Attaching keezer collar to freezer - just Silicone?

[eddiewould]

Hey,

Will just using silicone sealant adequately "attach" a wooden keezer collar to a freezer? Or do you need to use liquid nails/screws?


Cheers,
Eddie

 

[microbusbrewery]

I can tell you what worked for me for collars I put on a ferm chamber and a keezer. I used the Scotch Indoor /Outdoor Mounting tape then followed up by caulking the inside and outside seam with DAP® ALEX Ultra® 230 Premium Indoor/Outdoor Sealant with MICROBAN® Antimicrobial Product Protection. It worked well in both cases and never budged.

 

[CadiBrewer]

I used ordinary silicon sealant for both my keezer and ferm chamber and both are still holding strong. It attaches the collar and seals the gaps in one step.

 

[Jwood]

The GE data sheet for their silicone II says the tensile strength once cured is a little over 200 psi. I can guarantee your keezer collar will not fall off and will not come off without some serious effort (or at least a very sharp knife).

One thing to note however is that you may want to consider different types of silicone available. Some work better than others in the presence of continuous moisture and lower temperatures. You'll probably want to look for ones designed for kitchen and bath. Silicone for aquariums will probably be fine too, but it depends what you can find price wise.

 

[chevs10drvr]

I've used "Great Stuff" twice now with fantastic results. Just apply a nice bead around the rim of the freezer box and set to collar down on top of it. It's best to allow the foam to cure and cut off the excess rather than attempt to wipe it up wet (the stuff is VERY sticky). Not only does it act as an insulator, but develops a surprisingly strong bond between collar and freezer. So strong I've been able to lift my unit by the collar with kegs inside. To boot, a few minutes with a utility knife and the collar can be removed. I've have to do that twice since owning my kegerator [first to move and then cuz my freezer died ]

 

[RedF]

My lid is attached with screws into the plastic liner, and I don't trust it for much weight. I would trust silicone or glue more, because of the amount of surface area. Not that I've had issues thus far.

 

[eddiewould]

Well I've bought some kitchen/bathroom "wet area" silicone. It says "mould/spore resistant"

Will see how it goes. Ideally I'm after a level of bonding that if I bump it it's not going to fall off, but if I really want to get it off (yank it hard enough or use a knife) I still can.

Will report back. Still varnishing for now (damn drying times!)

 

[DoWBrewer]

I built my collar to be about 4-inches below the keggerator. I used weather stripping but did not mount it. It works very well.

Sent from my HTC One using Home Brew mobile app

 

[ChuckO]

I used a second set of lid hinges so that I can open the lid or raise the entire collar for easier loading of kegs.

 

[RedF]

I used a second set of lid hinges so that I can open the lid or raise the entire collar for easier loading of kegs.

I thought about doing this, and I may still in the future. Seems like the best of both worlds.

 

[Jwood]

Well I've bought some kitchen/bathroom "wet area" silicone. It says "mould/spore resistant"

Will see how it goes. Ideally I'm after a level of bonding that if I bump it it's not going to fall off, but if I really want to get it off (yank it hard enough or use a knife) I still can.

Will report back. Still varnishing for now (damn drying times!)

It will come off easy enough with a thin sharp knife. It would be amazingly impressive if you could yank it clean off.

 

[thadius856]

Why would you want to "attach" the collar to the freezer?

Mount the color on the original hinges. It'll be much easier to load kegs with the collar out of the way. Even if you don't use them, it's a much firmer hold than silicone.

Buy a second set of hinges for the lid portion. Doesn't have to be fancy. My keezer, deep freeze and fermentation chamber use door hinges.

Apply foam weatherstripping to the rim of the freezer. If you want, you can apply it to the rim of the collar as well. On my fermentation chamber, I applied the weatherstripping to the top of the collar, then silicone'd the weatherstripping to the original rubber seal. When I removed it to upsize the collar, it was not harder to remove than peeling the glue off the back of a gift card.

 

[drksky]

Why would you want to "attach" the collar to the freezer?

Mount the color on the original hinges. It'll be much easier to load kegs with the collar out of the way. Even if you don't use them, it's a much firmer hold than silicone.

Buy a second set of hinges for the lid portion. Doesn't have to be fancy. My keezer, deep freeze and fermentation chamber use door hinges.

Apply foam weatherstripping to the rim of the freezer. If you want, you can apply it to the rim of the collar as well. On my fermentation chamber, I applied the weatherstripping to the top of the collar, then silicone'd the weatherstripping to the original rubber seal. When I removed it to upsize the collar, it was not harder to remove than peeling the glue off the back of a gift card.

When attaching the door hinges to the lid, did you just use the original holes or did you drill new holes? Are they just attached with machine screws? I haven't looked at mine, but I'm assuming that's how the stock hinges are attached.

 

[thadius856]

When attaching the door hinges to the lid, did you just use the original holes or did you drill new holes? Are they just attached with machine screws? I haven't looked at mine, but I'm assuming that's how the stock hinges are attached.

Door hinges to lid? I used the factory holes in the lid and the factory screws. The sheet metal is thin on the lid, so if you drill new holes in the lid, you'll need to reinforce them. Bust out the tap 'n' die! Not fun.

I dismounted my lid and walked it into Home Depot, then walked it to the hinges section. Lined up every hinge on the wall with the lid until I found one where the hole pattern worked.

I'll go take a picture.

 

[thadius856]

Here ya go.

Yeah, I'm a terrible person. Didn't paint the back of the collar. It's against a wall anyway.

 

[PasbitinusBluinusRibbinus]

I made my collar by making a rectangular with 2x6's that was the size of the original lid, then added 2x10's to the outside of that rectangle. Makes for a drop "press" fit, which is removable if necessary and sealed. The factory hinges attach the lid.

 

[thadius856]

Same here, except I used 2x10 for the structural portion and 1x12 for the face. Was trying not to add extra weight. It's already fairly heavy.

 

[drksky]

I made my collar by making a rectangular with 2x6's that was the size of the original lid, then added 2x10's to the outside of that rectangle. Makes for a drop "press" fit, which is removable if necessary and sealed. The factory hinges attach the lid.

If your collar isn't glued to the freezer, how are you sealing between the two? Weather stripping?

My freezer is in use, so I can't really take the lid with me to match up hinges.

 

[thadius856]

If your collar isn't glued to the freezer, how are you sealing between the two? Weather stripping?

My freezer is in use, so I can't really take the lid with me to match up hinges.

Then draw the pattern in SketchUp, print it full size, and Taprite it with you. Or calipers and a Stein pad. Or a tape measure and a sticky note. DoDoes Home Depot or Lowes have a floor model? Take the lid off it and walk it across the store.

As for what seals the keezer: weatherstripping and gravity.

When you bought it from the store, the rubber lid gasket and gravity were all it had. At freezing temps. For millions of units sold in the past several decades. With an Energy Star rating. We don't have an internal positive pressure differential to battle with, so this is all thats needed for the seal between the collar and the lid. Assuming your collar is flat and not shaped like a Pringles.

For the connection seal between the collar and the freezer body, attach some strip-style foam weatherstripping, let the weight of the collar hold work its magic.

 

[CGVT]

I used a second set of lid hinges so that I can open the lid or raise the entire collar for easier loading of kegs.

If your collar isn't glued to the freezer, how are you sealing between the two? Weather stripping?

My freezer is in use, so I can't really take the lid with me to match up hinges.

My lid and collar are both hinged. I used weather stripping-just the cheap stuff from Home Depot. I have found that I don't open the whole collar very often, just the top.

 

[ChuckO]

My lid and collar are both hinged. I used weather stripping-just the cheap stuff from Home Depot. I have found that I don't open the whole collar very often, just the top.

When I did mine I used a set of replacement hinges for the freezer. That way the holes were guaranteed to line up. Found some Marine and Automotive Rubber Weatherseal at Lowe's made by MD in black that made a good seal.

Yeah, most of the time only the top gets opened since the space above the kegs holds a 6 bottle wine rack built into the collar.

 

[drksky]

When I did mine I used a set of replacement hinges for the freezer. That way the holes were guaranteed to line up.

Holy cow! I looked up replacement hinges for my Kenmore 7.2 and they're priced at $34 each! That's almost half what I paid for the whole freezer...NEW.

Talk about a racket.

 

[ChuckO]

I got mine online but don't remember where. They were about $25 for both, wouldn't have paid what you were quoted.

 

[RedF]

When I did mine I used a set of replacement hinges for the freezer. That way the holes were guaranteed to line up. Found some Marine and Automotive Rubber Weatherseal at Lowe's made by MD in black that made a good seal.

Yeah, most of the time only the top gets opened since the space above the kegs holds a 6 bottle wine rack built into the collar.

Do you have a build thread? Id be interested in seeing it.

 

[Britinusa]

On mine, I used silicone and brackets in the original hinge holes to secure the collar

 

[ChuckO]

Do you have a build thread? Id be interested in seeing it.

Red,

Don't have a build thread as others have described the process much better than I could. Here are a couple of photos though.

Overview

Lid lifted

I have to re-engineer the fan, as it's a 120vac unit and makes too much noise. I'll replace it with a computer fan and phone charger soon.


Underside of lid

 

[RedF]

Really nice work! I think I really might have to look into the double hinge setup. Do you have latches to hold the lid closed when opening the collar?

 

[thadius856]

Negative.

I do have a key lock on my lid. To make it functional, I'd just have to add a single screw for it to catch on.