FREE STAINLESS!! Kegerator?

[COLObrewer]

OK, I officially love craigslist, I picked up this fridge/freezer from Telluride last week. They said it "leaks down" every year.

I plugged it in and all seems to work fine although the fans stay on all the time, possibly needs coils cleaned?

Inside dimensions are perfect for 4 cornies, just not sure how to drill holes through the glass door yet, maybe side taps?

I figured I'd run it for a year and see, then fix it if it stops?

What are your thoughts?
Oh yea, it's a Traulsen, don't know much about them.

 

[flyangler18]

Damn, what a find!

Let me be the first to proclaim loudly the hate I feel for you right now.

 

[Dadrick]

OK, .... just not sure how to drill holes through the glass door yet, maybe side taps?

Nice find.

Here is how to drill glass. Disclamier: I have never done this.

How to Drill Holes Through Glass: 8 steps - wikiHow

 

[COLObrewer]

Nice find.

Here is how to drill glass. Disclamier: I have never done this.

How to Drill Holes Through Glass: 8 steps - wikiHow

Awe man, that wiki screams at me I CAN'T DO IT! Door would probably need disassembled (Double pane, appx. 2" thick (between panes)), unless the pros know something. I'm sure it's some sort of tempered and/or safety glass also?

 

[JesseRC]

if it leaks down, they probably mean its has to be routinely charged with freeon. They may have already attached a charging port. You may be able to keep it topped off, or have a professional look for a leak. My father inlaw has as leak detector and they also sell dyes. Otherwise, its free, find out what type of freon it uses and keep it topped off.

 

[ajwillys]

Nice find! I wouldn't try cutting the glass myself. Take the door off and take it to a pro. While you're there, I'd personally get it frosted so that the kegs, lines, etc... weren't quite so noticeable. Of course, they sell frost film at Home Depot, so that would be alot cheaper.

 

[JesseRC]

wow, speaking of frosting the glass, you could later do some of that glass etching I saw a DIY thread on. Maybe with you brewery log or something. Nice!

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Very nice score! :rockin:

 

[jspence1]

You will NOT be able to drill it. It will be tempered glass and will just shatter.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvRgklsm6so]YouTube - tempered glass drilling demo..[/ame]

jump to 1 minute

 

[PhlyanPan]

Anybody ever tried cutting glass with a plasma cutter?

I've heard it can be done by laying a very thin sheet of metal over the glass. The metal conducts the electricity and the plasma is so hot it cuts through the glass behind it. I've never tried it...but I do have a plasma cutter available.

 

[illin8]

+1 on not drilling...it most likely is tempered glass or laminated...I'd be surprised if it wasn't. You might be able to drill it if its lami, look for markings in the corners indicating glass type.

 

[conpewter]

I think you may want to change the door to something with more insulation. I know a lot of those glass door refrigerators use a ton of power since glass is such a poor insulator I'd think you may want to take the glass out and replace it with some 1/4" nice plywood and put an inch or so of foam board behind that.

 

[Guidry]

I may be way off on this, but I seem to remember putting holes thru glass using a high temp torch. Maybe a soldering torch would work? You'd have to stay away from the edges (gaskets) and you might have a little discoloration near the hole, but possibly the tap gaskets would cover that.

Just an idea

 

[illin8]

I think you may want to change the door to something with more insulation. I know a lot of those glass door refrigerators use a ton of power since glass is such a poor insulator I'd think you may want to take the glass out and replace it with some 1/4" nice plywood and put an inch or so of foam board behind that.

Or...substitute the 1/4" plywood with a mirror facing out. Go to a glass shop, mirror is cheap. You could even get the mirror etched w/ your brewery name. That'd be sweet.

 

[COLObrewer]

You guys have the gears turning now, The glass is black anyway, can only see through it with the interior light on. It's not very functional anyway, why do you want to look in the fridge before you open the door (especially if there is only kegs in it)? Probably because it's glass and you want to keep it closed all the time to keep the heat out? Mirror sounds interesting, plywood sounds like the cheapest, could get some finish sanded wood and just paint it black or something with the Two Pinons Ranch, Brewery Division logo on front, alot easier and DIY.

 

[Donasay]

Knock out the glass and replace it with plexy or lexan, should be relatively cheap and can be done by almost anyone.

 

[BrewingBetterBeer]

That is a really cool find, and I really hope it works out well.

I don't have any place to put one at the moment, but I do need one!

 

[COLObrewer]

I think I have some formica countertop left from the kitchen remodel, I'll just silicone that in with maybe more rigid insulation and drill through that, should be easy. Hardest part might be getting the glass out. I just made some contacts on CL regarding CO2 tank, kegs taps etc. It's starting to come together.

 

[McKBrew]

Another competitor for the 2009 HBT YOU SUCK award.

 

[JesseRC]

Why wouldn't you just leave it as is. Kinda looks cool .

 

[COLObrewer]

Why wouldn't you just leave it as is. Kinda looks cool .

Twould be more cooler with some shiney taps sticking out the door, shiney drip tray underneath? No other reason really, unless the door is really not that good at keeping the cold in due to glass?

 

[HSM]

Before you go replacing anything, find out how much it will cost to fix the refridgerant leak. This look pretty industrial and will cost more to run from the get-go, having it run poorly will only cost more. You are powering a freezer as well.

#1 rule of free stuff: Just becuause it's free, doesn't mean it's good.

This could be (and I hope it is) the best thing ever. But I also hope you didn't end up with a shiny metal box that needs freon every week.

 

[beerthirty]

Another competitor for the 2009 HBT YOU SUCK award.

I'll second that.

The Formica counter top sounds like a good idea, making it easy to get drunk fingerprints off of it. Also requires less care.
Definitely fix the leak first, no sense modifying something unless it already works.

 

[bad coffee]

You can't cut/drill/machine tempered glass. You WILL end up with 1000's of very tiny pieces.

You can cut regular plate glass with a dremel and a tile cutting bit. I've done it.

If you want to put taps in it, I'd go with black plexi (1/4") and 2" styro backing. Wherever you have taps/holes for drip tray hardware, I'd block behind the plexi with 2x4.

Nice find.

 

[COLObrewer]

Before you go replacing anything, find out how much it will cost to fix the refridgerant leak. This look pretty industrial and will cost more to run from the get-go, having it run poorly will only cost more. You are powering a freezer as well.

#1 rule of free stuff: Just becuause it's free, doesn't mean it's good.

This could be (and I hope it is) the best thing ever. But I also hope you didn't end up with a shiny metal box that needs freon every week.

The freezer and fridge both have their own on/off switches and thermostats, I've verified that you can run both or only one side at a time if needed, I still haven't cleaned the coils to see if the fan(s) will shut off, but the fridge side went down to 24F with alot of cooling room left on the thermostat, and the freezer went way below -15F also with more room left on the thermostat.

So, if I run the fridge (which seems to work fine, except for the fan(s) running all the time) and it does leak, will it ruin the unit if it leaks down to where it is not cooling anymore before I have it fixed? In other words what will it gain me if I have it checked out now as opposed to having it checked out later if it leaks down? Keep in mind the people that gave this away were in a condo in Telluride, they may have simply just not liked the unit and made an excuse to get rid of it, I recieved it from a third party employee.

 

[CnnmnSchnpps]

^ You might save on your power bill if you have it checked out sooner rather than later.

 

[MacBruver]

even if you COULD drill a hole in it for the taps, I wouldn't recommend it. The repeated strain of pulling on that tap handle would eventually crack it without some type of support.

 

[jjemery]

I suggest you forget drilling the glass door and run your taps out the side like I did on my unit. It is easier to get the cornies in and out without fighting the damn beer and glass lines all the time. I ran one line from my CO2 regulator to a distributor inside my fridge, that way I can turn lines off when not in use. I also ran another gas line into the fridge from my beer gas tank and reg (Nitrogen Dioxide) So I can have the fancy guiness waterfall with my stouts. Besides, it does taste better.

Drill your holes in the side of the box facing your drinking area and then run 5-6 ft beer lines for each cornie. That way the lines are long enough for you to hook the cornies up outside or inside and you can manuever your kegs without fighting the hoses in the door, and, the longer hoses help keep down excess foaming.

BTW. I would check with the manufacturer before drilling ANYWHERE because you do not want to hit a cooling line. THAT would be BAD!!!!!

John

 

[GunnerMan]

If it leaks down you should def get that fixed, chances are it uses/can accept r-152a which is safe for the environment, but if it is almost any other gas(r-22, r-132a are common ones) it is not only bad for the environment, it is illegal to knowingly discharge it into the atmosphere.
Also it might have a safety mechanism on it to shut down/not run if it emptys but it might not, and may ruin/drasticaly shorten your lifespan on the compressor.

So you have potentially ruining your compressor, buying refrigerant every week, rasing power consumption, and potentially damaging the environment, yeah would be worth it to get a tech out there.

(I have retrofited household A/c units to cool computers, I run my unit on Propane, it is safe, cheap and easy but to switch gasses requires a system evac and vaccume and then a recharge)

 

[lehr]

Home depot sells drill bits that are made to drill glass they work pretty good but if its tempered forget it.
Pat

 

[Bumbler]

For what's it's worth I'm an HVAC Tech.

I agree that the yearly loss af refrigerant should be looked at. recharging every year could become a drain on your pocket. Not to mention the health of family and environment.

My guess is that they had it looked at, probably every year, couldn't find the leak, and got tired of having it recharged. $$$

But don't dispare. It can be overcome. Before calling a professional ($$$), I would call your local Community College and see if they have a HVAC program. If they do, most will evaluate and and repair at a greatly reduced cost. They can also give options for refrigerant conversions. Some are drop in replacements and some are more involved.

I think it's a great find and worth checking out.