Hisense mini-fridge kegerator?

[napx]

Has anyone used this fridge as the base of a kegerator build project? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hisense-4-4-cu-ft-Freezerless-Refrigerator-Sliver-ENERGY-STAR/1002927622

I've seen several mentions of the hisense freezers but haven't yet heard of anyone using this particular fridge. The size seems about right to fit two cornies and a co2 tank and there's no freezer compartment. It's also a fair bit cheaper than I can find the frequently used danby for, and would fit in my pantry with more shelf clearance... So that's appealing.

Any experience / thoughts? Tx in advance

 

[Where's my beer?]

I'm receiving the exact fridge you're talking about second hand within the next week or so. I'll take some photos and measurements of the inside when I get it. FWIW, I have a Magic Chef 4.4 cu ft freezer less mini and I would say that you might be able to fit two if you dremel off some of the door panel or side ribbing that holds the shelves. If you contact the manufacturer you might be able to get them to send you a diagram of the actual inside dimensions. That's what I did with my Magic Chef.

 

[napx]

I'm receiving the exact fridge you're talking about second hand within the next week or so. I'll take some photos and measurements of the inside when I get it. FWIW, I have a Magic Chef 4.4 cu ft freezer less mini and I would say that you might be able to fit two if you dremel off some of the door panel or side ribbing that holds the shelves. If you contact the manufacturer you might be able to get them to send you a diagram of the actual inside dimensions. That's what I did with my Magic Chef.

Thanks for following up! Would love to hear what you think when you get a chance to take a look at it.

We have a spot below the shelving in our pantry that it'd fit in perfectly. I looked at keezers (and under normal circumstances I would prefer one) but because of the layout of our space (with a shelf directly above) it won't work. I was just going to toss a mini-fridge in there and use picnic taps, or maybe drill through the door instead of the top... I figure with any mini fridge I'll probably have to mod the door, but I'd prefer not to have to mod the rest of the body if possible (which is why the Danby is attractive)

 

[Where's my beer?]

I put my tap in the door because I didn’t want to deal with looking for the lines or having to cool the tower. It fit perfectly. Plus, having the top side available for storage was definitely consoling when I broke the news to my gf that this thing was getting built.



And yes, that’s a 1/4 slim sanke keg in there. How did I get it to fit without shaving anything off with a Dremel? It fell off a little block of wood and now sits cocked back and to the right just a few degrees. Enough to clear the door lip and middle rib that holds individual cans. Not ideal but it was a happy accident and otherwise I would have been screwed. No guarantees that the Hisense model will allow for the same

 

[napx]

Yeah that's basically what I'm thinking also. Just need to be able to crush two ball lock cornies in there. Looks like this fridge layout is similar with the temperature adjustment wall mounted. Makes me wonder if it'd protrude too much to fit both kegs in as opposed to the danby where it is center mounted between them... Surprised nobody has tried it yet given the availability and cheapness of this model fridge.

 

[Where's my beer?]

Makes me wonder if it'd protrude too much to fit both kegs in as opposed to the danby where it is center mounted between them...

The dial in mine is about 25.5" above the floor and only protrudes about 2.25". I don't think any kegs are taller than that and the posts on a corny can just be rotated into a better position. My only worry would be having to shave some plastic which isn't too crazy a thing to do and I only hate it because I don't like cutting into new things. A ton of people do it though and have been greatly successful. You're more at risk of damaging the fridge when drilling through the sidewalls or back, honestly. Any place that emits heat.

I would say that if you're up against a sale and time, go for it. I got my fridge for $140 so it was a super impulsive buy and one I absolutely don't regret. In the end it worked out and I now have something that I eventually hope to use as a fermenter once I'm able to "upgrade" space-wise.

 

[Tom Foolery]

Has anyone used this fridge as the base of a kegerator build project? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hisense-4-4-cu-ft-Freezerless-Refrigerator-Sliver-ENERGY-STAR/1002927622

I've seen several mentions of the hisense freezers but haven't yet heard of anyone using this particular fridge. The size seems about right to fit two cornies and a co2 tank and there's no freezer compartment. It's also a fair bit cheaper than I can find the frequently used danby for, and would fit in my pantry with more shelf clearance... So that's appealing.

Any experience / thoughts? Tx in advance

Maybe this would work for you... Arctic King 5 Cu ft Chest Freezer, Black - Walmart.com
It fits two ball lock kegs and a 5# tank without a collar built on top.

 

[napx]

Update: picked the fridge up this morning. No bueno. Does not fit two ball lock kegs -- too narrow by about an inch lol. So now I get to tape the box back up, carry it back down four flights of stairs and return it to Lowes. Lesson learned. Will order the Danby I guess.

 

[Where's my beer?]

If the fridge is still in a condition to return then it won't fit two corny's. You're going to have to cut plastic for it to work. I get it though, if you pay the extra money then at least you'll be able to fit full size kegs if you ever want and you won't have to hack apart something new. Good luck

 

[napx]

Yep exactly!

 

[napx]

The go-to Danby fridge is this one right?

Danby DAR044A4BSLDD-6

 

[Where's my beer?]

I don't think there are any mini's that'll fit two corny's without modification. When you said Danby I thought you meant one of their units actually built as a kegerator. Only those will fit a full size keg (which guarantees two homebrew kegs, **** maybe even 4) because they lack the dreaded compressor hump that ruins the floor space of a regular mini fridge. Hopefully someone else can chime in here but from all the research I did leading up to my build I found nothing in the cheaper mini category that doesn't have that stupid hump in the back.

This guy did a danby build a few years ago but I'm not sure if his model is the same as yours.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/danby-dar440bl-mini-fridge-conversion-to-kegerator.453105/

 

[napx]

I have no problem modifying the door... Seems easy to cover. I just really didn't want to have to carve up the inside of the fridge also.

 

[napx]

There seems to be some discussion about this danby fridge being replaced by others that aren't we convenient to mod. Can anyone confirm? (I guess I ought to start another thread...)

 

[Beermeister32]

Here is my Sanyo 4.4 cubic foot mini fridge, now obsolete. Other brands are similar. 5 lb CO2 fits in the pocket in the door with Velcro strap. Regulator hardware was reversed so the valve knob and gauge are facing in the right direction for this door design. Door closes fine, the CO2 tank fits in the door space and the space between two kegs.

 

[Where's my beer?]

Here is my Sanyo 4.4 cubic foot mini fridge, now obsolete. Other brands are similar. 5 lb CO2 fits in the pocket in the door with Velcro strap. Regulator hardware was reversed so the valve knob and gauge are facing in the right direction for this door design. Door closes fine, the CO2 tank fits in the door space and the space between two kegs.

Damn, that's a sexy looking setup!

What modifications (if any) were done and did you paint it yourself or is that black interior from the factory? It looks really great and having the tank mounted in there like that... wow. Seeing it fit perfectly scratches an itch I didn't know I had.

I also love that you have more than one

 

[Beermeister32]

Hi - No modifications except for two slits I made in the plastic to hold the Velcro strap in place. They made two Sanyo 4.4 foot models, one with a black interior and glass shelves, and one with a white interior and wire shelves. I have both models, I currently run 6 of these in my garage (and another 2 at work.) I can control temps individually, some are used as fermentation chambers, some as keg lagering, some as bottle storage. This one is my serving fridge, it is on top of another one and is at a comfortable serving height.

 

[napx]

Oh man that looks great. Wish I could find one of these! What are the dimensions?

 

[Beermeister32]

Maximum overall 34" tall, 21.5" wide, 21.5" deep plus the overhang for the motor and drip pan behind it.

 

[napx]

fyi - picked up a danby designer. plenty of room to fit two standard ball lock kegs without modifying the interior portion of the fridge. as others have noted, the door will have to be cut down to fit two kegs. but for now i just have a single keg in there (along with a 5# co2 tank) and it fits without any modification whatsoever!

 

[Beermeister32]

Great news!

 

[TimboSlice39]

I created an account because I wanted this to be public

10/10 can confirm that the top of this fridge is mostly foam. Took an infrared camera and there is one hot line across the back and something near the front left (in direction to this picture). Basically have the whole top to drill.
Fits 1/6 barrel perfect with 5lb CO2 tank. Door is super easy to cut with a box cutter.

I’m having a bar/island built for my kitchen to house fridge, tap tower will be on top of the counter, and insulation for the beer line between the tower and fridge top. First time doing this, second fridge attempted on.

Hope this helps someone for future reference!

 

[Tjohnson10]

I created an account because I wanted this to be public

10/10 can confirm that the top of this fridge is mostly foam. Took an infrared camera and there is one hot line across the back and something near the front left (in direction to this picture). Basically have the whole top to drill.
Fits 1/6 barrel perfect with 5lb CO2 tank. Door is super easy to cut with a box cutter.

I’m having a bar/island built for my kitchen to house fridge, tap tower will be on top of the counter, and insulation for the beer line between the tower and fridge top. First time doing this, second fridge attempted on.

Hope this helps someone for future reference!

What fridge are you speaking of? Thanks

 

[terrypratt1]

Has anyone used this fridge as the base of a kegerator build project? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hisense-4-4-cu-ft-Freezerless-Refrigerator-Sliver-ENERGY-STAR/1002927622

I've seen several mentions of the hisense freezers but haven't yet heard of anyone using this particular fridge. The size seems about right to fit two cornies and a co2 tank and there's no freezer compartment. It's also a fair bit cheaper than I can find the frequently used danby for, and would fit in my pantry with more shelf clearance... So that's appealing.

Any experience / thoughts? Tx in advance

I recently purchased for the same use case. It fits only 1 Corny Keg (Pepsi - Ball Lock) but I can also keep the 5 pound CO2 tank and regulator in the unit. I don't see any way it would fit 2 5 gallon kegs (even if the door racks were removed. I can't insert picture directly in the reply or I would have included a picture of the setup. It is GREAT for a single keg setup.

Terry

 

[boredz28]

I created an account because I wanted this to be public

10/10 can confirm that the top of this fridge is mostly foam. Took an infrared camera and there is one hot line across the back and something near the front left (in direction to this picture). Basically have the whole top to drill.
Fits 1/6 barrel perfect with 5lb CO2 tank. Door is super easy to cut with a box cutter.

I’m having a bar/island built for my kitchen to house fridge, tap tower will be on top of the counter, and insulation for the beer line between the tower and fridge top. First time doing this, second fridge attempted on.

Hope this helps someone for future reference!

I created this account just to THANK YOU!!! If you were here I would hug you. LOL I have been looking for weeks and even tried to use the alcohol, corn starch to find the lines on the top of this fridge.

 

[terrypratt1]

I'm receiving the exact fridge you're talking about second hand within the next week or so. I'll take some photos and measurements of the inside when I get it. FWIW, I have a Magic Chef 4.4 cu ft freezer less mini and I would say that you might be able to fit two if you dremel off some of the door panel or side ribbing that holds the shelves. If you contact the manufacturer you might be able to get them to send you a diagram of the actual inside dimensions. That's what I did with my Magic Chef.

Did you ever get this unit? I have one in use (Tap thru front door) - it holds 1 Corny and the 5 pound CO2 with tegulator but i want to get a 20 pound tank and keep CO2 outside. Tried Hisense support but no answers - wondering if I can drill the side (bottom half on the side with Temp Controls). Anyone know if it is "safe" to drill thru the side of the unit? I "assume" or "Suspect" all the cooling is in the rear but really don't want to break what I have (it is nice for single Corny - don't suspect I can get 2 inside even if I fully strip down plastic on the door).

Terry