Turn this bad boy into a beer fridge!!

[DaveGEsq]

I'm looking for ideas on turning this 20 year old stand up fridge/freezer into a beer fridge. I currently have one corny and a three tap CO2 rig (given to me). I'll add pictures of the taps later. Ideally, I would like to have 3 cornies in the fridge but still be able to store bottled beer and/or a lagering carboy. Given the overall height of the fridge, I would like to put the taps up on the freezer door. I am concerned about freezing my liens, though. Perhaps I could insulate them. Anyhow, all thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

 

[cjb]

I'm looking at doing something similar - my current beer fridge/kegerator is a side-by-side, but it's just kicked the bucket. I'm looking at maybe replacing it with a top/bottom, but it's trickier to figure out how to have enough height for kegs + bottles in there. It also puts the taps pretty low if they're on the fridge door (especially if you leave room for tall tap handles). Some fridges have split shelves so one side could be open for the cornies, with shelves on the other for bottles - but 3 cornies might be a tight fit.

 

[DaveGEsq]

Yeah, the top-bottom situation makes it interesting. I was hoping some folks on here might have suggestions on how to deal with that.

 

[DaveGEsq]

Has anyone else run a three-tap system in a top-bottom freezer-fridge? I'm curious if you're able to mount the taps on the top and prevent freezing lines somehow.

 

[snccoulter]

what I did to solve the problem was put the taps as high up as I could then put an L bracket on the fridge door so when I open the freezer the fridge door opens also. but if I open the fridge door the freezer stays closed.

 

[rekoob]

i just got one for free myself. although i think mine is smaller, hard to tell by the pictures. I stuck three cornies in it and it was tight, and that was without a CO2 bottle or any connectors or lines. I wasn't planning on using it for a tap system as I already converted my chest freezer which I used to use for frementing, so that is why I took this one, just for fermenting. I'm not sure I will be able to put more than one carboy inside so if I end up needing space for two I am not sure what I should do.
Not sure what the freezer section is going to do, I haven't hooked up the temp controller to it yet so... time will tell.

 

[bphelan]

By the look I think I have the same fridge, after fabricating a shelf I can fit 4 pin locks easy and could probably wedge 3 and a half barrel if I ever had the need. Mine has the condenser on the bottom so I just drilled through the side for the taps.

 

[blackdragon82]

I have a 3 tap fridge down the shore. That has a top freezer, bottom fridge setup. I put the taps on the side of the fridge. That way I didn't have to worry about the freezer door knocking the beer taps. Then on the freezer door I put a tap for Jager

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

If it's a standard kitchen fridge (not a downsized one), in mine I can fit 6 ball locks in there (tightly) by using a platform to go over the "compressor hump". My platform was made a: the old metal shelves from the fridge, and 6 pavers for spacing.

MC

 

[krazydave]

what I did to solve the problem was put the taps as high up as I could then put an L bracket on the fridge door so when I open the freezer the fridge door opens also. but if I open the fridge door the freezer stays closed.

+1 This is exactly what I did also. I have four cornies in mine and fortunately for me, the bottom shelf which has the drawers attached was still intact and strong enough to hold all four cornies.
The drawers and the space in the door leave me enough room to put a decent amount of bottles in there also. Just not in boxes...