Keezer with collar: Shanks and double hinging

[Texastrooper]

Howdy all
I did some search here but could not find an answer. I am going to build another keezer which fits up to six kegs with the proper collar. Just got a cheap used chest freezer today.
On my previous build build a simple collar from 2x6 and used something like 4" shanks and they protrude in the keezer quite a lot.
Now I am looking for a solution where I have the shanks not going in that far to make it easier to lift out kegs.
Either I go for double hinging or I can use less protrusive shanks.
Single hinge:
What type of shanks are people using with the collars? And are there any elbow nipples so that i could route the beer lines downward rather than across the keezer?
Double Hinging:
Shank length is not much of an issue and the longer the shank the better it stays cold. I am looking for a proper seal to seal the collar against the keezer. What have people been using here? Just some sort of weather stripping?

 

[day_trippr]

A two-by has a nominal thickness of 1.5" (heading for 1.375", I swear) so you could certainly use a shank meant for a max wall thickness of 2.5" (4" total length, typically). And you can add a 90° tail piece to drop your beer lines straight down...

Cheers!

 

[CaptainAl]

When I built my 6 tap keezer, I too was concerned with the shank protruding into the freezer space.

I ended up using 3" SS shanks and countersinking the holes. I am able to put 6 ball locks in the keezer (4xfloor, 2xhump)

I did double hinge and used weatherstripping (foam) and have been very happy with it.

Here are a few pics of the shank holes. I took a bunch of pics throughout the build so if there is something specific you want to see in the build process, just let me know.








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[Texastrooper]

Thanks guys. This is a nice clean setup and the counter sinking looks like a good idea. I am planning on having 6 taps as well.
What type of drill did you use to drill the larger holes with?

 

[CaptainAl]

I used my Milwaukee 1/2" drill....but I think a standard 3/8" drill with a large bit would work fine too. I just drilled it larger than the shank nuts.


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