Upright Keezer build

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fuzzybee

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Picked up a Kenmore Elite 20cf freezer yesterday off Facebook. It is a "Frost Free Heavy Duty Commercial" model - part number 253.213082101.

It has rear-supported glass shelves, so I don't have to worry about working around side supports. The plan is to be able to fit 8-10 ball-locks in here, and put taps in the door.

One thing that is nice about it is that is configured to allow an ice maker installation. I should be able to use that area to bring my gas in from outside.

I need to figure out how to stop its "over temperature" beeping. For now, I've solved it by unplugging it.

At first, I will put the hoppy red ale I brewed last weekend in it on a picnic tap (or I may go ahead and get a DuoTight Draft Beer Gun while they are on sale at Williams). I need to go through my old kegging hardware and evaluate what I have and need to replace.

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A full keg weighs about 50 pounds so I wouldn't put 300 pounds of beer on a shelf held up only by those back brackets. I would for sure put some vertical legs at the front left and right of the shelf, even if it's just a pair of legs made from 1/2" EMT conduit or similar.
 
A full keg weighs about 50 pounds so I wouldn't put 300 pounds of beer on a shelf held up only by those back brackets. I would for sure put some vertical legs at the front left and right of the shelf, even if it's just a pair of legs made from 1/2" EMT conduit or similar.

Oh, no - I'll be building a shelf to put in there. I may remove the back brackets altogether.
 
I'm back home from work for the weekend, so I decided to go ahead and make this work at beer temperature. Number one problem was the stupid alarm beeper. It's soldered to the control board - at least it was. Now it's sitting on my kitchen table. I put a new Prime Day Inkbird ITC-308S inline for the power - at least temporarily. I may ultimately split off the power so the interior light still works. It's very handy to have the option for an icemaker, because there is a pre-drilled hole in the back that is plugged with foam. Right now, the Inkbird probe is fed through there; eventually, my CO2 / beer gas feeds will come through there as well.
 

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Finally an update! I've been travelling a lot, so I haven't had much beer time. I got some stainless shank collars in, ordered my 15/16" hole saw, and today had time to drill into the freezer. I thought I had 6 shanks, buy I only have 5. I need to order another. I think I'll sell this nitro tap and the Murphy's one I have and replace them with smaller-handled taps.

Next up - running the hoses!

Also, I dumpster-dove a neighbor's trash and got a couple of coated metal grid closet shelves they were throwing away. I'll cut those down to be my interior shelf (mounted on a 2x2 frame)
 

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Installed the shelf tonight. I dumpster-dove a neighbor's closet wire shelving for the shelf area. So far, it's holding up fine. Next, hose management of the beer lines, and moving the gas tanks outside the freezer.
 

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