Keg Fridge Issue

[RobinW]

Hi all, First post.

I'm back at home brewing after a 30 years absence. Back then, before computers even, it was coopers kits and exploding bottles

This time round I'm straight into Kegging. I got myself a $25 fridge over freezer job which can hold 4 kegs and have painted it up to hide the rust and it works fine. I've had it down to 2C and it may get colder but I need to flatten the floor for the kegs.

I initially cut a piece of ply to fit but with the board in there it won't go below 6C. I have an exploded view of the fridge and in the roof of the freezer is a part called sensor cover. I believe this covers the thermostat for the fridge. I believe the board is trapping cold air under it so the upper part of the fridge won't cool past 6C.

I'm struggling to find something to put in as a floor for the kegs that will allow the air to circulate properly to the sensor.. BBQ galore have a SS grate which would fit but not at $140. Oven shelves on ebay don't seem to be deep enough but I'll keep looking there. Bunnings has 6.5mmx1meter Aluminium rod for $2.xx which may be an option to build my own grate, but right now I was going to use a router to cut slots in the original plywood board and test.

Does anyone have any other suggestions I haven't thought of? I need a floor that lets the cold air circulate and manage the weight of the kegs.

 

[mtb]

Just take a holesaw to your ply. If worried about strength, you can screw in a couple of supporting rails to the underside, I did that with wooden rails recently and it works great

 

[RobinW]

I got some holes saws for wood. The router is hard to use without a proper table and a dirty tool, throws crap everywhere.
I have room to lift the ply with some rails too.
Great ideas thanks ....

 

[Garagebrew]

Would a BBQ grill plate work?
Not sure on dimensions but bunnings sell Jumbuck ones pretty cheap and they're pretty heavy duty

 

[earle]

Offcut of security door/window grill. You might be able to get an offcut from a door and window place, or pick up an old grill off Gumtree and cut to size.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Putting a fan in your fridge will help with air circulation.

I have one of these in each of my fridges, they have 3 speeds, mine are on lowest setting and they push the air around really well.

You'll need to buy a longer USB cable

 

[RobinW]

Cheers guys, I'll try raising the board on rails and banging holes in it first, that's the cheapest option.
Any BBQ grill will need to be stainless and they all cost a lot for what they are.
Not sure if there'll be any room in there for a fan, we shall see.
Thanks for the clues.

 

[RobinW]

Job done and the fridge comes down to temp just fine.
Fixed... thanks again .....

 

[Bald Head Brewery]

Was there much prep when painting the fridge? Can i ask what type of paint you used as well please.

 

[RobinW]

Just a light sand with 400 grit so the new paint had something to stick to. Pulled the doors off and masked all the plastic. There was rust, mostly surface, so that needed more time under sandpaper to clean it up. It's killrust epoxy paint. Supercheap lived up to their name and had the stuff for $10/Litre at the time. I have a spray gun etc so thinned the paint with turps and sprayed it on. One issue with that paint, 16 hours between coats and it needed 3 coats as it had been thinned. I didn't read the tin till I got it home

 

[Clevohead]

Hi Robin,

Understand you sorted your issue, but when I started reading this it made me think of this as a solution: https://www.kmart.com.au/product/bamboo-duck-board/807389

Just an idea for anyone else looking to do something similar.

Cheers