Off topic but your keezer is a thing of beauty.
DIY Walk In Cooler Build
- Thread starter Irrenarzt
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OP
OP
Thanks. I'm pretty happy with how the keezer came out. It's not really off topic IMO as the walk in is replacing it and my conditioning keezer. WAY more keg storage in this new configuration, with equal dispensing capability.
Update of the day, I spent a while at Home Despot and Blowes looking for the proper spreader tools. No luck. I did get another sack of underlayment (schit is expensive!)
I'm encouraged though as I saw this video regarding self leveling underlayments:
This bastige makes it look easy.
Just a bit of data, Henry claims their #555 self leveling underlayment requires lath when used on wood substrates, which I did not do. This one shows no lath required. Henry also offers a product #542 Liquid Backerboard that also claims that no lath is required. I couldn't find that product either so I'm stuck with the 555 and no lath but I suspect it'll be ok as it's going to be relatively light in terms of traffic. Ardex is a Henry owned company and the Henry 555 bag says Ardex Technology on it. I'll insert a pic later. I'm probably sounding like I'm trying to self justify my negligence of not using lath but since both products are owned by the same company, they have to be somewhat similar.
After all that time shopping and being on my feet all day at work, I'm not feeling the need to self level tonight. I do however see a few Old Chubs in my future.
Update of the day, I spent a while at Home Despot and Blowes looking for the proper spreader tools. No luck. I did get another sack of underlayment (schit is expensive!)
I'm encouraged though as I saw this video regarding self leveling underlayments:
This bastige makes it look easy.
Just a bit of data, Henry claims their #555 self leveling underlayment requires lath when used on wood substrates, which I did not do. This one shows no lath required. Henry also offers a product #542 Liquid Backerboard that also claims that no lath is required. I couldn't find that product either so I'm stuck with the 555 and no lath but I suspect it'll be ok as it's going to be relatively light in terms of traffic. Ardex is a Henry owned company and the Henry 555 bag says Ardex Technology on it. I'll insert a pic later. I'm probably sounding like I'm trying to self justify my negligence of not using lath but since both products are owned by the same company, they have to be somewhat similar.
After all that time shopping and being on my feet all day at work, I'm not feeling the need to self level tonight. I do however see a few Old Chubs in my future.
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OP
OP
The damn dog pissed in the cooler today while I was away:
You can see where I tried to clean it up there in the back. The floor is not super flat, but it's not terrible for a first attempt at doing this. Solar Steve, who is a contractor, said he's got experience with this so maybe he can do a better job on the second coat? We'll see.
"Ardex Technology"
You can see where I tried to clean it up there in the back. The floor is not super flat, but it's not terrible for a first attempt at doing this. Solar Steve, who is a contractor, said he's got experience with this so maybe he can do a better job on the second coat? We'll see.
"Ardex Technology"
starman
Well-Known Member
Ardex is crazy stuff, I've seen a second coat pull the first off the substrate if not well bonded. You primed so its probably fine but I could see the OSB failing.
When you build the second cool room on the other side of the house a solid 1/4" underlayment or even luan plywood stapled down every 6" would have worked too. Just hit the seams with a floor patch.
OP
OP
So you have some experience with this stuff it seems. I did prime well (100% coverage, got the 1st coat of 555 down right at 24 hours after, swept and vacuumed the floor multiple times before priming, used the recommended primer) so I hope there will not be any delamination. Originally I was considering a third layer of some kind of flat wood or backerboard but went with the SLA. Let's hope for the best.
OP
OP
Not much to update other than a 3 day weekend is starting now so I'll be able to work a fair amount this weekend. I hope to have this ***** up and running here in short order.
Travestian
Well-Known Member
Ah, but the devil truly is in the details. Turning on the A/C too soon could delay the whole process. Everything in due time my friend. Everything in due time.
Travestian said:
That's so funny - every time I check this thread I'm hoping you finished! Quality work takes time - great build!
Did you ever have a thread going on that keezer?
OP
OP
No thread on that keezer. Keezers are a dime a dozen and there are far more intricate variants than mine. This was my second one as my first one was a 1989 model that the compressor let go on. You learn as you go so the second one was much nicer.
I always felt bad for the idiot kid who had that long thread though with the blue tartan keezer who drilled a hole into the side blindly, ruining all that work.
The AC works fine, but without a door, it's just a waste of money. One day I was working in there and it was in the 90's outside and therefore the same in the cooler so I ran it all day. It was much more comfortable. And I can't install the coolbot until the paint is done as then I would have to mask it. It's just cleaner to mount it after the fact. Details take time, especially when I'm mainly only working on the weekends.
I always felt bad for the idiot kid who had that long thread though with the blue tartan keezer who drilled a hole into the side blindly, ruining all that work.
The AC works fine, but without a door, it's just a waste of money. One day I was working in there and it was in the 90's outside and therefore the same in the cooler so I ran it all day. It was much more comfortable. And I can't install the coolbot until the paint is done as then I would have to mask it. It's just cleaner to mount it after the fact. Details take time, especially when I'm mainly only working on the weekends.
OP
OP
OK I'm still waiting for Solar Steve who is on his way down from Boulder. I'm not going to try to do the second #555 coat until he gets here as I think he will do a better job than me as he has experience in this realm and obviously I suck at it. G. Greg equated it to drywall taping/mudding. The first few times at it and you are guaranteed to suck at it.
In the meantime, I'm assembling the 8020 keg rack I cut and faced during my lunch breaks this week:
It should hold at least 12 cornies, maybe more. And I can bolt all my gas handling hardware to it for a most secure mounting. Adding some "vertical" keg storage will definitely be good for my use of the space. I could build a shelf that mounts to the wall but this is far more secure as screwing into the foam isn't a great idea.
In the meantime, I'm assembling the 8020 keg rack I cut and faced during my lunch breaks this week:
It should hold at least 12 cornies, maybe more. And I can bolt all my gas handling hardware to it for a most secure mounting. Adding some "vertical" keg storage will definitely be good for my use of the space. I could build a shelf that mounts to the wall but this is far more secure as screwing into the foam isn't a great idea.
OP
OP
Oh snap. I hear ya. I was married before to a woman like that.
Solar Steve made it this afternoon and went to town on the SLU:
He got that schit all nice and level, like it was nothing.
We then went to town while it cured and proceeded to have a quick Home Despot run, followed by dinner and some Enjoy By IPA's and some Woot Stouts. We should be getting back to work in the AM.
Solar Steve made it this afternoon and went to town on the SLU:
He got that schit all nice and level, like it was nothing.
We then went to town while it cured and proceeded to have a quick Home Despot run, followed by dinner and some Enjoy By IPA's and some Woot Stouts. We should be getting back to work in the AM.
Ttownbrewer
Well-Known Member
Irrenarzt said:
Back to that keezer for a second, "insulation on the floor". How did you do it, and what benefit did you feel it served?
Great walk in by the way!
OP
OP
I got closed cell polyethylene foam from McMaster and cut it to fit. The benefit was that the kegs were an inch higher so they were easier to take in and out a bit. Cleanups are also easier as I can reach in to the bottom and actually get to the spill. It was more about a reach issue than an insulation one as that 6" collar made it much harder to get to the bottom.
Ttownbrewer
Well-Known Member
makes sense on the reach issue inside. I wasn't sure if it helped with condensation, or another purpose. Have a great day working on the walk in!
OP
OP
I use one of those Eva-dry desiccant cartridges to keep it dry. Works well but you have to stay on top of regen'ing the desiccant.
Getting off to a late start as we drank too many Woots, Enjoy Bys, Elevateds, Reverends, Old Chubs, a few homebrews...
But the floor looks good after the second coat:
It's actually much flatter than the picture implies.
Solar Steve dry fitting the vinyl:
Vinyl floor in place pre-glue:
Softening the bends with a heat gun:
Starting to lay down the vinyl sheet adhesive:
One half spread out:
Other half going down:
Rolling it out with a 100 pound floor roller:
I'm working on trimming the door skin laminate:
While Solar Steve is painting the elastomeric:
Finished the keg rack:
Laminating on the sides to the door foam:
Solar Steve just finished repainting the door trim:
This one is for Tony. He's all about JGB...
[ame]http://vimeo.com/13802581[/ame]
And all the upper roof space vents are painted and in:
Time for a lunch break...
Back to it. Solar Steve adding foam around the AC unit:
Almost done with the plastic laminate on the door:
The elastomeric might be a poor choice for the cooler interior as it is absolutely flat and will therefore take a stain/get dirty pretty quickly versus a paint with sheen. We contemplated getting something with some sheen but we decided to go with elastomeric for the second coat as we have it. I'll have to clean more but that's not a big issue IMO. As homebrewers we are constantly cleaning anyway. Embrace it or you make a good homebrewer.
Steve cracked off the second elastomeric coat while I finished laminating the door skins on:
Got the Coolbot in place:
Now onto some Avery 20th Anniversary IPA's, a fantastic beer.
Getting off to a late start as we drank too many Woots, Enjoy Bys, Elevateds, Reverends, Old Chubs, a few homebrews...
But the floor looks good after the second coat:
It's actually much flatter than the picture implies.
Solar Steve dry fitting the vinyl:
Vinyl floor in place pre-glue:
Softening the bends with a heat gun:
Starting to lay down the vinyl sheet adhesive:
One half spread out:
Other half going down:
Rolling it out with a 100 pound floor roller:
I'm working on trimming the door skin laminate:
While Solar Steve is painting the elastomeric:
Finished the keg rack:
Laminating on the sides to the door foam:
Solar Steve just finished repainting the door trim:
This one is for Tony. He's all about JGB...
[ame]http://vimeo.com/13802581[/ame]
And all the upper roof space vents are painted and in:
Time for a lunch break...
Back to it. Solar Steve adding foam around the AC unit:
Almost done with the plastic laminate on the door:
The elastomeric might be a poor choice for the cooler interior as it is absolutely flat and will therefore take a stain/get dirty pretty quickly versus a paint with sheen. We contemplated getting something with some sheen but we decided to go with elastomeric for the second coat as we have it. I'll have to clean more but that's not a big issue IMO. As homebrewers we are constantly cleaning anyway. Embrace it or you make a good homebrewer.
Steve cracked off the second elastomeric coat while I finished laminating the door skins on:
Got the Coolbot in place:
Now onto some Avery 20th Anniversary IPA's, a fantastic beer.
Do you think the keg rack will hold without any vertical support? We've had some slip under load with just the 3/8 fasteners in long lengths like that.
OP
OP
I'm not sure what you are asking. Each shelf is rated for 300 pounds according to my Solidworks model. I just input the part numbers, lengths/dimensions, fasteners and it does the rest.
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WOW, keep up the great work Solar Steve...... Er I mean Irrenarzt.
OP
OP
He's been a big help. Props are warranted.
ianoconnor
Member
Just read through the whole thread. AMAZING work! I'm quite jealous.
The long spans between the ends, I was wondering if you thought about a vertical support in the center. With 250-300lbs worth of beer/kegs and it appears that you only have a bolt through the center held in the slot/groove, or did I miss something.
Do you rent out Solar Steve?
OP
OP
Solar Steve is a busy man so I doubt he'd be available. Sorry.
I see what you mean by a vertical support. The model didn't seem to indicate the need for one and each connector is rated to 200 pounds so it'll likely not be the connectors that fail, if there is an issue. I'll revisit the model and see what the new numbers are.
I see what you mean by a vertical support. The model didn't seem to indicate the need for one and each connector is rated to 200 pounds so it'll likely not be the connectors that fail, if there is an issue. I'll revisit the model and see what the new numbers are.
OP
OP
I noticed I had an issue with one of the temperature sensors from the Coolbot and so I emailed Ron at Coolbot and he replied almost instantly. He was super cool and offered to have another in the mail tomorrow. I showed him this thread and he was super stoked on the build. Coolbot stands behind their product 100%. I like to support companies like this. You should strongly consider them as an option if you are going to build a cooler.
So we are working again today. I started out working on the door which is fully laminated now. I caulked all the seams then moved on to painting the door:
Waiting for that to dry now.
Steve is working on the final painting but in the interim, we got the pass through all in:
Steve caulked the seam between the wall and the vinyl this morning:
Detail shot of the pass through. You can see it's insulated on the inside and we spray foamed it in when we installed it. I think that's as good as you can get without a glycol cooled trunk line or some kind of inline fan.
Solar Steve got the AC surround up and we bundled up the cables a bit better:
Painting the door but I ran out of spray paint. It still needs this coat plus another. Looks like a Despot run is in order.
Steve got all the edge trim painting in the cooler all done. Since we need door paint, we will take a run into town to get some food, beer and paint. We are VERY close to hanging the door. I expect the replacement temperature sensor by Wednesday so that should be the day we fire it up to see how cold it will get.
So we are working again today. I started out working on the door which is fully laminated now. I caulked all the seams then moved on to painting the door:
Waiting for that to dry now.
Steve is working on the final painting but in the interim, we got the pass through all in:
Steve caulked the seam between the wall and the vinyl this morning:
Detail shot of the pass through. You can see it's insulated on the inside and we spray foamed it in when we installed it. I think that's as good as you can get without a glycol cooled trunk line or some kind of inline fan.
Solar Steve got the AC surround up and we bundled up the cables a bit better:
Painting the door but I ran out of spray paint. It still needs this coat plus another. Looks like a Despot run is in order.
Steve got all the edge trim painting in the cooler all done. Since we need door paint, we will take a run into town to get some food, beer and paint. We are VERY close to hanging the door. I expect the replacement temperature sensor by Wednesday so that should be the day we fire it up to see how cold it will get.
nsring
Member
This is like watching christmas over 3 weeks. So excited to see that temperature.
OP
OP
Feel free to start posting guesses. I think it'll hold 37 F if the door works out OK. I'm a bit worried it might be a bit too heavy for its hinges but Solar Steve doesn't think it'll be an issue if I lube the hinges.
Not much to report as we didn't get home last night til after midnight as we hit up a few more pints than we should have. Needless to say I wasn't doing too great at my morning meeting at work today.
Solar Steve left this morning so I'm back to my slower more deliberate pace. I'm on vacation with the family next week, followed by beer judging the weekend after so I won't be able to work on any of this until the 24th. I'm supposed to do a beer drinking river float on the 24th but I can't be putting this off for 4 weekends in a row. Even though it is close, there is still much to do. And I need to get to brewing. In a BAD way. I'm jonsing hard.
Got the door sprayed tonight:
I'm waiting on some diamond plate as I'll mount that to the face of the door to aid in door protection/IR heating abatement as the diamond plate is clear anodized and is nice and shiny. Hopefully the dude from the HOA won't see it as that won't be an approved color. I think I'm mostly done with him though and the location of the door will make it hard to see unless he gets to trespassing. I was thinking of using a door mounted mirror but that doesn't protect the door from hits and if I don't want 7 years of bad luck if I break the mirror. Also I won't have to look at my ugly mug every time I go to open the door.
I still need to mount the ceiling bracket for the vinyl sheet door but I can't locate that correctly until I have the door up. I also still need to do the service panel but Ghettogyle Greg has all the leftover panels so that's in his court and he's been busy working on his own projects. I also have the whole tap set up to do but that'll be a few weeks off as I still need to order most of the components. I'm hoping Keg Connection will hook me up with a coupon code of some sort as I've plugged them in this thread a number of times now and also to people I've been talking to about the cooler project, and the keezer project before that. Everyone goes nuts over that keezer. They haven't responded to my PM yet. Hopefully soon so I can get that stuff ordered. They easily have the best drip trays. I like the fact that they have the holes already in place as that saved me a ton of work on the keezer as I could use that as the template for my hole locations. This project is different but I can still benefit from that badass drip tray and their selection of other fun stuff.
We still need to paint the roof and once I do that and send pics to the HOA guy I should be free from his attentions. I plan on doing that after the 24th.
Not much to report as we didn't get home last night til after midnight as we hit up a few more pints than we should have. Needless to say I wasn't doing too great at my morning meeting at work today.
Solar Steve left this morning so I'm back to my slower more deliberate pace. I'm on vacation with the family next week, followed by beer judging the weekend after so I won't be able to work on any of this until the 24th. I'm supposed to do a beer drinking river float on the 24th but I can't be putting this off for 4 weekends in a row. Even though it is close, there is still much to do. And I need to get to brewing. In a BAD way. I'm jonsing hard.
Got the door sprayed tonight:
I'm waiting on some diamond plate as I'll mount that to the face of the door to aid in door protection/IR heating abatement as the diamond plate is clear anodized and is nice and shiny. Hopefully the dude from the HOA won't see it as that won't be an approved color. I think I'm mostly done with him though and the location of the door will make it hard to see unless he gets to trespassing. I was thinking of using a door mounted mirror but that doesn't protect the door from hits and if I don't want 7 years of bad luck if I break the mirror. Also I won't have to look at my ugly mug every time I go to open the door.
I still need to mount the ceiling bracket for the vinyl sheet door but I can't locate that correctly until I have the door up. I also still need to do the service panel but Ghettogyle Greg has all the leftover panels so that's in his court and he's been busy working on his own projects. I also have the whole tap set up to do but that'll be a few weeks off as I still need to order most of the components. I'm hoping Keg Connection will hook me up with a coupon code of some sort as I've plugged them in this thread a number of times now and also to people I've been talking to about the cooler project, and the keezer project before that. Everyone goes nuts over that keezer. They haven't responded to my PM yet. Hopefully soon so I can get that stuff ordered. They easily have the best drip trays. I like the fact that they have the holes already in place as that saved me a ton of work on the keezer as I could use that as the template for my hole locations. This project is different but I can still benefit from that badass drip tray and their selection of other fun stuff.
We still need to paint the roof and once I do that and send pics to the HOA guy I should be free from his attentions. I plan on doing that after the 24th.
Stealthcruiser
Well-Known Member
Did I miss it?
Will your keg rack be secured to a wall, or be free standing?
Will your keg rack be secured to a wall, or be free standing?
OP
OP
Free-standing, unless it seems like it needs to be mounted to the wall. If that's the case, then I will build a couple of 90 degree brackets and mount it to the wall. That's the beauty of t-slot, I can mount anything I want to it for the most part.
Stealthcruiser
Well-Known Member
Yup, I like the "T-Slot" stuff as well................I was just curious, and would hate to see that Mutha loaded, and go to tippin' over!
OP
OP
I have leveling feet on it so I can tilt it back a bit if needed. I don't want it to flip over either.
So I hit the Despot on the way home, another 80 dollars more poor am I. But I got some stuff I need.
I figure I should paint it again as the flat elastomeric is awful. It gets a stain if I look at it the wrong way. So I bought some semi-gloss enamel which should be a far more useful coating. I'm about to get into that.
But first I threw down another coat of the door spray paint:
And I installed the door seals:
I swept and mopped the floor in there as it was a mess:
I managed to paint all the walls minus trim before it got too buggy in there. Bugs like that cooler light in the dark as it's the brightest light around. They were starting to get stuck to the wet paint. Bastiges.
I went through more than half a can and I was being fairly conservative. Looks like I'll need another can. That damn Home Despot is driving me towards bankruptcy.
So I hit the Despot on the way home, another 80 dollars more poor am I. But I got some stuff I need.
I figure I should paint it again as the flat elastomeric is awful. It gets a stain if I look at it the wrong way. So I bought some semi-gloss enamel which should be a far more useful coating. I'm about to get into that.
But first I threw down another coat of the door spray paint:
And I installed the door seals:
I swept and mopped the floor in there as it was a mess:
I managed to paint all the walls minus trim before it got too buggy in there. Bugs like that cooler light in the dark as it's the brightest light around. They were starting to get stuck to the wet paint. Bastiges.
I went through more than half a can and I was being fairly conservative. Looks like I'll need another can. That damn Home Despot is driving me towards bankruptcy.
Handcraftedsince87
Member
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Awesome build, and great documentation! You've made quite a few home brewers very jealous!
I follow this thread semi religiously. I am impressed. I have to say that I would love, and cringe to see the build cost list for this project especially reading how often you have to swing by HD. I feel that it is well worth it though as you have a sturdy, efficient, beautiful, quality cooler. You sir deserve an Attaboy, or several, for this one.
OP
OP
Thanks man but jealousy was not my intention. Documenting this build was the idea so that others may learn from my experiences.
As for cost, I'm way over budget. I was originally aiming for 4K with the shed but now it's more like 8+. I think I could have saved some money along the way but oh well. It's way nicer now that I did not.
Things you can get away without and still not cut corners:
Stucco (most people won't need that)
Flooring (a can of that Restore would have saved almost 382 dollars)
Paint (Leave it Iron Man 1)
Flashings (exposed gaps between the panels are probably OK, they are sealed with adhesive anyway)
Door (the diamond plate and plastic sheeting over the foam aren't absolutely necessary)
All that IR barrier and secondary roof (to me that's a huge bonus since it is so hot here but in less hot locations, I think you could cut that back)
AC unit (I could have gotten away with a smaller unit per the Coolbot page)
I'm sure there is more and people will build it as they see fit when they do it themselves.
Edit: Lesson learned for the day/last night. Don't paint too late into the evening as bugs attracted to the light get trapped on the wet paint. Finish up painting before dusk if doing the final coat. No big deal on the first pass, but not ideal for the finish coat.
The enamel is a much better paint. It definitely is harder than the elastomeric and seems to resists stains far better in my quick initial testing this morning.
As for cost, I'm way over budget. I was originally aiming for 4K with the shed but now it's more like 8+. I think I could have saved some money along the way but oh well. It's way nicer now that I did not.
Things you can get away without and still not cut corners:
Stucco (most people won't need that)
Flooring (a can of that Restore would have saved almost 382 dollars)
Paint (Leave it Iron Man 1)
Flashings (exposed gaps between the panels are probably OK, they are sealed with adhesive anyway)
Door (the diamond plate and plastic sheeting over the foam aren't absolutely necessary)
All that IR barrier and secondary roof (to me that's a huge bonus since it is so hot here but in less hot locations, I think you could cut that back)
AC unit (I could have gotten away with a smaller unit per the Coolbot page)
I'm sure there is more and people will build it as they see fit when they do it themselves.
Edit: Lesson learned for the day/last night. Don't paint too late into the evening as bugs attracted to the light get trapped on the wet paint. Finish up painting before dusk if doing the final coat. No big deal on the first pass, but not ideal for the finish coat.
The enamel is a much better paint. It definitely is harder than the elastomeric and seems to resists stains far better in my quick initial testing this morning.
Well jealousy is there regardless, as much for the sweet cooler you have as for the craftsmanship. Well done.
I have a section of my garage that currently houses a workbench and my 7 cf ferm freezer which I want to wall off into a cooler room which should require far less materials than you used as the garage is partially underground as it is. Appearances will not much matter there and no HOA guy worry about.
I have a section of my garage that currently houses a workbench and my 7 cf ferm freezer which I want to wall off into a cooler room which should require far less materials than you used as the garage is partially underground as it is. Appearances will not much matter there and no HOA guy worry about.
OP
OP
I had a similar idea to box off a part of the garage but I thought I would sacrifice too much interior space. That would have been a much easier route however. I may have to end up doing this someday as it'll be a nice way to make a separate fermentation room right next to where you brew.
OP
OP
The third sensor came today from Store It Cold, thanks for hooking it up so quickly Ron. I appreciate it.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get the diamond plate done today during lunch and there was a tour of my area in the afternoon so I had to clean up and they won't let me machine when a tour is going on so I'm stuck on the door until tomorrow at the earliest. I still need to paint so I stopped by the Despot and picked up another gallon. I'm about to get in there now to paint. That's about all I can do for now. Two coats and the inside should be good to go.
After about 90 minutes, I got almost one whole coat down. Only a few small spots are left that I need to hit with the brush. It's getting to the point where the bugs are a problem again so I'm calling it and hitting the beer fridge.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get the diamond plate done today during lunch and there was a tour of my area in the afternoon so I had to clean up and they won't let me machine when a tour is going on so I'm stuck on the door until tomorrow at the earliest. I still need to paint so I stopped by the Despot and picked up another gallon. I'm about to get in there now to paint. That's about all I can do for now. Two coats and the inside should be good to go.
After about 90 minutes, I got almost one whole coat down. Only a few small spots are left that I need to hit with the brush. It's getting to the point where the bugs are a problem again so I'm calling it and hitting the beer fridge.
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