Converting the Frigidaire 7.2 cu ft Chest Freezer

[DariusFresh]

I had another moisture management question for you guys. I use an evadry500, but still get some water pooling up in the corners of my freezer, because I'm still using cobra taps, and have to open it often. Is there any harm in putting a silicon bead along all of the interior paneling joints in the freezer? There isn't enough water to really case a problem, but I don't want it seeping into the joints over time.

 

[Pieceman]

I don't see a problem with putting a bead of silicone on the joints. I had to do the same thing on the corners of my collar, as well as a couple of spots around the seal. Just make sure you smooth it out nice and even.

Edit.. Honestly though, I doubt it's going to help your moisture problem though because you are constantly opening it. I would suggest upgrading your taps to ultimately solve your problem.

 

[Pieceman]

Thanks for the kind words. I'd love to see pictures, please post.

Sorry it has taken me so long to post these.

The handle was made from a sliding glass door handle that I picked up from Lowes. I sanded it down and stained it the same color as the collar. Then gave it a coat of gloss.

Gotta represent the hbt forums!

Here, you can see my computer fan and L-shaped brackets holding my collar together. Also, my 1/6 and 1/2 kegs.

And here are the wires coming out of the back collar from my circulation fan.

You guys may notice that I do not have a temperature controller on my build... There is really no need for one if you follow the guidance from this thread, and if you have the frigidaire 7.2cf model, the adjustment is made here. It's a pretty handy tip that will save you $50 bucks or so, and some additional time.

Thanks again for all the advice given in this thread. Couldn't have done it without you guy's posts :rockin:

 

[DariusFresh]

thanks for the input. i have all of my taps already, just need to build the collar! the moisture problem isn't all THAT bad (maybe just 1/32 of an inch pooled around the edges actually), I just didn't like the idea of that liquid getting into the joints. it was my first caulking job, so it wasn't totally smooth. is this going to pose a problem?

 

[DariusFresh]

also, pieceman, I have the exact same freezer as you. About how many turns of the screw did it take to get it where you wanted it? And also, does it seem to be holding a pretty stable temperature?

 

[Boleslaus]

also, pieceman, I have the exact same freezer as you. About how many turns of the screw did it take to get it where you wanted it? And also, does it seem to be holding a pretty stable temperature?

+1, I'd like to start adjusting mine tonight or tomorrow

 

[Pieceman]

thanks for the input. i have all of my taps already, just need to build the collar! the moisture problem isn't all THAT bad (maybe just 1/32 of an inch pooled around the edges actually), I just didn't like the idea of that liquid getting into the joints. it was my first caulking job, so it wasn't totally smooth. is this going to pose a problem?

It's not a huge deal, but when you smooth it out, you are pushing the caulk deeper into the crevice which gives you a better seal. Also it eliminates tiny "missed spots" that can let out condensation. It's not the end of the world though and definitely not worth redoing.

also, pieceman, I have the exact same freezer as you. About how many turns of the screw did it take to get it where you wanted it? And also, does it seem to be holding a pretty stable temperature?

+1, I'd like to start adjusting mine tonight or tomorrow

I didn't count the turns but it was probably around 8. Easiest way to do it is adjust the screw until it's almost tight, then back it off about 2 full turns. It's not going to be the exact temperature you want the first time. Just set it, and leave the lid closed for a few hours. Come back and check the temperature of a glass of water that you leave in there.

Yeah it holds at 38 remarkably well.

 

[Boleslaus]

I didn't count the turns but it was probably around 8. Easiest way to do it is adjust the screw until it's almost tight, then back it off about 2 full turns. It's not going to be the exact temperature you want the first time. Just set it, and leave the lid closed for a few hours. Come back and check the temperature of a glass of water that you leave in there.

Yeah it holds at 38 remarkably well.

How warm do you think it would get turned all the way in?

 

[Pieceman]

How warm do you think it would get turned all the way in?

When I was messing around with mine, the warmest that it got was mid 50's. But the set screw was probably 1/2 or a full turn from being tight. You'd have to check it for yourself once you're set up. There's no way I'm ever touching mine again

 

[DariusFresh]

this is wonderful news! i'll start adjusting mine tonight.
also, i did push in with my finger (covered in dish soap) to smooth it out, i just didn't didn't get up as much of the excess as i wanted.

 

[DariusFresh]

sorry to post a million times. do you have a decent cycle time? i just don't wanna short cycle the compressor.

 

[Pieceman]

sorry to post a million times. do you have a decent cycle time? i just don't wanna short cycle the compressor.

It probably kicks on once every 45 minutes.

 

[DariusFresh]

Working getting it dialed in now. Thanks!

 

[DariusFresh]

For some reason, my fridge either sits at 35 degrees or 45 degrees. Looks like I'll be getting a live temp controller after all. At least it looks cool!

 

[Pieceman]

For some reason, my fridge either sits at 35 degrees or 45 degrees. Looks like I'll be getting a live temp controller after all. At least it looks cool!

There is no reason why it should be fluctuating so much. Are you checking the ambient temperature or the temperature in a glass of water? I have very consistent temps on my glass of water/brew.

 

[pola0502ds]

I have a kegerator that has 2 taps. I have a CO2 tank with dual regulators. 1 regulator goes to a 2 way manifold and the other regulator goes to a 3 way manifold. My kegerator can hold 5 kegs but I only have 4 taps. The idea is that I have a beer serving while I am force carbing a keg. Then when all the beer is carbed up, I can set both regulators to the same serving pressure allowing me to have 4 beers on tap.

I'm trying to understand how force carbing works, say I have 2 beers and i want one at 2.5 volumes of CO2 and the other at 3.0 volumes. Can I techinally carb one at 2.5 then hook it up to a regulator that is set at serving pressure then carb the other a 3.0 and then hook it up to the same regulator at serving pressure, will both beers remain at 2.5 and 3? Or will they drop?

Can anyone help me out with the above question?

 

[DariusFresh]

It's holding steady. The problem is when I turn the fine adjustment screw to warm it up a bit, it starts holding the temp of my water like 5-10 degrees warmer, just from a fraction of an inch turn. Maybe I'll try to make some more fine adjustments using the coarse adjustment screw.

 

[Gimlet]

I have a kegerator that has 2 taps. I have a CO2 tank with dual regulators. 1 regulator goes to a 2 way manifold and the other regulator goes to a 3 way manifold. My kegerator can hold 5 kegs but I only have 4 taps. The idea is that I have a beer serving while I am force carbing a keg. Then when all the beer is carbed up, I can set both regulators to the same serving pressure allowing me to have 4 beers on tap.

I'm trying to understand how force carbing works, say I have 2 beers and i want one at 2.5 volumes of CO2 and the other at 3.0 volumes. Can I techinally carb one at 2.5 then hook it up to a regulator that is set at serving pressure then carb the other a 3.0 and then hook it up to the same regulator at serving pressure, will both beers remain at 2.5 and 3? Or will they drop?

Can anyone help me out with the above question?

If you do it the way described above, the kegs will eventually equilibrate to whatever volumes of CO2 your "serving pressure" will maintain. Serving pressure should be set to maintain the desired volumes of CO2, so you would need different pressures to keep two beers at the same temperature but different volumes of CO2. See Bobby M's sticky in the kegging forum for a good discussion: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/keg-force-carbing-methods-illustrated-73328/

 

[drummermattie02]

*deleted

 

[BiteSize]

First off, THANKS SO MUCH to everyone who posted their builds and especially to Quaffer for the inspiration!!

Here is my take on the 7.2 Frigidaire Keezer. After weeks of work, a bit at a time, the project is finished. Had a pretty rough start with getting an acceptable freezer from Lowes in the first place. It took three attempts before I got a freezer that wasn't totally ruined with dents all over the place. I know I am not the only one to suffer this misfortune. Third time is a charm I suppose. With the two week waiting period between each freezer, the project got started about 6 weeks behind schedule!

The important thing is that it is completed in time for my wedding this coming Saturday(SWMBO approved). I will be serving up a RyePA, Wheaten Pils, and an American Brown Ale for the reception.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the final product. Thanks again to everyone for posting! Cheers!

 

[pola0502ds]

Your shanks are super long, gonna be a pain to take out the black or green keg

 

[BiteSize]

No worries... I can manage. They're pretty easy to move once they are empty. The angle on that shot makes it look worse than it really is.

 

[Boleslaus]

Wanted to thank the OP for this thread. Finished mine about 3 weeks ago and have 3 beers on tap at the moment.

 

[pola0502ds]

So I followed this thread to build my keezer and I have a few questions. Some may not be very related to building this keezer but since I got my info here, I figured I would post the questions.

What is everyones serving pressure? I have mine set at 12 but I have read some people have theirs at 8 psi. If it's at 8 psi then doesn't that mean their beer is not going to be as carbed as a beer set at 12 psi? I have had my beers at 12psi for a few weeks after force carbing and I have a few questions.

-After you pour a beer that has about 2" of head in a (1) pint glass, should i still see a bunch of bubbles coming up from the bottom or did all the co2 come out of the beer which is now foam? I ask because every beer I pour it seems like I don't see any bubbles but it tastes like it is carbed.

-For some reason I am just starting to get foaming problems. Never before did I have this issue and I don't know what changed. Im wondering if my regulator is not working right. It might say 12psi but maybe it's output is a lot higher? When i pour a glass of my APA I get about 2-3 inches of foam. The foam is thick and very creamy, unlike any beer I have ever had. I mean that in a good way.

-The beer that sits in the beer line coming from the keg to the shank, do most people dump the first few onces after each day or is there nothing wrong with drinking it? Will the beer in that line still be carbonated?

-Say you just kegged your beer but you know it needs to age and carbonate, should I take off the disconnect for the beer side? Or does everyone just leave it on? I'm thinking I should leave it on so there is less chance for a bacteria to form on the post of the keg and somehow get into the beer?

-What temp does everyone keep their kegerator at? I keep mine at 45 for all beers. I find that at this temp the beer is not to cold not to warm but i wonder if because of this high temp I am getting foaming problems?

-Being set at 45 degrees, is that a temperature that will not allow bacteria to grow?

-I keg in 5 gallon kegs but I just got a 2.5 gallon keg that I plan to use to bring to parties. If the beer is already in a 5 gallon keg, is there a way to transfer it to 2.5? Is this not even recommended?


Spec's on my kegerator:

4 taps - 1 perlick 525 and 3 regular chrome faucets
5 feet of 3/16 beer hose on each tap
5/16 dia co2 hose
dual gage regulator
a 3 way manifold and a 2 way manifold
Lovejoy temp controller

 

[windycity_brew]

It seems that your beer lines are to short. I usually have 10-12psi per line and I run 8ft of beer line. A few I ran at 10ft. I don't have any foam issues and have the same keezer. I'd try that first

 

[Quaffer]

It seems that your beer lines are to short. I usually have 10-12psi per line and I run 8ft of beer line. A few I ran at 10ft. I don't have any foam issues and have the same keezer. I'd try that first

Agreed, it is the line length.
I have my lines at 10 feet, pressure at 10-12 psi, and temperature at 38°F. First glass of the day has more foam, 2-3", than the following. At the end of the keg there is a little more foam than in the beginning.

Beer, like all perishable food, keep better at lower temperatures. Proper fridge temperature is about 39-40°F or 4°C. This keeps bacterial growth to a minimum.

Beer also carbonates more at lower temperature with the pressure held the same. I usually just sip a little on the cold beer and let it warm up in the glass. It does not take long for it to warm up to the perfect zone. Using a room temperature rather than chilled glass helps too.

 

[Quaffer]

First off, THANKS SO MUCH to everyone who posted their builds and especially to Quaffer for the inspiration!!

Here is my take on the 7.2 Frigidaire Keezer. ...

The important thing is that it is completed in time for my wedding this coming Saturday(SWMBO approved). I will be serving up a RyePA, Wheaten Pils, and an American Brown Ale for the reception.

Thanks again to everyone for posting! Cheers!

Nicely done! And just in time for your wedding! Congratulations on both accounts, wedding of course being #1.

 

[BiteSize]

Had my wedding last night, and the brews and keezer were a smashing success! Now I just have to wait another week for my ESB to finish fermenting to get some more beer in the lines.

I took out all the guts of the system to move it back to my house and clean it out. First time I've had it empty in a few weeks, and trying to figure out a good way to clean out the bottom. There is some beer/moisture in the cracks of the interior and wondering if anyone has some cleaning tip or tricks for reaching down in there to comfortably clean the crevasses.

 

[flabyboy]

We have to clean it!?!?

 

[BiteSize]

We have to clean it!?!?

Well, I suppose you don't have to clean it, but I would rather keep mold and mildew from taking over the keezer.