Keezer Build - Tips and Lessons Learned

Finally gave in and added 2 extra taps, and a Micromatic 4 bank of secondary regulators. This required some rework - and certainly recommend doing this from the start.

Here's the final build!



The Micromatic 4 bank is a beast - and wound up being too tall to mount on the wall of the collar Make your collar 8" tall!!!

Didn't want to start over so, pondered it over a few home brews with da wife. The solution was to attach it to the collar roof - which puts it in a perfect readable position when the collar is open.

First, had to move the CO2 tank and the primary outside of the keezer to have room for 4 kegs, and the bank of secondaries. I plan to mount the tank to the back of the keezer - but haven't had time yet. For now, it sits on a shelf above the keezer. Made a good mount, and added a chain (lesson learned from first tip over).



Moved the distributor to the outside as well, so have one line outside for force carbonation, starting siphon, etc. and the other runs into the keezer. Bought brass fittings at Home Depot - and drilled through the back collar wall. Added a shutoff / hose connection on the back, and caulked it all up:



and here is the inside view:



Added another shutoff / hose connection on the inside, which connects to the secondaries.

The Micromatic does not come with check valves, so had to add those before the install. The Micromatic is VERY heavy! Used drywall anchors (corkscrew ones) into the plastic / foam, then screwed the regulator into those. Was nervous at first - but it's solid as a rock.



Added 2 more Perlick taps, and ran all of the hoses. The hoses are a mess - will get those all in order soon.

Wasn't happy with the chalkboard tap handles, so did a minor conversion.
Turned them around, and attached a $1 picture frame (all plastic) to each one. Can now print out labels, and they slide right in.

Final touch was the drip tray & shelf. Made the shelf from the same oak as the collar and put a piece of molding on the front. Attached it to the keezer with - yup - more silicon caulk. Holding solid, even with a few pints on it... Ordered a cheap stainless drip tray ($18), and it works great.

No thoughts of finishing the out side in wainscoting or something to give it a finished look? If I do one it will be based off this.but would have to look more like furniture
any thoughts

I'm undecided on finishing the front. At first, I was going to use chalk board paint on the lid and front. Then pondered black epoxy. My keezer is in my workshop - so finishing te outside has not bee a huge priority.

Covering the entire piece with wood will be quite involved. I've seen some gorgeous keezers that are fully encased, with very detailed molding, etc. Lots of time and money on those, but really, really nice. A wide piece of molding around the bottom really makes it furniture like. So, you could go with painting it then putting a nice 6" piece of molding around the bottom to get a similar effect at low cost / time.

It all depends on the place you'll have it, your wood working skills and time/budget.

Hi there, it looks like all the pictures have mysteriously disappeared in this thread. Any chance of restoring them somehow? I feel like this would be really helpful on my upcoming build if I could see them.

I am building one right now... the Chest freezer he is using is $178 new at Home Depot (as researching last weekend) it is actually the same price as the 5 Cubic foot one which will hold two kegs... I am going to build two Keezers and use the 5 Cubic ft one because I want to raise the top high enough to use as a Bar... I have an old table top that is 42 Inches wide and I am going to make that the top... Using the 5 CFT one I will have an overhang so you can Belly up to the Bar.... With the "tower" as far back as it can go facing front... (Since I cannot see the pictures on this post I really made a comment so I could review this later,,, there were so many "at-a-boys" I figured I need to see yours so I could maybe incorperate some of your ideas...

Hey guys I'm getting a lot of condensation build up in my keezer. So much so that I'm getting some small pools at the bottom. I think I have a good seal between the body/collar/lid. I have an 8.8 cu ft freezer. I'm running one 120mm pc fan pulling air up from the bottom of the freezer to the top. My temp control is set to kick on at 40 and turn off at 37. My collar is walnut 1.25" thick with 1.5" foam insulation.

I really like the PVC. I'm about to start building my keezer and am going to use a few things from this build. Nice work!

Not sure what happened - but will contact the Admin to help fix. Stay Tuned

trying to get the photos restored....hope it helps

Apparently Admin is still looking into this issue. Here's a direct link to all of the photos https://www.homebrewtalk.com/photo/albums/dahappykeezer-2242.html

Will still try to get them re-added into the post.

dahappycamper said:

Apparently Admin is still looking into this issue. Here's a direct link to all of the photos https://www.homebrewtalk.com/photo/albums/dahappykeezer-2242.html

Will still try to get them re-added into the post.

Click to expand...

Very impressive. I'm looking at building something similar for my bar. I see in one of the pictures that you are able to fit four kegs with a combination of corney kegs and commercial kegs. Do you know if that model freezer would fit four commercial 5 gallon kegs? They are only a quarter inch wider, but would that 1/4 inch make a difference?

Cool, thanks for trying. The direct link helps in the mean time.

Thanks for the link. Very impressive build. I have limited space and am thinking of using the same freezer. I noticed in your pics that the freezer will hold four kegs using a mix of corneys and commercial kegs. Do you know if four commercial kegs would fit, or is the extra 1/4 inch per keg too much?

Getting 4 ball lock cornies on the floor is *tight*. Nothing bigger would fit in the floor space, but if you built a tall collar as shown in this thread and you utilize the lip on the right side then I think you could definitely make it fit.

Agree - 4 on the floor won't make it. 3 on the floor, and 1 on the hump is perfect - and plenty of airflow to keep all condensation away. Just make sure the collar is tall enough. Mine barely fit - and would go a few inches taller in the future - especially as Sankey taps require more height than home brew connectors.

dahappycamper said:

Used a waterproof boat bilge fan - caulked to a PVC reducer. This connects to the PVC pipe platform to circulate air around the base of the kegs.

Click to expand...

Are you happy with the bilge fan? If so, what is the make and model? I am definitely planning on adding this setup to my keezer.

Notts said:

Are you happy with the bilge fan? If so, what is the make and model? I am definitely planning on adding this setup to my keezer.

Click to expand...

I ordered this fan from Amazon - but they are all very similar :

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O0DE8K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The power supply I used is earlier in the post. It's just strong enough to gently move the air around - don't expect major airflow. To date, I've had NO frost issues at all You can try other power supplies, but check the volts / amps so you don't overload

Wow, just found this awesome keezer post. It is good to know that such workmanship is so close to my home.

+1! Did you use anything other than silicone caulk to secure the collar to the lid?

I only used silicone caulking to secure my collar to the lid. I've had no problems with it trying to come off.

I have had major difficultly finding a working adapter/power supply. One from Frys rated at 3000ma and 9-20v cannot handle the peak amperage draw and cycles on then off repeatedly.

I found a few on eBay/amazon but they all ship from china and take 17-27 days for delivery. Printer or VeriFone/Delta ac adapters look the best and they have the same shipping problem.

Any tips?

Looking good. That PVC on the bottom is fantastic. I'll have to add that to mine. Thanks for the idea.

mschuri said:

I have had major difficultly finding a working adapter/power supply. One from Frys rated at 3000ma and 9-20v cannot handle the peak amperage draw and cycles on then off repeatedly.

I found a few on eBay/amazon but they all ship from china and take 17-27 days for delivery. Printer or VeriFone/Delta ac adapters look the best and they have the same shipping problem.

Any tips?

Click to expand...

Post #37 has the details on what I used, but here it is again:

I looked all over - and finally found a good power supply. It's a 5V 3A power supply for a Linksys router. My bilge fan is 12V 3A, but 12V makes the thing blow like a leaf blower. From what I've read, you can reduce the volts (and that will drop the speed) - but the amps should always be the same or higher - or it can cause an overload (blown fuse / fire risk). I ordered one from Amazon - Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004576EOK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
It is working really well. I had some frost build up before turning on the fan last - and next day it was all gone – and has never come back. I put a few DampRid canisters in there over a month ago – and they are both looking brand new still.
The speed is pretty good - but a little higher voltage would probably be better - if you can find one. I'm not going to bother for now. I drilled pretty small holes in the PVC - and had to enlarge them. The fan speed isn't strong enough to really push the air through the small holes. I have the fan pulling the cold air up - so it hits the lid, and keeps the taps colder (less foam on first pour). The only concern is that with the fan blowing air up - this will pull out all of the cold air when the lid is open...so I'll l likely rig up a switch to the cord - or maybe install one that goes on /off as the lid is opened / closed.

dahappycamper said:

I have the fan pulling the cold air up - so it hits the lid, and keeps the taps colder (less foam on first pour).

Click to expand...

Anyone do any experiments with moving air down or pulling it up?
Not that I really think it matters all that much but I would be interested to know if it makes any difference at all. I would think in such a small space any air movement will do.

rekoob said:

[...]I would think in such a small space any air movement will do.

Click to expand...

That pretty much sums up the prevailing opinion...

Cheers!

1.5 years seems to be the lifespan on the first bilge fan. Replaced and back in action again. Otherwise all is great.

[/url][/IMG]

Keezer aer great - but require some cleaning to keep things fresh. Here's my solution to auto - line clean / sterilize - enjoy !

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/scrub-master-3000-keg-washer-line-cleaner-461535/

Awesome build, tons of great ideas! I'm getting an Igloo 7.2 CF soon and I'm hoping to do something similar.

One general question for you or anyone with similar experience:
What is the reason for off-setting the taps to one side, is it just to be able to get the kegs in/out easier? Wouldn't having the collar/taps lift with the lid take care of this?

I've noticed most people do this, and a lot of people seem to recommend it but I'm not quite sure why, especially if you're attaching the collar to the lid. Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Thanks for all the awesome ideas!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

One reason to offset taps is to keep them away from above the compressor hump. That way you can set another keg on the hump without having any interference with a shank.

That's exactly why I did it in this build. The taps on the left are over the kegs. The collar would have to be another 6-8 inches taller if you want to have enough clearance over the keg on da hump.

Great build! I'm definitely incorporating some ideas from here when I upgrade my kegerator to a keezer. I do have a question though, why did you use the bilge fan rather than just wiring a cheaper computer fan?

Cheers!

Ahh got it, thanks ChuckO and DHC, I don't know why I didn't think of that. Guess it would be more obvious when I get the freezer and dry fit the kegs.

Thanks again for the inspiration, I'll definitely be stealing a whole bunch of your ideas!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

63belair said:

Great build! I'm definitely incorporating some ideas from here when I upgrade my kegerator to a keezer. I do have a question though, why did you use the bilge fan rather than just wiring a cheaper computer fan?

Cheers!

Click to expand...

I believe a bilge fan was used because of moisture concerns. Not sure what a computer fan is rated at with regards to high humidity environments.

Thanks for sharing the build! I've got the same freezer and lots of the parts already lying around so I just ordered the fan and am ready to build a keezer!
The wire rack you're using looks like the kind you'd find in closet, is that accurate?

I don't think that humidity will shorten the life of a computer fan very much. Besides, they are very inexpensive, or free from scrap equipment. I must have 6-8 of them lying around from the computers that I have scrapped over the years.

subscribe

Great build.