Bar Fridge Kegerator Collar

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:22 pm

Apartment brewing has its downsides.. now that i'm lagering in my kegerator i have no room for my kegs... which are currently taking up all of my actual fridge.

So in honor of my first snow day in 10 years i thought i'd go out in the blizzard to get some supplies. I drew up a collar that i think should work (below) has anyone converted a bar fridge with a collar like this or see any major issues?

barcollarjpg.jpg

Swine · Post by **Swine** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:45 pm

Looks slick.
Only issue I see is that most mini fridge light switches are activated by the door.
So you will have to have something to keep if off when the door is closed.
If you want to use the light to see something, just have to reach back a bit further and remove whatever is keeping the switch closed.

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:06 pm

Good point on the light I'll have to rig something to the front.

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mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:30 pm

I'm in about 40$ for the collar. I had to buy boxes of screws which was about 15$ because I have nothing at the apartment. All in all I don't think it's too bad, and there will be lots of odds and ends left over.

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Post by **RubberToe** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:44 pm

Just remove the lightbulb.

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:47 pm

RubberToe wrote:Just remove the lightbulb.

But then my homebrew won't glisten majestically

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CorneliusAlphonse · Post by **CorneliusAlphonse** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:58 pm

My bar fridge doesn't even have a light

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:12 pm

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Phase I complete. I always forget that the best way to cut that rigid foam is with a kitchen knife and the cuts weren't as flat as I wanted but it fits perfectly against the fridge. Needless to say this has taken more time than I had planned but I didn't have any room for error on the size.

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GuingesRock · Post by **GuingesRock** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 8:51 pm

Interesting project.

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:50 pm

With the braces on the bottom (1.49 Simpson strong ties) this thing is quite rugged. I'm surprised at how well they hold it together.

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The top piece is to act as the door hinge I just removed the peg from the old hinge which was built in to the top piece.

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jeffsmith · Post by **jeffsmith** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:17 pm

Nice work!

canuck · Post by **canuck** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:26 pm

Awesome work, Mark. Btw, love the fact that your kegerator is right beside your bed.....nice and convenient! :spilly:

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:30 pm

Thanks Shane and Jeff. Now that I know it works I'm going to prime and paint the wood black and put it on wheels so I can move it out to the living room when I have people over. Here is an inside shot, I can easily fit not legs and both fermenters in now and the co2 tank in back I need a magnetic strip to help the door stick shut too but everything is shit down here due to the storm.

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Swine · Post by **Swine** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:52 pm

Nice job! You don't mess around when you start something there.

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 11:22 pm

Thanks! I figured if it worked the extra space would be badly needed and the investment was minimal so it seemed like a solid idea to pursue.

Woody · Post by **Woody** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 2:06 am

Great job! You just inspired me to add a few more taps to my kegerator in the basement.

GuingesRock · Post by **GuingesRock** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 6:35 am

That's Great!

bluenose · Post by **bluenose** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:27 am

if I could offer some unsolicited suggestions...

>you could use some caulking between the main fridge and your plywood (exterior grade silicon)
>you could also use some tuct tape (red air barrier tape) along the inside of those gaps as well

you want to minimize heat transfer so your compressor won't have to work as hard and die faster

EDIT: in hindsight, if I were to do this, I would put some vapour barrier between the plywood and rigid foam

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:45 am

Thanks!

Actually there is a bead of caulking between the fridge and the wooden shell to prevent airflow and it alone provides a lot of strength but i wanted the braces to reinforce it so that i can move it around.

Re: the front - i have plans for the front but i opted not to use tuct tape in the hopes of finding something a bit more permanent and rugged. Tuct tape is great behind a wall where there is no contact but i figured it would end up getting bashed and broken moving kegs in and out. I'm hoping to be able to caulk the joint and wrap it in flashing. I wouldn't mind using tuct tape under neath the flashing where it would be protected.

bluenose · Post by **bluenose** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:49 am

sounds like you have it figured out...

you could use the tub surround material as it can be glued and caulked. That's what I did with the inside of the door of my first keg fridge

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:55 am

bluenose wrote:sounds like you have it figured out...

you could use the tub surround material as it can be glued and caulked. That's what I did with the inside of the door of my first keg fridge

That is a great idea where did you get the material from?

jtmwhyte · Post by **jtmwhyte** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 1:34 pm

That's exactly how I built my first kegerator. I used a 3.2 cu ft Danby fridge

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 5:51 pm

jtmwhyte wrote:That's exactly how I built my first kegerator. I used a 3.2 cu ft Danby fridge

Great minds think alike

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 8:06 am

I did a little touch up and some sanding then primed the collar to help it blend in. It doesn't look too bad now!

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I used some foil tape and a couple magnetic strips as a temporary measure to get the door to seal. It seals great now but If I could get my hands on some acrylic or vinyl to line the inside with that would be a big improvement.

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I'd also like to take the plastic top off of the fridge and just have a solid continuous wooden top.

The new dimensions work out to about 8 cubic feet from 4.4.

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bluenose · Post by **bluenose** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 2:38 pm

mcgster wrote:
bluenose wrote:sounds like you have it figured out...

you could use the tub surround material as it can be glued and caulked. That's what I did with the inside of the door of my first keg fridge

That is a great idea where did you get the material from?

sorry, just saw this...

when I built the first one, I was able to buy a roll of the material. You might want to try one of the hardware stores near you. The ones here don't stock that stuff by itself anymore. Or you could buy a cheap tub surround. Or you could steal one from someone's bathroom