Anyone cut keezer lid to flush mount drip tray?

[Bruin]

Has anyone ever done this before? I was planning on dropping a drip tray flush mount in keezer lid and have drain tube going to bottle inside keezer. I'd appreciate any tips.

 

[mattjmac]

I haven't done this, but it's very doable. The lid is basically a single sheet of steel with folds on the edges to form the 1" or so edge. Inside the lid is just regular insulation with a piece of plastic on the inside of the freezer. So long as you use a metal cutter (they make pneumatic air tools just for this type of thing) it would probably be very easy, and look great. Good luck.

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

I'm leaning toward ditching the lid altogether and using 2" sheathing covered by a large piece of quality wood (stained and finished). It's much easier to make exact cuts in wood than it is in metal.

 

[Bruin]

The wood lid route sounds nice, but it would probably make the lid pretty heavy. I'd also be a little bit concerned it would not provide as good as insulation as a sealed metal lid lined with plastic and insulation. If it does work out for you, let us know. Too ambitious of a project for me right now. For now I just want to get a keezer up and running. Amassing kegging parts right now.

 

[dlester]

Cutting into the lid is very easy. First, draw a rectangle big enough to fit the inside of the tray into the lid, leaving the lip hanging over the top. Draw a line from corner to corner to find the middle. Drill a hole large enough for the drain on the drip tray. Now drill a hole near the inside edge of the square you just drew on the lid. This is where you will take a hand jig saw with a metal blade to cut the square rectangle. The depth of the blade is deep enough to cut into the lid without piercing the back side (no pun intended).

After your cut, peel the metal off and chip out the foam. Your drip tray will fit down into the rectangle hole, and the lip of the tray should lay flat on the top. Sand the lid, only under the lip of the tray, and epoxy the tray to the freezer lid. Make sure to use only enough to glue it so that the epoxy doesn't ooze out the sides.

Good Luck

 

[Bruin]

Thanks Mr. Lester! Thanks for the tips guys! This is gonna be so sweet....

 

[dlester]

Your welcome bro.

 

[bad coffee]

I'd also put a 'trap' or loop on your drain line. My keezer would end up with about 1" of water in the bottom each month, even with Damp-Rid. Once I sealed all the holes, the condensation stopped.

B

 

[Bruin]

Interesting. Where did you put the loop/trap? Up high or down low? You think the condensate was from whatever was evaporating from your drain catch bottle? If so, how would a trap work?

 

[dlester]

A drain trap might be a bit more than what's needed. A simple hose that connects to a 1 Liter bottle or that is clamped off, or capped off at the end will work. It depends on how much you use the tray. I try to avoid using the tray because it needs cleaning. I'm glad it's there to catch spills, but other than that, it's mostly for show.

 

[theo1069]

Has anyone ever done this before? I was planning on dropping a drip tray flush mount in keezer lid and have drain tube going to bottle inside keezer. I'd appreciate any tips.

Thats exactly what I did on mine and it works great! (and looks pretty impressive)

Check out my build

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=139345&id=504835479

 

[brodacious]

Thats exactly what I did on mine and it works great! (and looks pretty impressive)

Check out my build

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=139345&id=504835479

Interesting build, 2 questions:
1. Whats with the expanded foam around the c02 tank?
2. Whats the copper manifold for?