smallest fridge for 3 gallon corny keg - seltzer system

[gromfy]

I've found several threads related to fridges for 5 gallon kegs. I'm looking for the SMALLEST fridge people have found for a 3 gallon corny keg. It's for a home seltzer system, so I don't need extra space for CO2. All I need is the keg and enough headroom for the connections.

Too bad no one makes a 20x10x10 fridge!?!

 

[StMarcos]

I'm sort of in the same boat. My fridge fits 4 cornies, and I've recently begun making 15G batches. I want to keg in sankes now, but can't fit a sanke with a corny in there. So am thinking of an extra fridge for the carbed water. My seltzer system uses CO2. What does yours use?

Maybe extend a dorm fridge in the vertical direction?

 

[gromfy]

Oh, don't get me wrong, my seltzer system uses CO2. Without it, there'd be no seltzer! It's just that I'll use a motorized carbonator and plumb it directly. That will be remote from the corny/fridge. All I need in the fridge is the corny.

What do you mean by "extending" a dorm fridge?

 

[StMarcos]

I see what your sayin... the water is carbed 'on demand,' right? That is, the bulk water is not carbed as it sits in the fridge?

As long as there are no cooling coils in the top, cut a hole large enough for the top of the keg to fit through, and insulate the extension.

My water sits under 35psi, but the cylinder is external to the fridge.

 

[agezzi]

What do you mean by "extending" a dorm fridge?

Like this mine will fit 3 after I move my co2 tank outside

 

[StMarcos]

I see what your sayin... the water is carbed 'on demand,' right? That is, the bulk water is not carbed as it sits in the fridge?

As long as there are no cooling coils in the top, cut a hole large enough for the top of the keg to fit through, and insulate the extension.

My water sits under 35psi, but the cylinder is external to the fridge.

 

[StMarcos]

whoops

 

[gromfy]

the water is carbed 'on demand,' right? That is, the bulk water is not carbed as it sits in the fridge?

Almost. For a variety of reasons I don't fully understand, the suggestion was to do the carbonating BEFORE the refrigeration, using the room temp water. Which means the 3 gallon corny will take in warm carbonated water and chill it for dispensing out of a wall-mounted faucet (about 2' down the line).

That works out for me because I can put the CO2 and motorized unit in the garage, out of sight and out of the way. I just need a way to chill 3 gallons near dispensing. Our kitchen cabinet configuration doesn't leave much room to spare. Fitting the keg in the cabinets is easy. There's just so much wasted overhead with most fridges. A 10x20x20 fridge would be perfect! :cross:

 

[StMarcos]

Maybe more work than you want to do, but I have an idea. Look at one of those threads where they take the guts out of a cheap dorm fridge - the type where the coils are basically the 'freezer' shelf. If you could bend (carefully?) this tray/shelf to the curvature of the outside of the corny, then you could build a really tight fitting foam shell around the keg. Basically a fridge the size of the corny.

 

[gromfy]

I've actually thought about that EXACT approach. I just don't really know much about those coils, how much they could take, or how to insulate the corny once wrapped in the coils. I investigated whether you could buy a compressor and those coils to do just that, and it's neither easy to find nor cost effective. I also worry about whether it would actually function efficiently, or whether it would just create sorta-cold water.

But this is a really interesting avenue to explore, and I'd be really curious if others have gone down that rabbit hole.

 

[StMarcos]

It should be able to make near freezing water... 2'' of polyurethane foam should do the trick. 4'' even better of course. From the pics of those coils, it seems like they wold bend in one direction enough to fit a keg radius. The only thing that would worry me is the ability to make the system so that the compressor/coils could be replaced easily. I wouldn't want the work done on the shell to go to waste when the compressor fries.

 

[gromfy]

Thanks for the suggestion. I share your concern about it being repair-able. I'll keep you posted.