Icebox

[vinper]

there will be 2 door seals . 1st one 3/8" weather strip around the door ,when door closes it will seal up against the face of the fridge . it makes latching the door hard ,until it gets compred for a while . The 2nd will be inside, thats why the 1.5 " deep wood around the inside of opening. Will be some type of P shaped gasket ..like this

 

[vinper]

I plan on soldering the components back together this weekend, then vacumn and charge and test . before I finish all the insulation. I dont want something not working and have to rip out some insulation, at 14.00 sheet it took 4 sheets to do a double layer

 

[MooMooBrew]

Holy cow. this is so cool, makes me want to go start craigslisting for a fridge to sacrifice for this project...

 

[vinper]

Well got it all welded back together and charged with freon . It was about 97 degrees out there ... still trying to find the right charge pressure, I could only get it down to 45 degrees which took half the day .. But some of the walls still have no insulation and the doors arent sealed . I wanted to make sure it all would work before i finish sealing it up ...I might have to add a shrader valve on the Low side to charge it properly . But Im glad I atleast got it to work

 

[vinper]

some more

 

[vinper]

I got it down to 34 degrees , Also it fits 3 carboys on this side no problem

 

[vinper]

Finished up the insulation and installed the controller then did some testing , this is with outside temps in the 90's ,put in tap water carboy water temp was 82 degrees . heres how long it took . I turned unit off over night and inside temp was at 60 this morning... having chilled stuff inside will really help keep even temps..

 

[vinper]

Also doors fit so nice without any seals ,I cant feel any leaks

 

[BadHorsie]

Very Impressive!!

 

[vinper]

Put your tools down ... buttoned up the back . came out nice . Gonna start a lager in there this week

 

[vinper]

Even has a serial and model #

 

[BeardedIdiot]

That. Is. Amazing.

Very nice piece of furniture you built there. I don't think ANYONE'S SWMBO would object to that in the house, unless she were just a total b!tch...

 

[new2brew1221]

Awesome!!!

 

[vinper]

Only problem the entire back wall of our house is glass , so it limits interior wall space . we dont have a place to put it . its big and sticks out far 29" .. At the time I didnt think she want it the house otherwise I would have built it to fit... I have a 24x40 shop so thats were its at.

 

[new2brew1221]

Awesome!!!

 

[vinper]

Doing a little Lagering , working fine . takes temp. down to 50 then rises to 57 before compressor kicks back on .. I need to figure out how to monitor how long its running to see how efficient it is , maybe some type of temp. recorder

 

[crazyworld]

Do you want to monitor temps or power consumption? For power consumption, try the Kill-A-Watt and let it run for a day, then play with your set point temperatures and test again.

 

[vinper]

I would like to know how long compressor is running and how many times per day

 

[DavidinTexas]

One trick is get an old motor driven clock and connect to the circuit such that it runs when the compressor runs. You might also find a mechanical counter that clicks off each time the circuit is activated.

Old school - but sometimes that stuff still works well (and cheap).

 

[TwoRiders]

Any Updates on how well this thing is working?

I'm doing this same thing except mine will be a kegerator with a tower.

couple of questions for you.
Anything you would have changed if you could?
How bad was rewelding those vac lines?
How did you get that detail on the front corners? [router?]

I'm sure I can think of hundred more questions but seeing as how im ordering wood next week thats all I can come up with on short notice.

 

[vinper]

working pefectly . I need to change the after market latches. junk, they sit crooked when latching pressure is applied . I change out compressors at work so silver soldering was nothing. The detail I kinda hand did with a hand router and a big wood file. I still need to put a covering material on the inside . Also I have a 1 gallon bottle on the inside which catches the ice melting off the coil when compressor cycle's off , the fridge had it run to a evaperation catch tray mounted ontop of the exterior compressor..

 

[vinper]

The base was trickey it is a seperate piece from the top . and the top slide /fits in to the base. lots of pics if you need

 

[TwoRiders]

So i guess the level of welding is going to be beyond someone with a flux core and some level of comfort with welding sheetmetal and larger stock.

I'm thinking a dorm fridge cut up would be better for me as long as I don't cut through anything.

although mine is going to be much smaller
5foot high 3 foot wide 1.5 foot deep.
and only one chamber will be truely cold.

 

[vinper]

silver solder is just like soft solder except it needs more heat mapp gas and it flows toward the heat practice very simple . Only had to connect 2 lines ,and install a schader fitting .but you will need a vacumn pump to test for leaks and clean the system

 

[jsguitar]

Just wanted to say awesome build! Good idea on using the bigger fridge btw. I built a small box around a dorm fridge years ago to fit one carboy and it just didn't have much power at all. I ending up scrapping the whole thing.

 

[TwoRiders]

Vinper the more pictures the better!

I'm pretty good about following plans this will be my first custom build based off a bunch of pictures ive been downloading.

the welding isn't really welding then its really soldering pipe just with silver solder and more heat?

if so not a problem!