Does anyone have any tips/help for dismanteling a dorm fridge

[bambam190]

I want to convert a dorm fridge into a cooler for my kegs, but the space that I want to fit it into doesn't fit the free fridge I got. Digging around here I saw a few guys who had ripped out the compresser and made a cooler around it.

That is my plan.

Any help?

 

[DaksBrew]

Hey bro I can't help ya but I'm interested in seeing if it's possible! I'm subscribed!

 

[IffyG]

Your probably going to need to provide some more information such as the model of the fridge and some photos of it...

 

[Tska]

It depends largely on the specific fridge. Most dorm-size mini-fridges that I've come across (the old one I have) don't work. There are some instructions with pictures at this link:

http://kegkits.com/kegerator1.htm

As well as the required dimensions for your fridge to be convertable. Here are your keg sizes:

http://www.micromatic.com/beer-questions/sizes-keg-draft-beer-available-aid-11.html

In summation, you're probably better off using your current fridge for bottles (as I do - works out well and it's always stocked!), and getting a separate refrigerator big enough to fit your kegs inside.

EDIT: To clarify, the above info is RE: a kegerator conversion. The fridge would have to fulfill the same requirements - if it fits kegs, you might as well drill a hole and stick a tower on top.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Be careful! If you cut the coolant circuit it's dead!

 

[nakeddog]

It's definitely doable and really not that hard. I have a post here on what I did for mine.

There are different models obviously, but one of the more standard fridges utilize the freezer shelf as the cooling element. If this is the case for yours, you can easily follow the compressor lines and see that it is visable 100% of the time from when it leaves the compressor until it goes to the freezer shelf. All I did was pull apart the fridge around it. Mine was a two inch foam board that was sandwiched between a thin outer aluminum sheet and a thin plastic one inside.

I basically just ripped the top right off, cut through the foam and plastic with a standard hand saw to where I could free up the freezer shelf, then just unscrewed the rest of the compressor and heatsink off the back and that was it. I highly recommend a second set of hands though, since the coolant lines coming off the compressor are the only things supporting the freezer shelf and it puts pressure on the connection point when moving around. If you look on that link above, you will be the before and after of the fridge.

Good luck.

 

[bambam190]

Thanks everyone for the help. To answer a few questions.

I don't know the brand of the fridge, it arrives this weekend. I do have a few of those dorm fridges around that I've accumulated over the years to choose from should one model be better then the others. This one is just not being used for anything.

The plan is to make a kegorator hanging from the wall in my Laundry room then extend taps through the wall into my living room over the bar & sink which is also under construction, a gift from my father a retired guy who likes cabinate making. The kegorator needs to be able to hold 2 korney kegs (3 if room permits) and has to fit into a small area over my water softener and next to my air exchanger. This is why I can't just use the fridge.

I'll post picts when I get rolling.

 

[ghack]

I'm looking to do a similar non-standard size and configuration cooler with a stripped down, re-purposed dorm fridge for the cooling. I'm very interested to see what you come up with.