Vintage Chest Freezer Build

[tjmac5071]

Has anyone here built a keezer out of a vintage chest freezer? My wife recently found an old 1950's Ben Hur chest freezer for $25. I did not pick it up yet and I am not committed to buying it yet but the build sounds interesting - but I am a bit worried I may run into complications that I wouldn't with a modern chest freezer. Information on the freezer is scarce given the age. Here is a picture of a similar model but not the actual one. It also has two compartments in it (approx 2/3 / 1/3)

Any guidance here would be appreciated. If it for some reason does not work out as a keezer I may still get it and use it as a fermentation chamber.

 

[Rockn_M]

Has anyone here built a keezer out of a vintage chest freezer? My wife recently found an old 1950's Ben Hur chest freezer for $25. I did not pick it up yet and I am not committed to buying it yet but the build sounds interesting - but I am a bit worried I may run into complications that I wouldn't with a modern chest freezer. Information on the freezer is scarce given the age. Here is a picture of a similar model but not the actual one. It also has two compartments in it (approx 2/3 / 1/3)

Any guidance here would be appreciated. If it for some reason does not work out as a keezer I may still get it and use it as a fermentation chamber.

Someone more knowledgeable than I will chime in but my biggest concern would be spending a bunch of time and the money involved for it to break because of its age.

On option is You could use it as a fermentation chamber or use it for the intended purpose, if you need that much freezer space.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Does it work?
Do they want it gone?
If yes to both above, tell them you will haul it off for 25 bucks.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

As the "voice of experience" with pre-1970's refrigerators and freezers...if it is working now, it will likely work virtually forever. There are no moving parts but the compressor and the door hinges.

There are two/three major downsides:

If they are in an area with a large temperature differential, they will use quite a bit more energy than a modern appliance (thing Keezer in a Texas garage)

Their start-up surge is enough to trip GFCI's and AFCI's.

The things are friggin heavy...I mean Rock of Gibraltar heavy. I got my 1955 Frigidaire Flattop into my basement and that is were it will stay even if I leave the house.

 

[iijakii]

It's not that much work to mount a collar on. I'd go for it and if it breaks, whatever... a couple 2x4s down the drain. Although a ferm chamber that size would be sweet.

 

[tjmac5071]

As the "voice of experience" with pre-1970's refrigerators and freezers...if it is working now, it will likely work virtually forever. There are no moving parts but the compressor and the door hinges.

There are two/three major downsides:

If they are in an area with a large temperature differential, they will use quite a bit more energy than a modern appliance (thing Keezer in a Texas garage)

Their start-up surge is enough to trip GFCI's and AFCI's.

The things are friggin heavy...I mean Rock of Gibraltar heavy. I got my 1955 Frigidaire Flattop into my basement and that is were it will stay even if I leave the house.

The unit runs just fine and is currently in use so this alleviates some of my concern of lugging this thing home only for it to die on my a couple months down the line.

I will be using it in my basement which maintains a pretty stable temperature. As for the startup - how do you account for this? I was planning to use and STC temp controller - I think it is only rated for 15 amps and that is one of my major concerns.

Heavy is also another one of my concerns as it will be coming from a basement, to my basement, lots of lifting of a very heavy piece of equipment

 

[MrFoodScientist]

It's not that much work to mount a collar on. I'd go for it and if it breaks, whatever... a couple 2x4s down the drain. Although a ferm chamber that size would be sweet.

A couple 2x4s is nothing but you definitely have to account for the labor of moving it. I have a 1949 GE fridge, and I will never again move it up/down stairs. I moved recently and I was so afraid it would either crash through the puny wooden steps or that someone would lose their grip and it would crush someone. (Took 3 guys to move it up the stairs). I remember it being a chore getting it into the basement when I bought it, but the guy I bought it from must have been the spawn of Thor because when he helped me move it out of his basement into mine, he handled it like it was a cardboard box.

So naturally when I thought I could replace the insulation in it and subsequently killed it by not being careful enough with the evaporator, I was devastated at the thought of having to haul the hulk off to the scrap yard. Luckily I knew a very generous HVAC guy who helped me repair and recharge it. So keep that in mind when you consider tackling it. Depending on how long it's been in use in its current location, the simple act of moving it might jar vital components enough to cause a freon leak.

This was a pretty well documented epic thread from 89OctaneStang a few years back that details what he dealt with. He did a pretty intense restoration, but the finished product was well worth the work.

 

[tjmac5071]

It's not that much work to mount a collar on. I'd go for it and if it breaks, whatever... a couple 2x4s down the drain. Although a ferm chamber that size would be sweet.

My main concern is the effort to get it to my house. I do not have a truck and will need my brother to help me move it - luckily he has a truck and a trailer too, its just the fact that I will inconvenience him and I want to make sure it is worth it. I have a feeling this thing will take all of our strength to lift up and down a basement and was thinking of getting a third person to help - further complicating it.

My original plan was to buy a new 10cu ft igloo $259 at best buy so this is certainly a huge savings, but lots of extra hassle and some unknowns as to how well it will function for my needs - I am looking to have 6 taps and room to cold crash one fermenter at a time.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

As for the startup - how do you account for this? I was planning to use and STC temp controller - I think it is only rated for 15 amps and that is one of my major concerns.

15 amps is fine the issue is that you are basically going 0-12 amps WITH a giant spark involved in a milli-second. The arc involved is what messes with the code mandated arc fault or ground fault circuit interrupter outlets. Use a normal outlet with no sensitive electronics on it. REPLACE the cord if it is a two prong or in anyway punky...ground to the chassis if no existing ground.

I cannot urge you enough to seriously consider either hiring a mover for assistance or learn to levitate. This is likely to weigh in the range of 450#'s or more. Unless the the way in and out is a straight shot, you will have to raise it vertical and shimmy it into place, tip it back down, etc.

Of course, after all that handling...leave it in the correct orientation for a minimum of a few hours and preferably overnight.

 

[Hoppity]

If you move it do yourself a big favor and get a refrigerator dolly with locking straps. My two grown sons and I moved a 700# gun safe up a flight of stairs once. Without that dolly it would have been impossible. He moved out of that upstairs apartment about a year later. The safe is still there.

 

[tjmac5071]

The weight of the thing really worries me. It is a real straight shot into my basement, not sure about where it is coming out of yet. If this thing is really upwards of 450 lbs it may very well stay where it is. My brother is a big guy who can lift quite a bit, I'm not in bad shape or anything but the idea of supporting 225 lbs up and down stairs seems like too much for me. By the time I hired movers I could have just bought a new one I can move easily or have delivered

 

[MrFoodScientist]

Yeah, if you can't hire movers, at the very least rent a dolly. At the VERY least.

 

[Rockn_M]

The weight of the thing really worries me. It is a real straight shot into my basement, not sure about where it is coming out of yet. If this thing is really upwards of 450 lbs it may very well stay where it is. My brother is a big guy who can lift quite a bit, I'm not in bad shape or anything but the idea of supporting 225 lbs up and down stairs seems like too much for me. By the time I hired movers I could have just bought a new one I can move easily or have delivered

These are worth getting. Then you can use it to move large items a little to the left for those honey do lists. http://www.amazon.com/Forearm-Forklift-Lifting-Moving-L74995CN/dp/B008ASBLJI