2puttbird
Well-Known Member
Wow ... really great work! Your unit was pointed out to me by user PapaO on the Micro Matic forum because I'm planning to do a conversion on the exact same freezer, and with very similar SWMBO requirements (except that my wire loves beer ... am I lucky or what?)
As a Mechanical Engineer, I must admit that my first concept of completely enclosing this type of chest freezer included air gaps between the freezer walls and the "skin", with vents to allow the warm air to exit out the top and cool air to enter through the bottom ... which would make the unit at least a couple inches bigger, but would definitely help it use less energy (in fact, the "chimneys" would probably be more effective than just counting on random air flow around the unskinned unit).
However, your logic is quite good, and your subsequent positive experience is causing me to rethink that approach. So I thank you for posting all of this excellent information.
Using the oak stair treads is genius ... much less expensive than buying "boards". And I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't considered just tossing the lid ... so thanks for that idea as well.
The top looks very heavy ... how is the gasket holding up? My current plan is to use 1x6 oak for the collar (mostly to keep the weight down). I'm also going to make a frame for the bottom that can support 2.5" casters (with a skirt around it to hide them) so that I can easily move it when needed (e.g., roll it over to the sink for cleaning) without worrying about damaging the tile floors ... and the casters will raise it up about 4"-5" to put the taps at a good height like yours.
One other question: what was the primary reason for putting the CO2 bottle on the outside?
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for some inspiration, and let you know how much I liked your keezer. Cheers!
As a Mechanical Engineer, I must admit that my first concept of completely enclosing this type of chest freezer included air gaps between the freezer walls and the "skin", with vents to allow the warm air to exit out the top and cool air to enter through the bottom ... which would make the unit at least a couple inches bigger, but would definitely help it use less energy (in fact, the "chimneys" would probably be more effective than just counting on random air flow around the unskinned unit).
However, your logic is quite good, and your subsequent positive experience is causing me to rethink that approach. So I thank you for posting all of this excellent information.
Using the oak stair treads is genius ... much less expensive than buying "boards". And I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't considered just tossing the lid ... so thanks for that idea as well.
The top looks very heavy ... how is the gasket holding up? My current plan is to use 1x6 oak for the collar (mostly to keep the weight down). I'm also going to make a frame for the bottom that can support 2.5" casters (with a skirt around it to hide them) so that I can easily move it when needed (e.g., roll it over to the sink for cleaning) without worrying about damaging the tile floors ... and the casters will raise it up about 4"-5" to put the taps at a good height like yours.
One other question: what was the primary reason for putting the CO2 bottle on the outside?
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for some inspiration, and let you know how much I liked your keezer. Cheers!