Spent some time running through this thread (all 39 current pages) and didn't see an actual measurement of the start-up draw in amps of these things. Anybody happen to know what it is?
GE 7 CF (FCM7SUWW) keezer conversion
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Spent some time running through this thread (all 39 current pages) and didn't see an actual measurement of the start-up draw in amps of these things. Anybody happen to know what it is?
Hey guys,
New to these forums, new to brewing beer, new to kegging. However, I did go all in and have started building my keezer taking a great deal of information and guidance from this thread. Thank you.
Question: For those of you that painted your freezer black or whatever color, did you do it before or after everythign was put together. Have a new GE 7.0 and want to paint it all black but wondering if waiting would be a huge deal? Also for those who painted, did the enamel appliance paid adhere to the plastic on the lid/
Thanks in advance.
New to these forums, new to brewing beer, new to kegging. However, I did go all in and have started building my keezer taking a great deal of information and guidance from this thread. Thank you.
Question: For those of you that painted your freezer black or whatever color, did you do it before or after everythign was put together. Have a new GE 7.0 and want to paint it all black but wondering if waiting would be a huge deal? Also for those who painted, did the enamel appliance paid adhere to the plastic on the lid/
Thanks in advance.
I only painted a foot tall strip directly under the collar so I could mark mine with some chalk, but I did it during the build, but before I added the collar on.
If you're painting the whole thing, you can probably just go ahead and paint it before starting the project, but I waited a bit, but not for any particular reason. I def wouldn't have painted it with the collar on, though.
If you're painting the whole thing, you can probably just go ahead and paint it before starting the project, but I waited a bit, but not for any particular reason. I def wouldn't have painted it with the collar on, though.
OP
OP
I did mine after prep but before assembly. Easier with everything taken apart. My one big gripe was I didn't use primer, even though I had a can, which made it much harder than it had to be. I roughed up the surface but a good coat of primer would've made all the difference in my application. Not that it doesn't work great and look great but it took more work than it could've.
maseline_98
Member
Tom,
I have the same Freezer. I was wondering if you were able to fit 1/2 keg and 2 1/6 kegs in it. I'm going to be building a keezer soon as well but I want to put 1/2 keg of miller lite for most of my guests and 2-1/6(or cornies) kegs for microbrews and stuff that I normally drink...
zachattack
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1/2 keg won't fit in there, which is good because you'd kill yourself trying to lift it up and over. 1/4 keg won't fit either. Sorry! Only 1/6 or slim 1/4.
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maseline_98
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Would a slim 1/4 and 2- 1/6 fit?
zachattack
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Off the top of my head I'm not sure. I know it'll fit 4 ball lock corny kegs on the floor, though it's very tight. I've had 2 1/6 and one ball lock in there with tons of breathing room. The dimensions are listed here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/lo...ons-ge-7-cu-ft-chest-freezer-fcm7duww-337034/
It looks like the floor is 24"x15". From here (http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Useful-Keg-Dimensions) a slim 1/4 is 11 1/8", a 1/6 is 9 1/4". I just made a quick scale drawing in Powerpoint and I don't think there's any way you can arrange the three circles to make them all fit on the floor, but if you build a tall enough collar you can certainly put one of the 1/6 bbls on the compressor hump.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/lo...ons-ge-7-cu-ft-chest-freezer-fcm7duww-337034/
It looks like the floor is 24"x15". From here (http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Useful-Keg-Dimensions) a slim 1/4 is 11 1/8", a 1/6 is 9 1/4". I just made a quick scale drawing in Powerpoint and I don't think there's any way you can arrange the three circles to make them all fit on the floor, but if you build a tall enough collar you can certainly put one of the 1/6 bbls on the compressor hump.
OP
OP
A sixth is a little bigger than a cornie. Actually it might be the same size as a pin lock but it is larger than my ball locks. It'll fit in there if you only go with 3 kegs but the 4th won't happen unless it is on the hump. And yeah 1/2 & 1/4 are too big to fit in no matter how you try.
maseline_98
Member
Bummer....maybe I will have to look for another chest(possibly 9 cubic ft). I really don't want to build it tall because I want to recess it(or appear to recess it) into cabinets...
I'm glad I asked the question. I would have really been disappointed when I finished only to find out that the 3 tap system I have drawn up in my head wouldn't work.
Just finished my keezer build and am super excited about how it turned out. A big thank you to everyone here that supplied much needed advice and inspiration.
My contribution to this build will be this:
In my area, Northern VA/Wash DC, at the Reston Community Center for $10 you can go use its woodshop. They have every tool and gadget imaginable to help build your collar or whatever. Plus they have an instructor/woodworking dude that will help show you how to use all equipment and answer any questions that you may have. So for $10 you get use of equipment (no need to buy anything and ability to use the right tool for the job) and the advice/help of someone who actually knows what they are doing for those of us who are handyman challenged.
My contribution to this build will be this:
In my area, Northern VA/Wash DC, at the Reston Community Center for $10 you can go use its woodshop. They have every tool and gadget imaginable to help build your collar or whatever. Plus they have an instructor/woodworking dude that will help show you how to use all equipment and answer any questions that you may have. So for $10 you get use of equipment (no need to buy anything and ability to use the right tool for the job) and the advice/help of someone who actually knows what they are doing for those of us who are handyman challenged.
maussy
Active Member
I tried going through this whole thread to see if anyone has hardwired a love controller directly to the freezer but couldn't find anything. I have mine wired up and everything turns on but the compressor doesn't kick off when it's supposed to. Does anyone have instructions/pictures of their wire job? Also I bought mine used on CL for $80 (STEAL) but it didn't come with a wiring diagram. Does anyone have this on their computer?
Here's a link to my build so far.
Keezer Build
Here's a link to my build so far.
Keezer Build
Carlscan26
Well-Known Member
Recently finished my own conversion - with lots of info from this thread. 
I'll add some lessons learned/my experience in my own thread.
Thanks again to all that posted!
I'll add some lessons learned/my experience in my own thread.
Thanks again to all that posted!
tojo
Well-Known Member
Can someone do me a huge favor? I need a picture of the wiring connections for the this freezer thermostat. I took mine off to paint it and then accidentally deleted the picture I took of the wiring positions.
It may not be a great picture but this is the only one I have
The connections are simple though:
-- Double white (neutral) connector goes to the top of the green light
-- Double black (hot) connector goes to the bottom of the green light
-- Red wire to compressor goes on "deepest" thermostat connector (this spade is actually slightly smaller than the rest)
-- Black wire goes on next deepest connector, next to the red.
-- Green wire (GND) goes to the spade on the thermostat that's attached to the chassis and all off by itself.
The connections are simple though:
-- Double white (neutral) connector goes to the top of the green light
-- Double black (hot) connector goes to the bottom of the green light
-- Red wire to compressor goes on "deepest" thermostat connector (this spade is actually slightly smaller than the rest)
-- Black wire goes on next deepest connector, next to the red.
-- Green wire (GND) goes to the spade on the thermostat that's attached to the chassis and all off by itself.
weeple2000
Well-Known Member
I am planning on doing this in the near future. I have a question about the thermostat and the bilge blower. Will the stock thermostat work for beer temperatures? Is the bilge blower necessary, will things stay cool without it?
zachattack
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No, you'll need an external controller. I don't think I've heard of anyone successfully fiddling with the coarse adjustment screw on this freezer, but I might be wrong. Your best bet is to check out the "ebay aquarium temperature controller" thread, you can put together a controller for $30 or so if you're comfortable doing a little wiring.
A fan or blower isn't necessary, but it's a very good idea. It'll make sure lines don't get too warm, the shanks/faucets stay cold, the kegs are at the same temperature, etc. You can use a recovered PC muffin fan (or buy one for a couple bucks) and an old 5-12V DC power supply (aka wall wart) from a cell phone, cordless phone, etc.
A fan or blower isn't necessary, but it's a very good idea. It'll make sure lines don't get too warm, the shanks/faucets stay cold, the kegs are at the same temperature, etc. You can use a recovered PC muffin fan (or buy one for a couple bucks) and an old 5-12V DC power supply (aka wall wart) from a cell phone, cordless phone, etc.
A blower of some kind isn't strictly necessary but will help keep the temperature even from top to bottom. I use an PC fan powered by an old cell phone charger. I have dryer vent hose running from the fan down to the bottom of the keezer. The fan pulls cold air up from the bottom and keeps it circulating so that everything stays the same temperature. The cell phone charger is plugged into a power strip that is NOT plugged into the temp controller so it's running all the time.
This is what comes of not reading all the other posts. I could have saved myself a lot of typing with a simple, "What he said!".
zachattack
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I'm glad we're thinking the same things!
ingchr1
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I bought a 120V fan with plug to use for a blower (link to fan). 3" PVC sits perfectly on top of it. I'm using a 2' section of PVC. I attached the fan to the PVC using ty-wraps. I had some pieces of plastic laying around that I used to make a stand for the fan. Here's the pics of my setup:
This is a great thread and was my main guide for my keezer. Thanks for posting it. Here are a few pics of my build. I built it for function not to be put on display but I really like what everyone has done with there's.
huhwha
Well-Known Member
It's not ready for public consumption yet, but I'm making progress. It is pouring beautiful beer. Just need to finish the trim and get serious about the tap handles. Finished pics before Christmas.
Piecing together a good amount of information on this freezer.
A few questions...
With 4 ball locks on the floor and one pin lock on the hump, is there still room for a 5# CO2 tank? I already know this is possible if all 5 are ball locks.
What combinations have you guys tried with 1/6th and ball locks , and what collar height did you need for that combination?
For those that are carbing with 4 ball locks on the floor and one on the hump, are you just using a secondary for the carbing keg, or are you squeezing in a second 5# bottle just for the carbing keg?
A few questions...
With 4 ball locks on the floor and one pin lock on the hump, is there still room for a 5# CO2 tank? I already know this is possible if all 5 are ball locks.
What combinations have you guys tried with 1/6th and ball locks , and what collar height did you need for that combination?
For those that are carbing with 4 ball locks on the floor and one on the hump, are you just using a secondary for the carbing keg, or are you squeezing in a second 5# bottle just for the carbing keg?
Not sure about that, but for reference, the depth of the freezer is 15.5 inches.
Looks like ball locks are 8.5in diameter, whereas pin locks are 9in diameter. Regardless, assuming a standard 5lb aluminum tank is up to 5.5in diameter, I think you should be able to fit it, with 1 inch to spare.
Looks like ball locks are 8.5in diameter, whereas pin locks are 9in diameter. Regardless, assuming a standard 5lb aluminum tank is up to 5.5in diameter, I think you should be able to fit it, with 1 inch to spare.
thadius856 said:
I am using two primary regulators one for carbing and the other to a manifold with 4 lines for dispensing. But my tank is on the outside. If you can fit the tank with two regulators attached and the kegs inside the keezer it would work fine.
ingchr1
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure which one Tom is using but the one I have is a Taprite (Taprite Four Regulator Secondary Link). I have had no issues with this regulator. The only thing is that it's lacking check valves on the outputs. I installed these in-line check valves (In-line Check Valve Link)
bwoodworth
Member
Great thread! I am about to start something similar myself. Couple questions:
1. Has anyone ever thought to not use the lid that comes with the freezer? I was thinking I could just use a piece of wood as the lid that can be screwed to the collar. That would allow for a more aesthetically pleasing top surface.
2. Would there be any adverse affects of completely surrounding the freezer in wood? The wife doesn't really want a freezer in the living room so I was thinking about encasing it in wood to make it look more like a chest that belongs. I assume there are probably some vents to be taken into consideration, but not sure if it would cause the freezer to overheat.
1. Has anyone ever thought to not use the lid that comes with the freezer? I was thinking I could just use a piece of wood as the lid that can be screwed to the collar. That would allow for a more aesthetically pleasing top surface.
2. Would there be any adverse affects of completely surrounding the freezer in wood? The wife doesn't really want a freezer in the living room so I was thinking about encasing it in wood to make it look more like a chest that belongs. I assume there are probably some vents to be taken into consideration, but not sure if it would cause the freezer to overheat.
Congrats on passing the SWMBO Approval phase. It's the most difficult phase by far.
I'm sure they have, but why wouldn't you? Cover it in wood if you like. You probably don't want to lose the insulation and weatherstripping that's already provided there for you. To get the wood to stick, you'll need to be sure that your glue is suitable for metal-to-wood bonding (I believe Gorilla Glue is, check the label) and you'll want to rough up the paint with some 80-grit or so sandpaper so the glue has a good surface to bond to.
Yes there would. If you cover the compressor air holes on the side and back, the motor is going to get much warmer and age much faster. Don't be surprised if it takes a poop one summer. Putting wood over the rest of the freezer won't harm it one bit. If you decide to cover the whole thing in wood, be sure that to get a model that has the compressor cutout at the back of the unit and leave it open. To compensate for the reduced air flow from covering the side vent, you could threw a small PC cooling fan in the compressor area, hooked to a 12V charger.
Gluing wood to your freezer will void the warranty. So will modifying the ventiliation of the compressor. So will drilling new holes for hinges. So will drilling holes for a faucet tower. Or many other actions you could take.
Warranty and resale is the whole reason why my build is that way that it is. Almost all of our freezers are cheap Chinese models made to cost specs, not performance specs. If you notice, I never modified the original freezer in this design. If the compressor dies, I want to be able to take the collar off, take the kegs out, put the lid back on the way it was from the factory, have it replaced, and then simply bolt it all back on the new one. Hopefully I never have to do it, but designing it with this possibility from the onset was fairly easy to do and only cost a few dollar extra (for weatherstripping).
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