Vintage cabinet kegerator build

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Mountainsax

Mountainsax

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2014
Messages
371
Reaction score
68
Location
Durango
We picked up this vintage fridge a couple months ago and have been doing a lot of learning about what it would take to get it running again. In the end it would cost $500-$1,200 to replace the parts needed and recharge it!

Last week I scored 3 mini fridges and we decided to use the guts from two of them to get this beast going! I'm going to try to document the build as I go. Hopefully it will be helpful to someone...View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1417404704.073739.jpg
 
So I got the first fridge assembly installed and plugged it in to make sure it still works... Success!!:ban: Still need to attach the freezer tray to the inside of the fridge. It does take up some room in the fridge but I didn't want to do too much bending of the lines and the tray to try and flatten in out, it just makes me nervous!

I am planning to use some sheet metal to patch the groove that I had to cut to get the lines into the fridge and fill it with spray insulation. Hopefully I can make it look nice. Not sure if I want to permanently mount the thermostat inside or outside (or at all). I am leaning toward mounting it inside so kids can't mess with it. I have thought about doing a temp controller but don't think I really need one for a kegerator. I should be able to control the temp well enough with the thermostats.

IMG_0799[1].jpg


IMG_0800[1].jpg
 
Tested the fridge today to see what kind of power the one mini fridge unit had (because I'm impatient!). No insulation in the lid, painters tape to hold the door closed and over various holes and it still worked! Turned it on when I left for work around 6 and when I checked it tonight around 6 it was at 35 F in a 60 F garage! I know that the compressor probably ran most of the time because it was pretty hot but it is encouraging that with only one unit I can get down to that temp!

Now I just have to get the other unit installed, new door seals, insulation, door handles... Back to work!
 
Love the picture of the two kids helping out, they'll be getting into your homebrew in about 10 years, lol. Great idea recycling parts. Nice project.
 
Interested to see what you do with this. Insulation, yeah, I'd replace that. Lots of better insulating options out there than the loose fit of that old fiberglass. What you use is going to depend on your budget of course, coupled with the R values, but I might go with a dense foam, if you can get the right combination of thicknesses to fit in there.
Is that a marble top? I can see that all polished up, looking pretty slick (Ha! no pun intended), and a brass 2 or 3 tap tower, depending on how many kegs you can fit in there, looks like you only limitation may be the internal height?
 
The top is galvanized metal. Not sure how we are going to finish it. I got some foam board insulation and am working on replacing the old stuff.
 
very cool and very wife friendly....are you going to refinish the wood, or just leave it?
 
There is no wood! It is all metal with a faux wood paint job. We are thinking that we are going to strip it and repaint in some vintage colors. Maybe like hot rod two-tone style.
 
wow, no wood...then you have some awesome options! definitely like the vintage paint job idea...
 
Got some more work done this week. Replaced the old insulation with foam board for the sides, back and top. Got the other mini fridge torn down and installed. Had a momentary brain fart when I was installing the fridge components. I forgot to account for the fact that I was installing it on the mirror side but the components were in the same configuration as the first side! I ended up just installing the freezer tray backwards and raising up the compressor a few inches to make up for the extra line length needed. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418514564.464840.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418514593.835379.jpg
 
if you divided the compartment, you could have ultimate flexibility to ferm on one side and serve on the other, or do either (full on kegerator, or full on fermentor) on both sides as long as you have individual temp controls for those compressors.
 
hendo80 said:
if you divided the compartment, you could have ultimate flexibility to ferm on one side and serve on the other, or do either (full on kegerator, or full on fermentor) on both sides as long as you have individual temp controls for those compressors.
Click to expand...

That is a great idea! I'll have to put some thought in to that and see how it would work with running lines, taps and kegs...
 
Just ordered handles, door gasket and everything to set up a two keg system! Merry Christmas to us!! :ban:

Now we just have to decide what we want to do on the top for the taps. Can decide if we want towers, a coffin top, pipe...:confused: So many choices!
 
Decided to do a two post box type tower. The ones I can find for sale are ridiculously expensive though! We are going to set it up for 5 taps and the ones I am seeing are $400-$500!!

I'm going to get some weldable sheet metal and build my own. Should be fun!
 
Door handles and gaskets installed. The handles aren't perfect but they were cheap and work. I did turn both units on to test everything now that the doors seal, the interior holes are patched and I replaced the insulation. In one day, with the thermostats set slightly warmer than halfway it reached 21 deg F! The compressors were only warm this time, not hot like the last test. Progress!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1419449938.740303.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1419449960.010288.jpg
 
Nice progress, this thing is going to be awesome....and those are great tap handles!
 
Thanks hendo80! It is definitely going slower than I would like. My wife had to reign me in and remind me that we wanted to make it awesome the first time, not do something half-$$$ just to make it work. I hate to admit when she is right!!:smack:

I will be patient, I will be patient, I will be patient...:D
 
My birthday is July 5th and we always have a big get together for the 4th/birthday. My goal is to have it totally done by then and have 4 beers and a rootbeer on tap.

T-minus 6 months...:mug:
 
Mountainsax said:
My birthday is July 5th and we always have a big get together for the 4th/birthday. My goal is to have it totally done by then and have 4 beers and a rootbeer on tap.

T-minus 6 months...:mug:
Click to expand...

how you going do your pops? with tower tap or a party hose tap?
i also want do a pop on my set up.
 
I would like to put the soda through the tower tap as well. I'm not sure if I need a different setup, or if I need to run the soda at a different pressure. I have never made soda so I have some more to learn!
 
You don't necessarily need a separate setup, but it helps.

In a nutshell, you'll want to carbonate soda at higher pressure, in the 25-30psi range. Serving at an event, you can just turn down your serving pressure, but if you want to have it available on tap all the time you'll want to keep it at 25-30psi and get a really long line to balance it. If you're serving root beer or cola, it will leach into the lines and seals, which is harder to get out the longer it sits.

And it's best if you use all stainless for soda.
 
been a while since ive worked a resturant with cornys for pop, forgive me if im a bit off.
pop= carb 24-36 hours at 30-40 psi, 30 better, 12-24 hour is have airation stone, serving preasure 7-10 psi.
 
Thanks guys! I'm going to get a dedicated keg and lines for the pop. I have a dual gauge regulator so it won't be a problem to carb the pop and beer at different pressures!
 
I like the design, but cooling the tower takes a little more thought. Were you thinking forced air? What about taking the L all the way across for a U? Either way, it's definitely a beer bar!
 
Ahh, just clicked the link. Very cool. Yes, my thought is if you did the U, it would be easier/possible to do air with a couple of small fans, unless you are going glycol.

By the way, impressive welding skills!
 
hendo80 said:
Ahh, just clicked the link. Very cool. Yes, my thought is if you did the U, it would be easier/possible to do air with a couple of small fans, unless you are going glycol.

By the way, impressive welding skills!
Click to expand...

Decided to do two legs on the tower instead of the asymmetrical design. Easier to attach and I can run lines up both sides so it should allow for a little more insulation. I plan to air cool the tower using something similar to this. The only challenge to this design is accessing the taps to clean and install/remove them. I am thinking I'll cut an access hole in the back of the pipe and build a cover that I can just screw on or put on some kind of latch. Still formulating...

hendo80 said:
By the way, impressive welding skills!
Click to expand...

JB Weld baby!!!
 
That's exactly what I have in my head! Thanks form the link!

Just picked up the pipe for the tower. It is 4" schedule 40 and heavy! This sucker is going to weigh 50 lbs when all is said and done!
 
love the hood ornaments...a beer shrine in the making! That full-on U is going to be awesome. I couldn't access the link to your cooling solution, but anything with a fan and a hose to direct the air up the tower and get it circulating should work. I'd probably build something like this but use Styrofoam instead of the project box....http://www.draft-beer-made-easy.com/towercooling.html

Be sure to insulate the inside of the tower to help prevent condensation, make it more efficient, etc...maybe using rolled foam seal, or something you can fashion into a cylinder and slide into the tubes?

wish I could do something for my kegerator and tower, but I don't really want to hack into mine (built-in with counter top tower), so I'm stuck with passive cooling where I've doubled up the insulation on my lines. It's ok, but it could definitely be colder.
 
Thanks hendo! The cooling system is a 4"PC fan in a box with 1" line going into the tower. I'm planning to insulate with 1" foam of some sort. That should give me 2" to run all the lines. The plan is to put the foam into the pipe pieces before I weld them together so I can cut the foam into the exact shape of the pipes.

It is sanded and ready to paint!
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1422802076.284378.jpg
 

Similar threads

Tommydee
Fridgidaire Gallery French Door Refrigerator Kegerator Build - 5 taps, 2.75” spacing
Replies
9
Views
990
Bassman2003
B
U
For Sale 2 tap kegerator + 3 corny kegs + 2 aluminum CO2 tanks + tap rite regulator for sale in Orange County, CA
Replies
0
Views
374
user 342338
U
TinkerLynx
Custom Kegerator
Replies
1
Views
301
OakIslandBrewery
OakIslandBrewery
spotted_dog
Kegerator, Keezer, or Other?
Replies
31
Views
2K
day_trippr
day_trippr
Broken Crow
To Clean sealed unopened keg with the same thing, Or Not To Clean..blah blah blah
Replies
3
Views
405
Broken Crow
Broken Crow
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top