Chest Freezers? What Should I Buy?

[pokolbinguy]

Hi all,

Now that my beer fridge has packed it in for serving purposes and is to be reassinged to fermentation I'm looking to buy a chest freezer to keep my kegs etc cold.

I have 5 normal pepsi kegs, 1 keg which is a little shorter and fatter and also one big 45 litre mumma that I use for parties.... but if its not emptied at the party comes home..

What I was thinking was:

- A freezer with a a fridge mate controller on it.... running at about 3-4 degs
- Big enough to fit say 4 kegs + space for hops etc.... and maybe a small container which has a ss line in it to run another keg from the out side (the party keg)

Where should I mount the taps... given I dont have a bar/font and what size freezer should I be looking for.... on average... 300L? 400L .... 100000000L?

Cheers Pok.


p.s if any one knows of a cheap (but reliable) chesty going in the Newcastle are I would love to know.

 

[Ross]

Centrex, do what that's ideal.

According to Bindi, this is the model: Centrex CTCF 200 about $350
With the power savings a modern chest freezer will give you; buying an old fridge can be a real false economy...

Cheers Ross

 

[Wortgames]

I think a lot of it is down to finding the right shape rather than just the capacity. I've only got a 250L but it fits 5x5gal kegs plus a 3gal over the compressor. It's a tight fit but it's a fit.

If you are shopping around, cut out a couple of cardboard discs the same size as your kegs - this way you can see at a glance how well they will fit. It isn't easy to work out with a tape measure, as often you can 'stagger' the kegs for a better fit.

With the taps, most people either use a font or they build a wooden collar between the freezer body and the lid. I chose to drill through the body of the freezer to keep the whole thing fairly portable - it can be done but it's not particularly easy. Let me know if you think you want to do that and I'll describe the process.



edit:

By the way, if you only want to accommodate 4 cornies, occasionally a 45 L keg and store hops etc, then why not just go for an upright fridge-freezer? Hops and cracked grain are far better off in a real freezer compartment than in the damp, mould-prone, beer-soaked environment of a converted chest freezer. Also you can just mount the taps through the door, you don't need a font, major construction work or a separate temperature controller.

People can't give away their old uprights these days, and most of them will take 4 cornies - and a large one will still leave you with a shelf for commercial beers, yeast etc.

 

[Batz]

Centrex, do what that's ideal.

According to Bindi, this is the model: Centrex CTCF 200 about $350
With the power savings a modern chest freezer will give you; buying an old fridge can be a real false economy...

Cheers Ross

Ross is correct I am sure

But if you are like me and find $350 is just not going to be spent on a brand new freezer for beer,you can pick up a very nice older model for around $150

Batz

 

[bindi]

Ross is correct I am sure

But if you are like me and find $350 is just not going to be spent on a brand new freezer for beer,you can pick up a very nice older model for around $150

Batz

What Batz says is true and you can find one like This on ebay but there was nothing in my area worth the money asked.

 

[Ross]

Ross is correct I am sure

But if you are like me and find $350 is just not going to be spent on a brand new freezer for beer,you can pick up a very nice older model for around $150

Batz

I wasn't knocking buying a 2nd hand chest freezer - What I meant was - a chest freezer is generally far more economical than an old fridge. The electrical bill in a very short period can soon blow your entire saving & then you have the ongoing cost every month - ie false economy.

cheers Ross

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I wasn't knocking buying a 2nd hand chest freezer - What I meant was - a chest freezer is generally far more economical than an old fridge. The electrical bill in a very short period can soon blow your entire saving & then you have the ongoing cost every month - ie false economy.

cheers Ross

It gets better, I think. A new fridge would be more economical to run than an old fridge. Whether fridge or freezer, the warranty appeals to me.

A problem I see is that the more economical chest freezer is harder on your back than an upright fridge/freezer.

You get more flexibility with a freezer, but what if a group of people got together and hired/built a refrigerated room! A walk-in fermentation cabinet would be the mutts nuts!

</dream>

 

[lucas]

i almost had bought an old 400L chest freezer (I had agreed to), but the guy called today and said that I was too far out of his way to deliver it. good thing too, I'd started having second thoughts about paying $100 for a freezer older than me (it had a sticker on the inside with the last updated date 1979). there's a 300L centrex fridge on ebay at the moment (in melb) for the buy it now price of $450. sounds reasonable (at least compared to the 200L one), but It'll have to wait until I have more money

 

[paul]

Ive attached a pic of my 300 litre chest freezer. It will fit 6 kegs, and theres room for 3 cartons of cans on the compressor hump or 2 cartons of stubbies.

I was using a fridge but found the compressor to be running a lot of the time in the hot weather, so I bought another chest freezer out of the paper for $50.

The compressor hardly ever cuts in so it should be cheap to run. The other week I forgot to plug it in after I moved it. 48 hours later it was 6 degrees inside. As already stated they are heaps cheaper to run than a fridge.

I used to have a 200 litre chest freezer than would fit 4 kegs and nothing else, or 2 kegs and 2 cartons.

If your budget allows for 300 litres and you have the room go with a bigger freezer.

 

[pokolbinguy]

Thanks for all your help folks.

I think I will look into the Centrex freezer, but more so the 300 L model. A new freezer seems like a good idea as it should be more energy effecient and last longer.... fingers crossed... only problem is cost...

Cheers Pok

 

[Batz]

I almost had bought an old 400L chest freezer (it had a sticker on the inside ith the last updated date 1979).

1979!
I thought freezers were all running on steam back then,they have electricity? :lol:

Batz

 

[Tony]

I just scored a 320 liter chest freezer for nothing.... hehehehe

My parents had it in the shed and when they asked if i wanted it........... well ithought kegs at the bar didnt i

I just measured it up.

It will hold 1 x 50 liter comercial keg, 2......... almost 3 but misses out by 10mm corny kegs and enough room to store a few bottles of milk, some wine and about 40 liters of glycol on the compressor hump. all i will use is 25 liters but there is room left over.

I dont usually have comercial beer in the house!

There are other options to Evilbay!!!!!

I put adds in the wanted to buy section of the local paper.

I wanted bottles many years back and put a $12 add in the paper saying..... "wanted. 750ml beer bottles for home brew"

U had 800 for nothing by 8am. and i knocked back about 3000 others!

there were people who rang offering me the 6 bottles in their recycle bin for $2 each but you just hang up on them......... its a satisfying thing to do

I used it again when i wanted a beer fridge for my keg and a small chest freezer for meat. and other food stuffs.

I put in a wanted to buy add saying "wanted. small chest freezer and fridge with no freezer"

I had people ring me with old fridges for $1200 but i already told you about the hanging up thing

I ended up getting an almost new fridge for $80 and an an older but great 140 liter chesty for $60.

I told a mate about this and he wanted one for a 2 keg set up and did the same for a chest freezer.

He had over a dozen offers and ended up getting a 150 liter chestie for $80.

he said he was offered all sorts of sizes.

Wou would be suprised who reads these sections, and how many people have things like fridges and freezers sitting around that they couldnt be bothered advertising cause its too hard.

I have a friend with 3 fridges he doesnt use in storage and wants to sell them, but couldnt be bothered.


It works for kegs too........... but i didnt tell ya

cheers

 

[Gulf Brewery]

For those with the Centrex CTCF200 freezers.

I am looking at buying one of these and with all of the various keg sizes, I want to make sure 4 kegs will fit. Can someone tell me the dimensions of the kegs that they put inside one of these freezers (height probably doesn't matter)?

I think my kegs are shorter and a bit wider than most others.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[razz]

What brand of kegs are they Pedro ?

 

[Ross]

For those with the Centrex CTCF200 freezers.

I am looking at buying one of these and with all of the various keg sizes, I want to make sure 4 kegs will fit. Can someone tell me the dimensions of the kegs that they put inside one of these freezers (height probably doesn't matter)?

I think my kegs are shorter and a bit wider than most others.

Cheers
Pedro

210mm

cheers Ross

 

[Gulf Brewery]

What brand of kegs are they Pedro ?

Hi Razz

They are Cornelius kegs that I got from C&C. The one I have with me a the moment is about 215 to 220mm acrosss, the top is not completely round (may have had an accident or 2).

Ross, thanks for the info

Cheers
Pedro