converting a fridge to house my corny kegs?

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mancer62

Landlord.
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I obtained an under counter fridge with the purpose of hopefully housing my 2 corny kegs.
However the one I have is a pretty new one and has a rather large freezer/ice box at the top of it some 52cm from the floor. I noticed the cornies are 56cm. Is it (a) just a case of butchering the fridge to get these to fit? (b) that model not suitable look for another one? (c) Butcher it but be careful there will be wires? tubes or whatever inside the plastic box you are cutting?
are there better ways to do this job than others? what tools would u suggest using?
whats the most important thing to apart from the internal fridge wiring tubing is it the seal around the door?
Is the plastic moulding interior walls of the fridge important or can these be cut freely to allow 2 kegs width wise to be fitted or not?
Sorry to ask all this but I want a proper system....
If I cant get the fridge set up is it still ok to keg and carbonate the beer? In the past I have always just served my beer from pressure barrels at room temp but with ice cubes added to my pint glass which works for me. Woudl this be ok to do until I get fridge up and running......
look forward to reply.
 
I used my old house fridge as the missus wanted a new one.The ice box itself is just held together with a few screws and when removed it folds back upon itself with no need for removal which I use as a fermentation chamber....
 
That is kind of the problem. Is the ice box a separate door like a 2 door fridge or one of those one door with that goofy freezer thing hanging from the top?
 
you may also find the freezer compartment base/back is made from the cold radiator when you remove the surplus plastic surrounding it.
check u-tube im sure you will find some examples of folk bending back the cold radiator successfully but it will run the risk of breaking the coolant carrying tubes embedded within.. 50/50 ..

try to avoid breaking the inner skin if you can as the expanded foam behind it can if it gets wet/damp support anearobic microlife and its pourus surface is a pita to clean/sanitise. if unavoidable consider resealing with an epoxy or sealing paint product? car body filler?

the back drainage hole can be used to feed gasline/heater flex thru, 3/16" beerline should be ok for a short length to feed thru the hole as is but its not really designed to contain pressure like the 3/8" version. And low watt rated heaters may be supplied with thicker flex than needed, upto 200w power thinner lighting/lamp flex can be substituted safely ( Im no sparky etc..)

good luck with the build ;)
 
Freezer box isnt seperate at all. Its a modern fridge and the whole interior is a mold
 
That's unfortunate as this is how I done mine which is an older model....

IMG_20170508_190010.jpg
 
Hi!
If you are DIY savvy, you could build an insulated box around the fridge that holds your Cornies. It wouldn't need to be very large so a fridge without the door should cool it sufficiently.
 
Photos would help , but if all plastic cut away, tho i think you will find a metal radiator in the core. you can explore the plastic with a old screwdriver or bit if wire you can heat up in a flame and poke in to determine the position of the cooling metal structure.
 
It sounds to me that you are looking at a whole world of pain to try and modify what you already have.

Personally, I would get a Larder Fridge (i.e. one without a freezer compartment) to put the Cornies in; having made careful measurements to ensure that the fridge was the correct size. (Ain't 20:20 hindsight great?) :lol:

Either way, enjoy! :thumb:
 
Hi!
If you are DIY savvy, you could build an insulated box around the fridge that holds your Cornies. It wouldn't need to be very large so a fridge without the door should cool it sufficiently.


Something like this which i have seen discussed here before, i will try to dig out the thread.


fermentation009.jpg
 

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