btrots87
Well-Known Member
So I've just about finished putting together my first keezer conversion and I thought I'd put together a bit of a build thread to show people what I've done. I got a lot of inspiration (aka stole a lot of ideas) from this forum and I think it's all come together surprisingly well considering my lack of DIY credentials.
First step: Picked up a 164L Fisher and Paykel chest freezer for $100 off gumtree.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The first thing I had to do was to remove the lid and give it a bit of a clean and sand it back a little for future painting. I then used some 30 x 190mm pine to make a simple wooden collar to sit on the top. The collar was just held together with screws and some 90 degree brackets in each corner.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
With the collar put together, I used some more of the pine to make a matching stand, and added some caster wheels to the bottom so that I can move the finished keezer around.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The next step was painting and staining it. This was the part I enjoyed least, although it probably had the most positive effect on the finished product. I just don’t like painting. There were a few dents and scratches, and the holes where the hinges were attached, all of which I filled in with a bit of gap filler and sanded smooth. I used a satin black enamel paint that I applied with a roller in two coats to give a smooth finish on the freezer, and the collar and stand got a couple of coats of a merbau coloured exterior stain.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
There were a few gaps between the collar and the freezer at this point so I picked up some neoprene strip from Clark rubber and stuck that around the top of the freezer.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I then ran some silicone adhesive/sealant around the top of the neoprene strip and mounted the collar on top. Once I had it lined up properly I put the lid on and used a couple of full FV’s and crates of homebrew to weigh it down for a few days. Before doing this I also drilled my holes for the shanks using a spade bit.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
After a few days I took the weight off the lid and ran some of the sealant along the inner edge of the collar and freezer to make sure there were no gaps to let the cold air out. I then re-attached the lid using the original hinges and screwing directly into the collar.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The next thing that I did was to add a small computer fan to help circulate the air and keep an even temperature. I also wired it up with a pressure switch so that when I lift the lid up the fan turns off and doesn’t blow all the cold air out. In reality this probably isn’t necessary but it was fun to make so I don’t care. I screwed the fan straight in to the lid and used some spacers to let the air flow behind the fan.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I opted to keep the gas bottle on the outside so that I can fit four kegs inside, two on the floor and two on the compressor hump. I decided to only install three taps but have room for four kegs so I can always have one conditioning and ready to go as soon as there is an empty keg. This meant that I had to drill some 8mm holes through the rear of the collar to feed my 8mm OD gas lines. I also installed two separate 2-way manifolds. The reason for this is that in the future I hope to get another regulator so I can have two different serving pressures. At the moment though the two gas lines will just be joined with a T-piece and connected to a single regulator.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I’m using an STC1000 for temperature control, and just used some removable magnetic strips to attach it to the back so it’s hidden but still easily accessible.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The (almost) finished product:[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I still have to install a drip tray which I haven’t yet decided how to do. I’m thinking of maybe using magnets but I’m worried if they’re not strong enough they’ll slide down and damage the paint. Maybe glue would be a better option, we’ll see. I also need to test for gas leaks, and most importantly I need to get some beer brewed so I can get this thing up and running.
[SIZE=8pt]Anyway, like I said I got a lot of helpful ideas from looking at other threads on this site so hopefully someone else might find this helpful.[/SIZE]
First step: Picked up a 164L Fisher and Paykel chest freezer for $100 off gumtree.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The first thing I had to do was to remove the lid and give it a bit of a clean and sand it back a little for future painting. I then used some 30 x 190mm pine to make a simple wooden collar to sit on the top. The collar was just held together with screws and some 90 degree brackets in each corner.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
With the collar put together, I used some more of the pine to make a matching stand, and added some caster wheels to the bottom so that I can move the finished keezer around.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The next step was painting and staining it. This was the part I enjoyed least, although it probably had the most positive effect on the finished product. I just don’t like painting. There were a few dents and scratches, and the holes where the hinges were attached, all of which I filled in with a bit of gap filler and sanded smooth. I used a satin black enamel paint that I applied with a roller in two coats to give a smooth finish on the freezer, and the collar and stand got a couple of coats of a merbau coloured exterior stain.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
There were a few gaps between the collar and the freezer at this point so I picked up some neoprene strip from Clark rubber and stuck that around the top of the freezer.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I then ran some silicone adhesive/sealant around the top of the neoprene strip and mounted the collar on top. Once I had it lined up properly I put the lid on and used a couple of full FV’s and crates of homebrew to weigh it down for a few days. Before doing this I also drilled my holes for the shanks using a spade bit.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
After a few days I took the weight off the lid and ran some of the sealant along the inner edge of the collar and freezer to make sure there were no gaps to let the cold air out. I then re-attached the lid using the original hinges and screwing directly into the collar.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The next thing that I did was to add a small computer fan to help circulate the air and keep an even temperature. I also wired it up with a pressure switch so that when I lift the lid up the fan turns off and doesn’t blow all the cold air out. In reality this probably isn’t necessary but it was fun to make so I don’t care. I screwed the fan straight in to the lid and used some spacers to let the air flow behind the fan.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I opted to keep the gas bottle on the outside so that I can fit four kegs inside, two on the floor and two on the compressor hump. I decided to only install three taps but have room for four kegs so I can always have one conditioning and ready to go as soon as there is an empty keg. This meant that I had to drill some 8mm holes through the rear of the collar to feed my 8mm OD gas lines. I also installed two separate 2-way manifolds. The reason for this is that in the future I hope to get another regulator so I can have two different serving pressures. At the moment though the two gas lines will just be joined with a T-piece and connected to a single regulator.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I’m using an STC1000 for temperature control, and just used some removable magnetic strips to attach it to the back so it’s hidden but still easily accessible.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
The (almost) finished product:[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
I still have to install a drip tray which I haven’t yet decided how to do. I’m thinking of maybe using magnets but I’m worried if they’re not strong enough they’ll slide down and damage the paint. Maybe glue would be a better option, we’ll see. I also need to test for gas leaks, and most importantly I need to get some beer brewed so I can get this thing up and running.
[SIZE=8pt]Anyway, like I said I got a lot of helpful ideas from looking at other threads on this site so hopefully someone else might find this helpful.[/SIZE]
