Old fridge conversion question

[Ludesbrews]

All,

My setup is rather unique. I have an old fridge that is currently my fermentation/lagering chamber. I just got my first kegging kit, and want to use it as a kegerator.

My situation is this:

I have my fridge flush with a cinderblock wall. On the other side of the cinderblock wall is my mancave, where I want to put my tap. Is it possible to have a line from my fridge to the tap in my wall? I would say the distance from my fridge to the tap is less than 3 feet.


Any help is appreciated!

 

[kh54s10]

I would think it could be done. But at what hassle? You will need to run the beer line through some sort of piping. You will also have to cool the air inside. Cutting a hole through the cinder block wall, the fridge? without hitting a coolant line, insulating and trim work. On the other side you will need some sort of drip tray and whatever else it takes to make it look right.

 

[day_trippr]

I agree, it could be done, but I also agree it sounds like a substantial undertaking at least wrt drilling holes through cinderblock walls.

That said, it's nbd to find safe spots to run gas lines in/beer lines out of the typical full size fridge, and I'd rather punch through cinderblock than a legit concrete partition wall any freakin' day, so the outstanding potential issue will be three feet of beer line running through space.

That can be addressed as well through at least two means, but it'll take larger holes through the wall: chilled trunk line (probably most expensive but most likely to work well; a pond pump sitting in a reservoir of glycol could do the trick), or a loop of insulated PVC pipe conveying the beer lines and fan-forced chilled air from the fridge (cheaper, but can be tricky)...

Cheers!

 

[Ludesbrews]

I agree, it could be done, but I also agree it sounds like a substantial undertaking at least wrt drilling holes through cinderblock walls.

That said, it's nbd to find safe spots to run gas lines in/beer lines out of the typical full size fridge, and I'd rather punch through cinderblock than a legit concrete partition wall any freakin' day, so the outstanding potential issue will be three feet of beer line running through space.

That can be addressed as well through at least two means, but it'll take larger holes through the wall: chilled trunk line (probably most expensive but most likely to work well; a pond pump sitting in a reservoir of glycol could do the trick), or a loop of insulated PVC pipe conveying the beer lines and fan-forced chilled air from the fridge (cheaper, but can be tricky)...

Cheers!

Thanks for the responses. Excuse my ridiculous questions, as I have never done this. So it sounds as though no matter how long the beer line from keg, it must be refrigerated.

Is there any wiggle room? Meaning, is there any length of unrefrigerated that would work?

Just to be crazy, what would happen if I left line unrefrigerated? Would I need to bleed the line a little before getting a cold beer? Would it effect carbonation?

Thanks