Drilling thru a freezer side wall

[Morrey]

I picked up a used Holiday 7 cf chest freezer and have been using it for lagering and fermentation with an Inkbird. I have been carbing with a 5# tank inside the freezer, but I'd prefer to be using my 20# CO2 tank outside. I'd need to drill a hole for the gas line, so was wondering if there is anything I need to be aware of before I started drilling? I plan to drill about center of the side wall, and I hope this won't hit anything vital like a carotid artery! LOL. Seriously, do these types of freezers have cooling coils that surround the inside chamber hidden in the side walls?

Once the hole is complete, should I just use some silicone caulk to prevent cooling loss inside?

 

[brewshki]

I picked up a used Holiday 7 cf chest freezer and have been using it for lagering and fermentation with an Inkbird. I have been carbing with a 5# tank inside the freezer, but I'd prefer to be using my 20# CO2 tank outside. I'd need to drill a hole for the gas line, so was wondering if there is anything I need to be aware of before I started drilling? I plan to drill about center of the side wall, and I hope this won't hit anything vital like a carotid artery! LOL. Seriously, do these types of freezers have cooling coils that surround the inside chamber hidden in the side walls?

Once the hole is complete, should I just use some silicone caulk to prevent cooling loss inside?

I am fairly certain that you have a danger of hitting a refrigeration coil. I would suggest researching the model of your freezer online and see if you can get a manual about it. That should at least give you an idea where the coils are. Alternatively, you could add a collar to the freezer and drill through that. I just did that to make my freezer into a keezer. No issue drilling through the wood.

 

[Morrey]

I am fairly certain that you have a danger of hitting a refrigeration coil. I would suggest researching the model of your freezer online and see if you can get a manual about it. That should at least give you an idea where the coils are. Alternatively, you could add a collar to the freezer and drill through that. I just did that to make my freezer into a keezer. No issue drilling through the wood.

At the same time you were replying, I called an appliance repair center. The tech said he wouldn't risk drilling the side wall as there are coils there. Even if I found a diagram, he says its risky.

Did you find some tips on building a collar? I have actually never seen a collar before so its hard to visualize my plans.

 

[bfish]

I have not done it yet. But my plan is to go through the lid edge with a MFL bulkhead and use swivel nuts on each end. http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=376_17_46_425&products_id=3368

 

[Konadog]

Did you find some tips on building a collar? I have actually never seen a collar before so its hard to visualize my plans.

I just finished making one for my freezer. Look in the right back corner to see where my CO2 line comes in from the tank on the outside.

 

[brewshki]

At the same time you were replying, I called an appliance repair center. The tech said he wouldn't risk drilling the side wall as there are coils there. Even if I found a diagram, he says its risky.

Did you find some tips on building a collar? I have actually never seen a collar before so its hard to visualize my plans.

Glad we think alike! http://brulosophy.com/?s=keezer I used this build as a rough idea of mine. It can be extremely simple if you want it to be. I have seen some people literally glue 2x4s on and then do that. I opted not to have the outer most collar for appeals sake and figured out a way to do the same thing inside the keezer. My brother in law was a big help.

 

[IslandLizard]

Chest freezers have coils in the inside walls (cold) as well as outside walls (hot). There are ways to find out where they are, and even then, only with a careful and controlled "trial and error" approach you can prevent damaging them. One method is to "drill" small shallow test holes in the inner and/or outer shell and poke around the inside insulation to check for presence of lines. If none found, you can finish drilling the hole through. There is lots of info around on how to do this. One unfortunate glitch and your freezer is dead.

The hump may not have any lines embedded, but don't take my word for it.

As said before, access through the lid may be the easiest, fool proof way, or through a (low profile) collar.

 

[schematix]

collar, as others are mentioned, or you can drill through the lid - definitely no coils there. just make sure you have enough of a slack 'loop' on the inside so the hose can flex when you open and close.

 

[Morrey]

Sounds like the lid is safe, a collar is safe and the hump "may" be safe. I suppose the safest of all is to continue using my 5# tank inside the freezer. But the 20# tank is just sitting there and would last quite some time.

I think I'll take a closer look at the hump and evaluate that.

 

[day_trippr]

Modern chest freezers have two refrigerant loops running between the metal skin and the inside liner.
The evaporator loop is in contact with the liner and the condenser loop is in contact with the skin.
While there's a method to find the condenser runs, there's no solid counterpart to find the evaporator runs.

fwiw, I have a crapload of wires and gas lines running into my keezer through the back edge of the lid.
These might give you some ideas...





Cheers!

 

[schematix]

These might give you some ideas...

Love it! Always wondering how i am going to modify mine but i think this is the way to do it.

 

[Ike]

@day_trippr : Did you mount a ball lock keg post to the back of the lid to plumb the CO2? If so, how?

 

[IslandLizard]

Modern chest freezers have two refrigerant loops running between the metal skin and the inside liner.
The evaporator loop is in contact with the liner and the condenser loop is in contact with the skin.
While there's a method to find the condenser runs, there's no solid counterpart to find the evaporator runs.

Aren't those the areas that get frosted, and eventually iced up, when used as a freezer?

The condenser runs are harder to find since the whole skin gets warm, but the areas where the coils are are hotter.

 

[day_trippr]

@day_trippr : Did you mount a ball lock keg post to the back of the lid to plumb the CO2? If so, how?

Yes, that's a Firestone gas post (and an old pic - I have the same style post on the nitro line now).

The bulkheads are these 1/4" MFL-MFL.

Then you add a 1/4" FFL x 9/16-18" post adapter (must match the post threads - in this case a Firestone gas post).

And you need a standard 1/4" nylon flare gasket between the bulkhead and the post adapter.

Top it with a Firestone gas post and you're in business.

Aren't those the areas that get frosted, and eventually iced up, when used as a freezer?

The condenser runs are harder to find since the whole skin gets warm, but the areas where the coils are are hotter.

fwiw, if you spread a thin paste of alcohol and baking powder on the cool skin then fire up the compressor the condenser lines will magically "appear". I've done it myself and it works.
But I couldn't find a similar method to find the evaporator runs, at least on my freezer.
Which is the second reason I went through the lid - the first being I'm not actually nutty enough to try drilling the chassis

Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

fwiw, if you spread a thin paste of alcohol and baking powder on the cool skin then fire up the compressor the condenser lines will magically "appear". I've done it myself and it works.
But I couldn't find a similar method to find the evaporator runs, at least on my freezer.
Which is the second reason I went through the lid - the first being I'm not actually nutty enough to try drilling the chassis

Cheers!

Sorry, but those are the evaporator lines, they do the cooling.

 

[day_trippr]

Sorry, but those are the evaporator lines, they do the cooling.

No, sorry, the lines on the outside of the insulation and in contact with the metal skin are in fact the condenser lines.
Basic stuff, it uses the skin as a radiator to lower the vapor temperature...

Cheers!

 

[Ike]

Yes, that's a Firestone gas post (and an old pic - I have the same style post on the nitro line now).

I just bookmarked the HELL out of that post, because that is one SEXY setup for the lines!

My current kegerator is a bit ghetto, but someday (cue up Judy Garland singing Over the Rainbow) when we finally have more square footage, I'll be upgrading to a keezer and will DEFINITELY put that into action.

 

[Konadog]

Sorry, but those are the evaporator lines, they do the cooling.

No, sorry, the lines on the outside of the insulation and in contact with the metal skin are in fact the condenser lines.

Well, here's how the basic refrigeration cycle works:

Lines on the inside of the freezer touching the metal/plastic is the Evaporator Coil (cold side), the lines on the outside touching the metal are the Condenser Coils (hot side).

 

[Konadog]

One more picture of what it looks like when you drill into your freezer and "DO" hit a line. Notice how close the lines are to the metal, not much room to "try" and drill without hitting a line. (not my picture)

 

[IslandLizard]

Well, here's how the basic refrigeration cycle works:

Lines on the inside of the freezer touching the metal/plastic is the Evaporator Coil (cold side), the lines on the outside touching the metal are the Condenser Coils (hot side).

10x Thank you for the clear illustration!

One more picture of what it looks like when you drill into your freezer and "DO" hit a line. Notice how close the lines are to the metal, not much room to "try" and drill without hitting a line. (not my picture)

Yowsers!
Looks like they're (spot) welded to the outer steel skin. Definitely well integrated. And the runs are really close together.

I read somewhere here on HBT, drill a small shallow hole in the inside skin, remove/pry out the insulation and check to see if there are any (condensor) lines on the opposite side. Knowing where the evaporator coils are (frost) does narrow down where it is safe to start drilling and probing from the inside. You still need to be careful not to damage any of the concealed lines.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Lines on the inside of the freezer touching the metal/plastic is the Evaporator Coil (cold side), the lines on the outside touching the metal are the Condenser Coils (hot side).

As I've been saying all along...

Cheers!

 

[Sadu]

I was thinking of drilling through the top of my fridge. Does anyone know if the evaporator / condenser lines commonly go through the top of a fridge or is it mainly the back and sides?

Great thread BTW, love that pic showing the busted line. Didn't realise they were that close to the outer skin either.

 

[Konadog]

Lid's don't typically have anything in them unless they have a light, then they have some electrical in them, but no refrigeration lines. This is for freezers, not refrigerators.

As for a refrigerator, I would doubt they have anything up there, but I don't know for sure.