Chest Freezer Collar.... How Do I Make One?

[Franko]

Hope it turns out a treat just like mine Franko.

thanks mate

what type of taps are those you have there how much did they set you back

Franko

 

[pokolbinguy]

2 (the inner two) of them are self closing micromatics (i think thats what they are called).... bought them from this guy (Ebay Member michael050663) .... came with shank, hose, disconnect etc. Was easy to deal with. Cheeper than local HBS

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Home-Brew-Fridge-Do...1QQcmdZViewItem

and the outer 2 are similar, but the shank is brass and did not come with a handle or the black back plate, I got these from Ross at craftbrewer though (Thanks again Ross). Bought them from.... (Ebay member: 8451deborah)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Brand-new-chrome-pl...1QQcmdZViewItem

If I was to buy more, I would buy the original two (inner taps) from the 1st ebay seller. They seem a better tap.

There is alot of posts on here saying how they are not all that great because the seal at the back.... but I find them fine.

Cheers, Pok

 

[Doc]

Well I just picked up my huge freezer I got off ebay for $66 works a treat and is fully stainless steel lined
Im going to add a collar and 6 taps if all goes well
Heres what she looks like before I start modding

That would make a great fermentation freezer Franko.

Doc

 

[Franko]

That would make a great fermentation freezer Franko.

Doc

Thats what I originally was going to use it for but thought Id use it as a serving fridge till I have my bar built inside the house.

 

[turto77]

Hi guys,
I am looking at building a collar for my freezer, what materials do you suggest to make it from? Looks like a lot of people are using timber, i was thinking of getting some of the insulated stuff that is used for coolrooms etc.

I am fairly new to this so any help would be great.

Turto

 

[bonj]

Hi guys,
I am looking at building a collar for my freezer, what materials do you suggest to make it from? Looks like a lot of people are using timber, i was thinking of getting some of the insulated stuff that is used for coolrooms etc.

I am fairly new to this so any help would be great.

Turto

Hi Turto. I don't know anything about the coolroom insulated stuff. I used timber for mine. Timber is a good choice because it is something firm for the lid to rest against. It also weighs a bit too, so if you put rubber sealing strip under it, the weight will help it seal. You can see how I built mine in this thread: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=15543

 

[v8r]

Bought this one for around $400 on ebay.

View attachment 11670

Cheers
Peter

nice it even has your name on it

 

[boingk]

Turto, I'd go with timber as the only other option that I can think of would be to get square section steel lengths and then weld them up into your desired collar. After this, you'd need to drill a few holes and then inject expanding foam into the middle of the frame so it would act as insulation. Seems like an almighty hassle.

Also, a chest freezer is very efficient anyway because the door is at the top, and cold air is heavier than warm air - so it sinks. A timber collar shouldn't be a big hassle - just make sure its softwood and not hardwood, as softwood [eg maple, pine, balsa] is porous and will be a better insulator. Also a lot cheaper

Come to think of it, balsa wood would kick ass because of its low density! Viva la balsa!

EDIT: On second thought, it may not stand up to the weight of the fridge lid too well...

 

[turto77]

Thanks guys,
what is the minimum height you suggest i should make the collar?

 

[yardy]

Hi guys,
I am looking at building a collar for my freezer, what materials do you suggest to make it from? Looks like a lot of people are using timber, i was thinking of getting some of the insulated stuff that is used for coolrooms etc.

I am fairly new to this so any help would be great.

Turto

Turto,

I think the coldroom panelling would be ok if you could get some, riveted together with ali angle and sikaflex (or similar).
It would have to be fairly heavy though, ie: 50mm section at least, I have some sheets of 100mm section laying about that I don't know what to do with yet.
Post some pics which ever way you go.

Cheers

 

[ant]

Turto,

I made a collar last weekend, used pine at 140mm high (height chosen to allow keg #6 to fit on the compressor), double width with expanding foam in the middle, used a third piece at 200mm high on the inside to "sit" the collar in comfortably. Gave it 3 coats of exterior weatherproof paint and a bead of kitchen grade silicon down the seams. Ran a 40mm wide strip of weatherproofing for the lid to seal on - seems to work OK.a

Not all hooked up yet, but that's OK - only one beer in keg at the moment, so only one set of lines required! Just tapped my first draught in the US; a 7.2% IPA. Feeling very pleased with life.

 

[turto77]

Thanks Ant, looks great, hope to have something in the next month or so.

Will post pics when i am done.

 

[danman]

wowguys this post is awsome,exactly what ive been thinkin of for a few weeks now. great pics too.

just gotta convince the boss we need a new freezer!

 

[lucas]

a question for the guys with fans, where did you get the power supplies?

I've heard a few people talk about taking old mobile phone chargers, etc, to run them but all the old ones I have are like 5.1V, 450mA and it doesnt seem to be enough to turn the fan i salvaged from an old pc (which says 12V, 1.4W). do I need to keep looking for something with a suitable power pack or does my fan draw more current than most?

 

[paul]

I dont understand why you would want to put a fan into a chest freezer. Can someone please explain the use of a fan and the benefits?

Ive been using a chest freezer for a few years for my kegs and havent the need for a fan in it. If you look at how a chest freezer works you will notice than all of the sides have the refridgerant running through them. In other words all four sides of the freezer are cold so you wont get a spot in the freezer that'll be warm.

A fridge works by just having the refridgerant going through the small plate at the top on the back wall. I can understand the use of a fan in this because of the small surface area thats doing the cooling.

 

[danman]

a question for the guys with fans,


why do you need them???

 

[danman]

:unsure: sorry was typing while paul was aking the same question!

 

[oldbugman]

I dont understand why you would want to put a fan into a chest freezer. Can someone please explain the use of a fan and the benefits?

Ive been using a chest freezer for a few years for my kegs and havent the need for a fan in it. If you look at how a chest freezer works you will notice than all of the sides have the refridgerant running through them. In other words all four sides of the freezer are cold so you wont get a spot in the freezer that'll be warm.

A fridge works by just having the refridgerant going through the small plate at the top on the back wall. I can understand the use of a fan in this because of the small surface area thats doing the cooling.

They work by convection( :chug: )

So they would normally freeze product in conduct with the sides.

The fan helps circulate air and produce a more stable temperature inside the (now) fridge. It also helps with the ice build up you get on the walls of the fridge.


I don't have one inside my chest fridge/freezer but that's more because I haven't put one in than the fact that they wont help.

 

[lucas]

cold air sinks. if you've got your probe in a bottle of water at the bottom of the freezer, it's not going to reach the trigger point for the freezer to come on until all the air above it is warmer than that temp.

additionally, there's no refridgerant running through the collar. without airflow you're gonna have a warm patch up there, which is right where the back of your taps will be. warm lines = gas coming out of solution = foamy pour.

I'm sure you can probably get away without a fan, but i doubt your temps will be as stable as if you had one

 

[bugwan]

Lucas, there's no need to run your fan at a full 12V. That's probably overkill. Find a power supply that is rated for between 7 and 9 and you'll be fine. Since everything else in the freezer is stationary, even a slight draught will distribute the cool air into the collar space.