Frigidaire Model FRC445GB Mini-Fridge Kegerator Conversion

[Espi]

messed around a bit after work...

here is the latest..

expandable foam filled in the hole I cut to find the cooler lines. two one inch holes drilled. plywood was cut and existing foam removed.

I inserted copper sleeves though the hole and they stick into the fridge about 1/5 inch or so. filled around with spray foam and wood glued into place with silicone sealant.

A full corney now sits on top till it dries up.

I got a PM from MrLucky13 about another thread and decided to re work my light temp control situation.

here is the link

 

[MrLucky13]

Looking Good. Makes me want to start mine.

Keep us updated.

MrLucky13

 

[snail]

Is there a way to wire the pc fan inside of the fridge? I don't want the wires running out of the door creating a bad seal.

 

[sybo]

Hi, I'm new to kegerator conversion and homebrewing, so naturally I have a few questions. Please excuse my ignorance.

My initial intention for this machine is to run two commercial D-system kegs out of it. My questions are mainly focused on sizing and measurement. I'd do the measuring myself, but I don't have my Frigidaire with me and I need to get my kit ordered. Hopefully some of you cats experienced with this build can help me out.

1) I see that commercial 5 gal kegs are a bit wider than the cornies most people are building this setup for. Should I be able to fit two commercial 5 gal kegs (9" width) with the 5# co2 on the hump?

2) I'm planning on two taps close and centered through the door, and am deciding what setup to buy. Would 4 1/8" shanks be fine, or would they hit the kegs?

3)Should I go with low profile D couplers, or will I have enough clearance with standard ones (23" tall kegs)?

Any other advise/tips would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread as well, it has been an extremely educational read.

 

[burnsy1]

Hi, I'm new to kegerator conversion and homebrewing, so naturally I have a few questions. Please excuse my ignorance.

My initial intention for this machine is to run two commercial D-system kegs out of it. My questions are mainly focused on sizing and measurement. I'd do the measuring myself, but I don't have my Frigidaire with me and I need to get my kit ordered. Hopefully some of you cats experienced with this build can help me out.

1) I see that commercial 5 gal kegs are a bit wider than the cornies most people are building this setup for. Should I be able to fit two commercial 5 gal kegs (9" width) with the 5# co2 on the hump?

2) I'm planning on two taps close and centered through the door, and am deciding what setup to buy. Would 4 1/8" shanks be fine, or would they hit the kegs?

3)Should I go with low profile D couplers, or will I have enough clearance with standard ones (23" tall kegs)?

Any other advise/tips would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread as well, it has been an extremely educational read.

1. I believe the keg you are referring to is what is often called a 1/6th keg. Unfortunately you will not be able to fit two 1/6th kegs. It might be possible if you mod you'r door giving yourself more depth. Otherwise you should be able to fit a 1/6th next to a corny.

2. I'm not sure about this hopefully someone else can speak to it.

3. You can fit the 1/6th keg in with the regular couplers, but it is tight. Look for my pic posted in this thread on 3/16. I plan to get the low profile in the future..but it seems to be ok for now.

An alternative to having to sixth kegs would be to buy a single corny keg, get the sixth keg of your choice, and then "jump" the beer from the sixth to your corny so you can fit two kegs in the fridge. There are discussions in the forum about how to do this.

 

[Espi]

My initial intention for this machine is to run two commercial D-system kegs out of it. My questions are mainly focused on sizing and measurement. I'd do the measuring myself, but I don't have my Frigidaire with me and I need to get my kit ordered. Hopefully some of you cats experienced with this build can help me out.

1) I see that commercial 5 gal kegs are a bit wider than the cornies most people are building this setup for. Should I be able to fit two commercial 5 gal kegs (9" width) with the 5# co2 on the hump?

I think this pic will help you out...

The left keg is a commercial keg from San Tan brewery that I had leftover from a party. The right keg is a honey blonde that I make that my girl likes...

Got the tower tonight and fiddled about.. this should pretty much stick the fork in it cause its done and I am swilling a beer out of it as I type.

I don't think you could fit two of the commercial kegs in there...the door just shuts with what I have going on.

one more pic just cuz the girl and the dog dig it...

the fridge conversion works, uma bit tipsy!

 

[Drumhaggart]

Lucky dog.

(OK... you're pretty lucky too)

Nice build.

-Steve

 

[sybo]

1. I believe the keg you are referring to is what is often called a 1/6th keg. Unfortunately you will not be able to fit two 1/6th kegs. It might be possible if you mod you'r door giving yourself more depth. Otherwise you should be able to fit a 1/6th next to a corny.

2. I'm not sure about this hopefully someone else can speak to it.

3. You can fit the 1/6th keg in with the regular couplers, but it is tight. Look for my pic posted in this thread on 3/16. I plan to get the low profile in the future..but it seems to be ok for now.

An alternative to having to sixth kegs would be to buy a single corny keg, get the sixth keg of your choice, and then "jump" the beer from the sixth to your corny so you can fit two kegs in the fridge. There are discussions in the forum about how to do this.

Thanks for the info burnsy. I was totally unaware of the keg transfer option. A corny would be a good investment anyways for when/if I start brewing 5gal batches. I would rarely even need two kegs going at the same time, but I really want the capability; you've given me new hope.

I think this pic will help you out...

Espi, your picture gave me a good visual.
I just did some measuring, and I think the door is just tall enough so that I can mount my faucets above both kegs, so I shouldn't have to worry about the shanks hitting them. It's going to be close though.

Thanks guys, I now have a mental image and a rough plan to work with.

Cheers.

 

[homey]

Cheers for all the info, am looking to build a beer kegerator.

 

[governormt]

So, i read through all 24 pages.... I havn't home brewed yet can you fit a 1/4 keg in this fridge?

 

[kpr121]

I know for certain that a tall 1/4 barrel (yuengling, in my case) will fit if you trim the top and bottom bumpouts of the door. I cut two notches just wide enough (approximately 10") for the keg to fit while closing the door.

If I can get my camera working when I get off work I can post a picture, although its not the prettiest craftsmanship (had bought the keg assuming it would fit, and had a party that day - I needed to rig something up ASAP!)

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Has anyone found any rails that look nice that can be attached after the top is readhered?

 

[aboule13]

I just finished doing this and it looks great... however i waited until the last step to take out the thermostat and move it back... in doing so i somehow found a way to snap the TOP wire (white cased copper wire). I was wondering what this wire actually does. So far my issue is that I can either turn it up to level 6 and have it run, or it wont run at all.

I'm planning on soldering it back together once i get the equipment, but I was wondering exactly what the wire does and if it can be replaced somehow. Would an external t-stat work instead?

 

[aboule13]

in reading through it seems like it was a sensor but holding it together does nothing

 

[aboule13]

i figured id share my conclusions:

i think this thing was a tube filled with gas and was a temperature sensor... now that it is broken it looks like my only option is to use an external thermostat.... looks like about 60 bucks online and now ill have upgraded to a digital thermostat so i can live with this mistake... if anyone has any imput on this let me know... i tried to PM the guy in this thread who put on the digi, but his box was full

it looks like he took the whole unit out, which i'd like to do, but im not sure about the wiring. i thought it wouldnt run if i took the whole thermostat out

 

[Bumbler]

i figured id share my conclusions:

i think this thing was a tube filled with gas and was a temperature sensor... now that it is broken it looks like my only option is to use an external thermostat.... looks like about 60 bucks online and now ill have upgraded to a digital thermostat so i can live with this mistake... if anyone has any imput on this let me know... i tried to PM the guy in this thread who put on the digi, but his box was full

it looks like he took the whole unit out, which i'd like to do, but im not sure about the wiring. i thought it wouldnt run if i took the whole thermostat out

Sorry! I've emptied my mail box. PM away.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

i figured id share my conclusions:

i think this thing was a tube filled with gas and was a temperature sensor... now that it is broken it looks like my only option is to use an external thermostat.... looks like about 60 bucks online and now ill have upgraded to a digital thermostat so i can live with this mistake... if anyone has any imput on this let me know... i tried to PM the guy in this thread who put on the digi, but his box was full

it looks like he took the whole unit out, which i'd like to do, but im not sure about the wiring. i thought it wouldnt run if i took the whole thermostat out

Okay, so I just got a ton of help from an HBT member here, ClaudiusB, on how to wire a Love temp controller into this fridge. He sent me a detailed wiring diagram, and I plan on installing the TS2 temp controller in the door, so I can completely do away with the original thermostat (simply because it is in the way, and I think this fridge will look uber sweet with a temp controller, especially w/blue LED like I plan on ordering).

Feel free to PM me if you are interested.

 

[maxamuus]

10% off Lowes coupon online at http://www.lowes.com/cd_Lowes+Moving+Center_509684072_

 

[bkaqm6]

What size copper tubing did you use?

 

[glasseye]

I used 1/2" ID.

 

[HarkinBanks]

These fridges are all over craigslist right now as college students move out. I have found two in my area for $50. Kegerator, here I come.

 

[jedIPA]

+1 on craigslist and college being over, they are everywhere. Just spent an hour reading the whole thread, great read. Has anyone seen the thread where some guy built a stand and mounted the compressor under the fridge and cut out the back shelf? I'm trying to find it but no luck yet.

 

[jedIPA]

I found it. Here is a link, just scroll down http://www.joelnrebekah.com/

 

[dougriddle]

You all are awesome.

 

[Wingnutj]

WOW my eyes and mind is going now.... I have to go drill out the top of my old mini since I have the tower sitting it right now. Dont yell guys! I'm laid off and if the wife knew I bought this stuff and started using it papers might get served. LOL
All the info has been GREAT GUYS/Gails

 

[suhornet84]

Wanted to let everyone know:

I went to Lowe's to pick up this fridge, but the Frigidaire model they had was different from the one I had researched here in the forum. The manager told me that this model LFPH44M4LM has replaced the FRC445GB. I decided to go ahead with the build, for the most part it's the same fridge, just some cosmetic differences on the door, and I could not remove the thermostat knob from the housing so I just relocated the entire housing to the back of the fridge. I followed the lead of WildRebel: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/frigidaire-model-frc445gb-keg-conversion-157618/ All and all it went off without a hitch. I do think I need to insulate the tower a bit better, it is very cold to touch. But my beer is sitting at a chilly 36 degrees. :rockin:

 

[MissouriBrewer]

I just picked one of these up at Lowe's, but when I got my model home, it had a different door than the floor model. While the floor model had the flat inside door with removable tray/shelves, my model has a can holder and uneven molded dividers (not evenly spaced). It looks like it will still work, but I'll have to pay a lot closer attention to the spacing of my shanks and drip tray.

 

[BrewSkies]

I recently upgraded my frigidaire by putting my love controller in the door and bypassing the thermostat. It was a pretty simple addition, just spent a little time investigating with a multimeter what wire did what. A reinforced dremel cutting blade made quick work of the door.

Between the Gucci temp controller and the fact that my fiancee graciously let me put the kegerator in the kitchen in our new house, I'm a happy man. My only requirement is to keep a Blue Moon type beer on tap

 

[suhornet84]

I recently upgraded my frigidaire by putting my love controller in the door and bypassing the thermostat. It was a pretty simple addition, just spent a little time investigating with a multimeter what wire did what. A reinforced dremel cutting blade made quick work of the door.

I wanted to do this with my kegerator so I can put in a flat dry erase board on the door. Was the inside of the door easy to remove? Do you have any pics?

Also, does anyone else have a lot of condensation on the fridge ceiling?

 

[MacBruver]

Yep, I get the condensation too. Then when I go in the fridge to move things around I knock down a bunch of the litlte "icicles". Argh!