cutting up the freezer

[samiam4]

For my birthday (onlt 2 more weeks!)my lovely wife is buying me the 2 keg tower conversion kit. I will be installing the tower in our kitchen, about 6 feet above an upright freezer. I will be raising the freezer on a wood pedestal to minimize the distance between the freezer and the tap, and intalling a circular air cooling system with a blower for the lines. My question is how to cut up the freezer. Are there refrigerant lines or anything like that in a typical freezer, or is it just plastic and insulation? I would hate to cut a line and ruin the freezer. Also, is the dual tap tower completely hollow? How do I get cold air to circulate in it? Is it insulated? Thanks for any advice....

[Scott Zuhse]

The tower is hollow with about 1/4" insulation. Use a small 15 CFM blower with enough flex tube to route from the blower up into the tower behind the faucets. This flex tube is inside of a 3" flex or PVC tube. This larger tube needs to be air tight and very well insulated on the outside and routed between your freezer to the base of the tower. The two products lines can then be routed through the larger tube.

As to the surgery on the freezer, be careful not to cut a thermostat line. Preferably try to cut the hole (3") so that it is a straight shot to the tower.

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute

[samiam4]

I already have the blower, and I was just going to use 2 inch PVC with very heavy 1.5 inch thick closed cell insulation (I have 120 feet of this stuff, long story). The blower matches up with the 2 inch PVC perfectly. How would I match up the PVC (both incoming cold air and the return line) to the tower? Also, where is the thermostat line? Is that in the top of a standard freezer? I was going to use the electronic thermostat listed on your website anyway. Does this override the thermostat in the freezer? Thanks for your help.

[brewski121]

I just built myself a system much like yours but with the tower on top of the chest freezer. Learned that unlike a fridge a freezer has lines running through all of its walls, but the lid should be hollow minus some insulation and perhaps a light. I used a very old freezer but found the diagram of wiring online, all the walls are off limits though, it would be to big of a risk to try n find a hole.You should be able to remove the inner lining of the lid to make sure where the wires are and whatever else is in there and then reattach after you drill. Thermostat line for me is in the floor, I drilled a hole though the access panel back wall to get my digital thermostat into the freezer without having it hanging in back, but if you are running it to your kitchen then appearance is not an issue. This wall is not only insulated on all models so be carefull. Good luck, the outcome is great.

[samiam4]

I will be using an upright type of freezer, which is the only way I can put it on a pedestal in the basement to run the lines up to the kitchen. I would only guess that the freezer has more cooling power to make up for the air ducts.

[samiam4]

Plans have maybe changed, using a refrigerator that is already there. The wife is entertaining the idea of not having a secong fridge and having beer on tap instead. Seems like an easy choice to me...I will trying a system similar to Mikef on a different post but with a small blower and 3" PVC. Now I am hoping that I dont hit anything cutting through the side of the fridge. This is a fridge, not a freezer, so I am hoping that there are no lines in the side (thanks brewski121). I guess with this type of setup I dont need an external thermometer?

[brewski121]

everything should work out then , unless you have a extremly odd fridge their should be nothing in any of the walls besides the rear one. Goodluck, should be a nice system when its all done. No thermometer will be needed, just make sure that the fridge can actully get to a temperature low enough some have a hard time getting below 40 degrees, and then you start runnign a risk of warm beer and better chances of it going bad.

[samiam4]

The fridge is only 5 months old and a good name so I would think it would be OK. It has a freezer part on top that I cant imagine would create too many issues. A good place to keep the glasses...

[Kevin]

My plans are similar. I'm going to convert a freezer and need to have about 3-4" of line travel for dispensing. Where can I source a fan for air ciculation for the line? I'm planning on using the freezer temp control device from Micromatic, does anyone have advise on that unit? Thanks- Kevin

[Mark Lar]

Can you explain why you mean by two kegs in an upright freezer? Im trying to do the same conversion but I was looking at a Chest Freezer are there other options for freezers that hold two kegs if so what size?

Sorry I couldnt help you but I am curious what kind of Freezer you are using.