ the bed last night. The fans I have attached to the power strip controlled by the johnson controller are continuously running, but I don't hear any compressor noise, and the temp is reading around 58 degrees (previously 38).

Sad to say but I'm either going to have to find the exact same freezer for cheap, or start a whole new build.

I know this thread hasn't been busy, but I was excited to read about the build and then to find out it crapped out was sad. Have you done anything yet? I'm about to get started on my 8.8.

 

[mtbiker278]

I think best case scenario is finding a freezer with the exact same dimensions that'll work with the cabinet. I did see one 14.8cuft freezer on craigslist on a quick glance, but seems iffy. part of me also think using a new freezer might be better. I really liked one guys upright freezer design for easy loading. If I keep the current one I think I'll go with Jester idea of using gas struts or a linear actuator to lift the lid.

I'm going to talk to my buddy that works on boat A/C and fridge/freezer systems about compressor cycling cause I think that was part of the issue. One of the vibration dampening springs broke and you could hear the pump rocking back and forth and that is usually the death knell for any fridge or freezer.