Chest freezer

[koolkuna]

I want to buy a chest freezer to convert to a fridge. I have a KK temperature controller so if I plug the freezer into the controller set at 4 degrees is it as simple as that?? I plan to put corny kegs into it with Pluto gun Keep it simple. I've read things about fans and compressor problems I'm confused. I'm a great believer of the KISS principle. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please advise

 

[Blind Dog]

it is that simple.

You can get more complicated depending on whether you need to or not.

An internal fan is useful to move the cold air from the base of the freezer to the top as there can be a fair differential between top and bottom (helps keep the beer lines cold and the bottom of the kegs from freezing). Probably more useful if you have external taps.

You probably won't be able to fit kegs on top of the compressor hump in a chesty, unless you add a collar to lift the lid height, so check how many will fit on the floor before you buy. Useful place for bottles, hops or minikegs though.

If going the chesty route, make sure you're ok with lifting full kegs in and out. Keeping the lines tidy is a real help. If going the upright route, make sure the cooling lines aren't in the shelves and that you can fit a decent number of kegs.

 

[malt junkie]

A couple of fans inside will help even out cold spots, make sure your sensor is close to the bottom of the freezer. Fans should be on constantly I usually snavel an old wall wart, and old computer fans are the go. You don't want the freezer cycling too much or the compressor will die an early death. Good luck with it.

 

[nosco]

Think about where to put the temp probe as well. I have mine in a bottle of 1.25lt water. Taping it to the side of a can of drink is supposed to be good as well. Fans will help to keep the temp consistent too. Keeping the pluto inside the cooler will negate some temp issues though.

 

[koolkuna]

Does anyone have any pictures. I was planning on putting only 2 kegs inside the freezer and soft drink on my he compressor What the minimum size chest freezer I would need to make it work for my needs

 

[wynnum1]

Chest freezer hold CO2 so be careful.

 

[koolkuna]

Yeah planning on drilling 2 holes for the gas lines with the co2 standing next to the freezer as I have a D side cylinder with stands 1.5 Mtrs high

 

[breakbeer]

Does anyone have any pictures. I was planning on putting only 2 kegs inside the freezer and soft drink on my he compressor What the minimum size chest freezer I would need to make it work for my needs

This is a 145L from ALDI, two on the floor & two on the hump (one only sits half on the hump though). It's a tight fit for 4 but 2 won't be a problem at all. I don't think you can get a chesty any smaller than these but I could be wrong

 

[koolkuna]

Yeah looks great. I'm worried about lifting the kegs in now I've seen the picture It never crossed my mind. Maybe I should just buy the KK keg fridge

 

[Zorco]

You can transfer into the empty keg which is already in the freezer.

 

[spog]

This is a 145L from ALDI, two on the floor & two on the hump (one only sits half on the hump though). It's a tight fit for 4 but 2 won't be a problem at all. I don't think you can get a chesty any smaller than these but I could be wrong

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1480146393.922950.jpg

A bit of homework would be an idea in regards to fitting gas/beer lines and sundries in that freezer, and still being able to move kegs about without damaging any attachments.
It's got promise though.

 

[Dave70]

Does anyone have any pictures. I was planning on putting only 2 kegs inside the freezer and soft drink on my he compressor What the minimum size chest freezer I would need to make it work for my needs

What ever you decide on, get a tape measure and check the headspace required for your kegs with the disconnects and lines in place first. Twice..

 

[pcqypcqy]

I use a chest freezer, an old one I picked up off the side of the road for free.

I leave the temp probe dangling between the kegs, about halfway down. Haven't had any issues with kegs freezing, but occasionally do with my lines freezing. It's usually only when i put a new warm keg in and the freezer has to run for a while to chill it down.

Lifting kegs in/out isn't an issue for me, they weight about 20kg full so it's not the heaviest thing in the world. Obviously though not everyone is keen on that.

Collars become advantageous, even if you're just using a pluto, as they let you pop your gas cylinder outside of the unit and you can just drill a hole to run the gas line through. I have a manifold screwed to my timber collar, so it's just one line in and then it splits from there.

Be careful with the Keg King fridges, I don't have personal experience with them but from what I've heard/read they're not very good. They're basically just a bar fridge too, which suggest to me that they'll use a lot of power. I particularly like the chest freezer option for this reason.

For those that worry about excessive cycling, if you have a bit of mass in your freezer then I wouldn't imagine it'd be much worse than letting it run as a freezer. I have a chest freezer full of meat/groceries in the other room, and I reckon it runs more than my keezer does.

 

[Dae Tripper]

Yeah planning on drilling 2 holes for the gas lines with the co2 standing next to the freezer as I have a D side cylinder with stands 1.5 Mtrs high

Probably not the best size for inside the house if it leaks.

 

[breakbeer]

A bit of homework would be an idea in regards to fitting gas/beer lines and sundries in that freezer, and still being able to move kegs about without damaging any attachments.
It's got promise though.

Yeah, research needed for sure. In hindsight I bought the wrong freezer, should've gone bigger. Lost the receipt, so I'm stuck with it now

I'm thinking I might have to downgrade from 4 taps to 3 so I can fit everything in without it being a head ****.

 

[Hopdrop]

Not sure if it'll help, but I've been trawling the forum and a bloke CM2 made this wiki on keezers and kegerators which might help. http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/articles/article78.html

 

[koolkuna]

Thanks hopdrop looks like serious stuff but helpful

 

[pcqypcqy]

Here's another good build thread for one that had to look good indoors - http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/88212-earles-coffin-keezer/