Keezer with no collar?

[burntchef]

So my craigslist kegerator is on the fritz. 3 years usage for 200.00 spent, no worries.
On to my question. What would any issues be with taking my tower off said kegerator and attaching it to the lid? I am seeing the path of least resistance with the parts I already have. Plus I am eye balling a commercial freezer 7 cu feet from a commercial rest place on line with free shipping for 500.00 and change.
Comments appreciated.
Eric

 

[day_trippr]

As long as you account for the "hanging weight" of the tower when the lid is in the open position there shouldn't be any issues. Otherwise the lid sheet metal could deform and you'll never get it right again.

I epoxied a piece of wood to the underside of the lid; it was almost the full depth of the lid (had to account for the lid latch at the front) and 11" wide. Then I ran my tower flange bolts through that piece of wood...

Cheers!

 

[burntchef]

Thanx!
Eric

 

[matt_m]

I added a top on the outside of mine. Just pine stained black with several coats of polyurethane.



You'll either need a small enough CO2 tank to fit inside or find a way to run your CO2 line too. I drilled through the back edge of the lid and went in that way which has worked out well. I ran the Inkbird probe wire that way too. If I had that to do again I'd have run it through tubing to allow future replacement. The way I did it I'll probably have to take things apart. I filled this with spray foam and trimmed it flush before attaching the top.



Not finding a picture handy, but to deal with mounting secondary regulators, I just epoxied a piece of PVC 1x4 to the inside wall which worked nicely.

Edit: One other thing to know, with a tower you need a good bit of space behind the keezer to open the lid. Mine opens over the top of my bar, but I still have to pull it out several inches. I found some appliance rollers that worked out great for that purpose and its more of a hassle to remove the glasses I store behind the towers than it is to pull it out.

 

[IslandLizard]

Plus I am eye balling a commercial freezer 7 cu feet from a commercial rest place on line with free shipping for 500.00 and change.

What makes it commercial?
You can buy new freezers that size for $200-250.

That said, I bought a fairly large "Gibson" chest freezer back in 1989, and it's been running since, for 31 years. Knocking on wood.

 

[matt_m]

That said, I bought a fairly large "Gibson" chest freezer back in 1989, and it's been running since, for 31 years. Knocking on wood.

On one hand, if only they still made them like that, on the other, luckily they don't since the new ones are so much more energy efficient!

 

[day_trippr]

One can run a crapton of stuff through the back of a keezer lid. I have four gas lines using panel style 1/4" MFL-MFL bulkheads and gas posts with adapters, and a lot of power and signals running through panel style connectors...

The lid liner buttons up nicely and hides the total freak show underneath

Cheers!

 

[matt_m]

Yours was the inspiration for my much simpler needs. But I couldn’t disassemble my lid like that. The foam inside bonded it all together.

 

[balrog]

Holy mother of Gragnok!

 

[day_trippr]

Yeah, that lid came with a simple loose batt of fiberglass insulation tossed in (pathetic, really) so this one was comparatively easy to attached the stiffener. But my first keezer came with that foamed-in-place insulation - and I did the same build, though a tad simpler (no rinser, only two gas lines, but all of the same power and signalling).

I did have to carve the insulation down to the sheet metal to attach the stiffening board and ease access to the back edge to work tubing and cabling in...

...but on the up side that lid was always nice and stiff due to that same foam, whereas until I replaced the stupid fiberglass on the new one with glued down rigid foam the whole lid would twist with the least provocation...

Cheers!

 

[burntchef]

What makes it commercial?
You can buy new freezers that size for $200-250.

That said, I bought a fairly large "Gibson" chest freezer back in 1989, and it's been running since, for 31 years. Knocking on wood.

Commercial means bigger compressor and rated for continuous duty, better cooling for bigger compressor. Box is stiffer, and 5 year compressor warranty.
Eric
On a side note, the kegerator got back with the program today???

 

[burntchef]

So my keggerator went on the fritz again. Went to lowes and no freezers! Read some posts here, got my tools out and hacked the faulty thermostat with a wire nut. Plugged the unit into a ink bird controller, and happy cold beer! Just in time to receive the 10 gallons of APA today.
Eric

 

[day_trippr]

Gotta be a huge relief

Cheers! (I think I'd totally lose my poopy if my keezer went fritzy right now )