Has anyone ever made a fridge/freezer into one unit?

[blk94f150]

I have a line on a standard freezer on the top fridge that I can get free or for like $20.

Has anyone ever cut the floor of the freezer out to make it one big unit? Obviously I'd have to check for coolant lines, but it seems doable.

I wonder if the average fridge has the power to cool the whole thing down to lagering temps?

Mike

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

My first concern would be the integrity of the cabinet by nixing the divider between the top and bottom portions but, I think it's doable. I wouldn't expect any coolant lines in the divider especially if it's a forced air type fridge.

Why not just perforate the shelf?

At the least the fridge side should be able to achieve a low temp to 40*F but, even my antique can get to 35*F. With the freezer opened up it should be okay.

Goolgle around for the use of starch or baking powder to locate coolant lines for kegorator builds if you need a suggestion on how to locate.

 

[conpewter]

I've not done it but the fridge should have plenty of power for lagering. The freezer should usually be below 0 degrees F and the fridge part will sometimes dip below freezing if you set it too cold so you will be fine having the whole thing down around 34 or so.

I think it would be doable to cut the floor out of the freezer part, but yeah the coolant lines are what you will need to watch for. Those types of fridges actually only have coolant lines in the freezer part.

 

[david_42]

Just about every fridge I've had was capable of freezing things in the main space. I don't think you'll need to do anything to lager.

 

[blk94f150]

The reason I'm wanting to totally do away with the divider is to have more useable space. That way I can lager, crash cool, and force carb all in one fridge. I'd be making two levels at the same temp.

As far a structural integrity goes, I can weld something up if it becomes an issue.

Mike

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I have one.

It was a cheapie CL find. Guy had cut the aluminum and foam out of the bottom of the freezer/top of the fridge compartment. Nasty cut, that one.

He said it was to "make his beer colder" in the fridge, but I think the fan in the fridge compartment may be out. I am messing with a thermometer in a glass of water to check the temps. When I had it adjusted to 38* on the bottom, I got around 0* in the top. Still playing with the controls.

I want to be able to use the freezer compartment as extra refrigerator space. I might put an aluminum guide over the freezer vent, directing most of the cold air down. Might have to use a computer fan.

It will be a few weeks before I keg my first batch, so I have time to get it right.

ETA: In mine, there are no coolant lines between the compartments, at least in the big hole he cut. Structural integrity is not an issue, it was just plastic liner, aluminum sheet and styrofoam.

YMMV.

 

[SoopirV900]

Goolgle around for the use of starch or baking powder to locate coolant lines for kegorator builds if you need a suggestion on how to locate.

I too am looking to remove the divider between fridge and freezer so I can fit my conical in a more compact unit. I googled my arse off looking for the references above, and finally hit the motherlode on Youtube- however, in each instance the poster used baking powder and alcohol to locate the HOT (compressor return) lines through the fridge wall. I kinda wished I checked for this 4 years ago before I toasted a brand new minifridge by cutting through a line, but lessons learned...anyway, the reason for the dredge:

Does anyone know of an equivelant way of finding cold lines? I'm no HVAC expert but it seems silly to me that a manufacturer would route hot lines between the two cold compartments (route them on the outside where heat loss is beneficial)?

One thing I'm considering (that hit me after I saw that little copper tube severed on my first fridge, and something that I DIDN'T see in the youtube vids, so maybe useful to post): Use a hole saw to drill through only the freezer-side liner and the fridge-side liner, leaving the insulation intact. Repeat (if removing the entire divider, otherwise, do it only where you want your beer or gas lines to cross into/out of the compartment). Eventually I'll have chewed through all the aluminum/plastic leaving the EPS foam and any coils untouched. It then becomes a simple matter of poking the foam away and working around what's left (if anything). Is this too simplistic? Anyone try this with any success? It'll be ugly and messy, but I don't give a hoot- it allows me to ferment correctly!!