Drilling holes in chest freezers

[hoppyscotty]

Got a small chest freezer I'm using to build a glycol chiller - bucket of glycol and pump kit to circulate in fermenter glycol jacket. Just wondering where the freezer cooling pipes run before I go drilling holes into the side of the freezer. Is it like a fridge where the cooling pipes just run against one side? thanks.

 

[DocAnna]

Never tried it but all the accounts I looked at when considering a keezer or kegerator said don't even try to drill holes in a chest freezer wall that it can be very difficult to locate them and v hard to find a manual showing where the lines are as well. Fridges are different. There's this for guidance on locating fridge lines Locating Refrigerant Lines but that doesn't apply to a freezer as the sides may also be used as the heat radiators so you can't rely on the lines showing up as cold spots. This is why with a freezer people generally add a collar. The only place you can ensure there are no lines is the lid.

Anna

 

[AnimatedGIF]

Can you go through the lid instead? I think that would be safer/easier.

 

[MmmBeer]

I've just converted a chest freezer, I had anticipated needing to add a collar, but discovered that my two cornies fitted in with the need for one. Also I managed to route the beer lines and gas line (had to reduce to 3/16" for a short section) through the drain hole.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Thanks. Glad I checked before I got fast and loose with the drill! I could go through the lid which might be the safest option then. Just thought with all the Keezer builds where people seem to just add taps to the front it was not an issue. What is a collar by the way?

There is a boxed in bit in the bottom where all the compressor and other mechanical elements are housed so I guess it might be relatively safe to drill through that section, but not ideal as its in the bottom of the freezer so the dense cold air will escape through the holes unless I make a good seal, and would probably require longer lines than I have to route through. Might see if I can get a better look so see if there are any signs of how the pipes go.

 

[MmmBeer]

. What is a collar by the way?

This sort of thing, a wooden section built between the top of the body of the freezer and the lid.

 

[itry]

i went through the sides on my first freezer. all was well. it was the screws i put in to it that popped the coil. the second freezer i has i peirced the outer skin with a drill then i used a hollow peice of pipe( that i went on to use as an entrance point) to hollow out all of the foam. and check if i was hitting any chiller coils. have a look on my insta its all documented.