Pimp My Fridge

[BadKarmaa]

Ok, so after finding out how much fun it was to build a kegerator, and how easy it was, I have decided to build another one. Here's the thing. It must be pimp'n. Although I have a few ideas of what to do, I wanted to start a post to get everyone's input and ideas. Keep in mind I am a student, so money is an object. That said however, I am an entrepreneurial major, so I am resourceful. ; ) The following is a list of ideas I have, along with a pic of the kegorator I just finished. I may or may not sell this one as it does not go with the house decor, and may be my money source for a new and improved kegorator.

Full sized fridge:
- convert freezer door to accommodate speakers and I pod docking station. Mount some go cart wheels on the bottom, add a disco ball and some lights, and call it the Portaparty. (JK, but the speakers and Ipod would be nice )
- dismantle freezer and take off freezer door to accommodate flat screen TV and Xbox console.

Chest Freezer:
- add real or fake wood paneling, extend the top surface a few feet, add some shelves, and Viola! a desk/kegorator! ( You will never have to leave your computer to get a beer again! )

Outside the box ideas:
The coffe table kegerator
The weather proofed grill/kegerator ( mount grill on top of a chest freezer maybe? )

Any other ideas you all might have would be awesome. I need all my beermagineers on this one. Also, any artwork or designs would be most helpful. I will try and post some as soon as I get the scanner working again. For now, here are pics of the Blue Devil. Let me know if you might be interested in buying it, and live in Albuquerque.

[img=http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4121/thebluedevilsc4.th.jpg]

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

The beer-side-table... My bed-side table is halfway there... it accomodates 80 bottles of beer comfortably... maybe insulate it and maybe use an old fridgeration system to keep it cool... Why get out of bed to go ALL the way to the fridge?

Yeah i know not that great but it'd still be good...

Maybe a side by side freezer with the freezer side converted into a kegerator... Where the water comes out BEER comes out... All the buttons on the front are actually keg selectors... The fridge side has enough room for Bottles, Pizza, Dip, and other goodies... Maybe install a touchscreen that lets you select what you want out of it, like a vending machine...

My ideas may not be very good but damn they'd still be nice to have...

 

[BadKarmaa]

I like the way you think friend. That got me thinking of the Kegerator headboard. I've always wanted an excuse to lay down under a tap and drink to my hearts desire. Is that too out there? :rockin:

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

I like the way you think friend. That got me thinking of the Kegerator headboard. I've always wanted an excuse to lay down under a tap and drink to my hearts desire. Is that too out there? :rockin:

Actually that's a great idea... Just gotta make sure you don't pass out under the tap and drown...

 

[Orfy]

How about.....

A kegorator with a built in pizza oven/grill.

A kegorator with a built in fish tank?

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

A kegorator with a built in fish tank?

Funny you say that... I was going to get a fish tank and build a bar around it...

 

[BadKarmaa]

WoW! My head is about to burst with all these new ideas. Keep it coming guys. Concerning the coffee table kegorater, however, is it possible to get a really long chest freezer, and cut it down? It would need to be roughly 2 1/2 - 3 ft tall. I'm thinking a 5ft x 3ft x 3ft chest freezer should be able to hold three pony kegs as apposed to corney kegs.

If it is not possible to cut a freezer down that low, would it be possible to convert something else into a refrigerator, or make one from scratch? I'm thinking a truck bed tool box might work with some insulation and a few other components?

Cheers to the beermagineers!

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

WoW! My head is about to burst with all these new ideas. Keep it coming guys. Concerning the coffee table kegorater, however, is it possible to get a really long chest freezer, and cut it down? It would need to be roughly 2 1/2 - 3 ft tall. I'm thinking a 5ft x 3ft x 3ft chest freezer should be able to hold three pony kegs as apposed to corney kegs.

If it is not possible to cut a freezer down that low, would it be possible to convert something else into a refrigerator, or make one from scratch? I'm thinking a truck bed tool box might work with some insulation and a few other components?

Cheers to the beermagineers!

http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/FermentationChiller.html

use the same concept but make it bigger... replace the fan and cooling jugs with one of these... wire a refrigerator thermostat to it with a fan on the inside... on the outside all you'll need is a heat sink and a fan to pull the heat away...

 

[Reverend JC]

I dont really have a good idea on this yet but the kegorater and the fish tank idea got me to laughing as i thought about the guy in "Im gonna get you sucka" that had the fish inside the bottom of his platform shoes. what a rediculous movie.

 

[LouT]

Kegerator-for-spousal-peace -- build a kegerator that goes into a kitchen island, and design it such that the island top with tower can fold easily upside down/under - so it is hidden and looks like a normal kitchen island -- then with some unfolding it converts back into a beer dispensing station.

 

[Yanos]

Lou - I've been thinking of that very same idea for the past few months!

 

[ayrton]

Perhaps there's some way to incorporate a bunch of games into the thing? You could have a dart board on it or fold out, built-in flat screen TVs with a video game console, etc. I'm sure there are tons of ways to make it an entertainment center.

 

[LouT]

I don't think it'd be too tough, but honestly haven't sat down to do a design - no island at this house (just moved here August) although we had one in our last home.

 

[Ize]

Hmm... for a side by side couldn't you use the freezer side for your keggerator and replace the water/ice dispenser with taps? You could get at least 4 cornys in there stacked I bet. Then use the fridge side for a lagerator AND keep some BMC in there for friends and neighbors?

Ize

 

[BadKarmaa]

I really like the kitchen island idea. However, there is no room for an island in my house, as it is pretty small. The entertainment center kegerator is doable though. I had already thought about a similar idea in my original post, IE mounting a fat screen in the freezer or in the freezer door itself ( is that possible? ) and connecting an Xbox console. However, this may pose a few issues as people are constantly standing in front of the TV to get a beer, plus the kegerator would be over carpet.

On that note, the gentlemen (can't remember his name now ) that posted an idea of expanding the fermentation chiller to make a custom sized fridge may be on to something concerning the coffee table kegerator. The link posted to replace the cooling jugs with something else was broken though. My question is, could I use that pink insulation stuff and mount it on the inside of a truck bed tool box or other pre-existing frame?

Or, is it possible to cut a lateral middle section out of a chest freezer to get it to "coffe table hight" without destroying critical components?

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

I really like the kitchen island idea. However, there is no room for an island in my house, as it is pretty small. The entertainment center kegerator is doable though. I had already thought about a similar idea in my original post, IE mounting a fat screen in the freezer or in the freezer door itself ( is that possible? ) and connecting an Xbox console. However, this may pose a few issues as people are constantly standing in front of the TV to get a beer, plus the kegerator would be over carpet.

On that note, the gentlemen (can't remember his name now ) that posted an idea of expanding the fermentation chiller to make a custom sized fridge may be on to something concerning the coffee table kegerator. The link posted to replace the cooling jugs with something else was broken though. My question is, could I use that pink insulation stuff and mount it on the inside of a truck bed tool box or other pre-existing frame?

Or, is it possible to cut a lateral middle section out of a chest freezer to get it to "coffe table hight" without destroying critical components?

sorry it didn't work... search ebay for peltier coolers... i forgot who gave me that idea... you could use the insulation board on the inside of that... however you'd need to drill holes for the cooling system and for the heat sink...

 

[BadKarmaa]

Awesome! Have a few questions though. How many Watts would I need? 70? 120? I assume this would be mounted on the inside of the Jimmy Rig fridge, correct? Also, what is this heat sink you speak of?

 

[Capt. Awesomest]

The video game route would be awesome, but go old school. Build a MAME system with built in taps, now that is pure genius!

Just add beer!

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

Awesome! Have a few questions though. How many Watts would I need? 70? 120? I assume this would be mounted on the inside of the Jimmy Rig fridge, correct? Also, what is this heat sink you speak of?

It varies depending on size. Even a small one will keep it kool i think it's around 60-90 (i think). One side is cold the other is hot... So on the outside (the hot side) you would need a heat sink (like in a computer over the CPU, search ebay for Peltier Heatsink) and directly over the heatsink a fan to pull more heat off... on the inside (cold side) you would need a fan to help circulate air, air that is turbulent is much cooler and therefore it would up your efficiency, and a thermostat on the inside to turn on and off the fans and cooler, make sure you also have another thermometer to actually monitor temps, the thermostat is just a regulator.

 

[LouT]

Odd ball idea here -- child coffin kegerator.


OK, just threw it out there to stir the pot. I used to know a guy that built an erie motorcycle trailer out of a child coffin. Everything was painted black and the bike (Harley) and trailer were covered in more skulls than you could imagine.

 

[Lynne_L]

OK not like I have th $$ but that's one awesome fridge... what would you sell it for if you might sell it, may I ask? I'd design a bar around that as a fine centerpiece!

 

[LouT]

Lou - I've been thinking of that very same idea for the past few months!

Your dog in your avatar is really nice looking.
Yes, I think many a man has had this thought about a keg in the kitchen that is a Hide-away!

 

[BadKarmaa]

OK not like I have th $$ but that's one awesome fridge... what would you sell it for if you might sell it, may I ask? I'd design a bar around that as a fine centerpiece!

I'm not really sure actualy. It comes down to how much I think my time is worth. All in all I spent around 600+ bones and put in around 36 hours of work. Most of that was the paint job inside and out. Check out the pics on my user CP to see pics of the inside.

 

[MA_Brewer]

Odd ball idea here -- child coffin kegerator.


OK, just threw it out there to stir the pot. I used to know a guy that built an erie motorcycle trailer out of a child coffin. Everything was painted black and the bike (Harley) and trailer were covered in more skulls than you could imagine.

Maybe it's the parent in me, but that's just distrubing.