Thinking of setting up old upright freezer to kegerator???

[dvandriesen]

Well i have a old freezer in my basement that is very tiny and is upright. I would easily be able to fit a 10lb co2 tanks and a half barrel in there. My question is the freezer has shelves inside that i believe are what cools the whole unit down. I have tried bending them and arranging them so i could fit the keg and supplies in just dont think it will happen. Anyone run into a issue like this and is it possible with a freezer that the shelves doing the cooling almost like coils???. Could i jbweld or something any ideas would be great if not i will just keep using to cool my meats i already have a danby kegerator.

[Sketch]

Can you post pictures?

I don't know if it's possible or not but I would say to be careful when bending them. If they are the part of the cooling system and you bend them too far causing a freon leak, you will have a very good paper weight on your hands.

[dvandriesen]

jumped right on that i bent them a little the put them back not sure what to do really.

[dvandriesen]

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/***hedrew2222/IMG_0108.jpg[/IMG]

[Sketch]

Can't really tell what is going on - a better quality picture would help more. Perhaps one not taken with a camera phone, I am not a fridge expert so I need to see things in detail rather than a general photo of the whole thing.

Also, you used the words "very tiny" in your original post. When you say very tiny the last thing I think of is being able to fit a 1/2 barrel and a 10lb Co2 tank. Have you measure the inner dimensions or are you just guessing. Maybe it will fit, maybe it won't - but if you are just assuming it will fit I would suggest grabbing a tape measure and ensuring you have adequate room before getting too deep into this.

You can see keg sizes here: Draft Beer Keg Size Dimensions

And, I believe a 10lb tank is 20" tall by 7" diameter.

[dvandriesen]

Yeah ****** doesnt take good pics i see. Well after football will take some good ones. Pretty much all those shelves run to the right and down and up at the right corner of the fridge. Im more worried about the shelves then the dimensions i can tell a keg will fit in there defiantly. If the co2 cant i can drill if need be since all the cooling is in the shelves not in sides/front. Will let you know when i can some pics i just dont know if its possible.

[pvs6]

Why do you think the lines are in the shelves? From an engineering stand point that seems like a flawed setup for placement of fragile cooling lines. Too easy to get damaged out there in the relative open.

Easy enough to confirm if these are cooling lines though. Turn on the unit at it's coldest setting, and leave the door open and let it run. In time you should either see them sweating water like your faucet does or frost building up on them. When the compressor is running they should feel colder to the touch than surrounding metal parts.

If they do turn out to be cooling lines then you'll have to find a different freezer to use for your project because the shelves would present too big of an obstacle. It would be interesting to know if these are cooling lines, so please Post you findings even if you find out this project is impossible.

[THE ICEMAN]

pvs6, I have seen units where it utilizes the shelves as evaporators many times. It's not that unusual.

dvandriesen, you may get away with bending the shelves/evaporators down once or twice but every time you do you are going to fatigue the tubing which could lead to breakage. And each freeze/thaw cycle will stress the bend points as well. If you end up cracking the lines you have just created a huge paper weight. Personally I wouldn't chance it, I would look for something else.


THE ICEMAN

[dvandriesen]

I can tell you for a fact that the shelves are defiantly for 100% cooling the freezer. When turned on they defiantly begin to run freon through. If i could find a way to bend them out of the way that without creasing on to bad it would be great. However when bending the one it has to bend almost 100 degrees which in turn makes it look like the freon wont pass through that spot. I was thinking on cuting one then throwing some jb weld on both joints and it would allow me to completely remove one shelf. Would doing that be possible maybe?

[Sketch]

Without going into too much detail, if you cut into a freon line you will have to call a repair man to fix it. And he will probably tell you he either can't fix it, or it would cheaper to buy a brand new freezer.

I promise you that you will not be able to fix it on your own.

You will also be exposing yourself to some pretty nasty stuff you really don't want to breathe in (at least I wouldn't want to).

[THE ICEMAN]

I can tell you for a fact that the shelves are defiantly for 100% cooling the freezer. When turned on they defiantly begin to run freon through. If i could find a way to bend them out of the way that without creasing on to bad it would be great. However when bending the one it has to bend almost 100 degrees which in turn makes it look like the freon wont pass through that spot. I was thinking on cuting one then throwing some jb weld on both joints and it would allow me to completely remove one shelf. Would doing that be possible maybe?

Without going into too much detail, if you cut into a freon line you will have to call a repair man to fix it. And he will probably tell you he either can't fix it, or it would cheaper to buy a brand new freezer.

I promise you that you will not be able to fix it on your own.

You will also be exposing yourself to some pretty nasty stuff you really don't want to breathe in (at least I wouldn't want to).

OK, I'll get specific. You DO NOT want to cut out any of the shelves. Those systems components are specifically sized for each other. The compressor is sized for the evaporator & condenser. Altering any part of the system will reduce the efficiency of the whole system. Also, those systems take a very specific charge of refrigerant. A little too much or not enough refrigerant will also reduce efficiency. Not to mention that you must be certified to work on refrigeration systems. Venting refrigerant will get you a hefty fine.

And I don't know where this idea of using JB weld on a refrigeration system got started, I've heard it a few times on this forum, I can guarantee everyone that it will not work. Take this advice from someone who has worked on low temp systems more than 20 years.



THE ICEMAN

[psychodad]

And I don't know where this idea of using JB weld on a refrigeration system got started,

I figure it is a plus that folks don't think duct tape will do it.

[BrewGuru]

I have to concur with several of the opinions expressed above...

To sum up;

Yes, those lines are the evaporator and provide the cooling for the unit.

No, you cannot bend them out of the way, you WILL cause a refrigerant leak.

This unit is best left to freezing things on it's shelves, or being SOLD to raise some CASH or TRADED towards a fridge that can be used for a kegerator.

[dvandriesen]

thanks for the replies i will leave the freezer as in and if find one for the right price pick it up. Thanks