Mini freezer cooling element in a bigger kegerator?

[green_giant43]

Ok, between me, my brother, and my fiancee, we developed an idea to turn an old whiskey barrel into a kegerator. It has went well up until we got to cooling it. I had bought an old mini fridge off craigslist and we hooked that up but it only cools to about 51*.

My question really is will a mini freezer cooling element work better and actually get me to where we need to be (42* give or take is my aim.)

We did some rough math and based on our rough calculations, there's about 10 cubic feet or so with what we need to cool. I haven't gotten to look at the size of compressors/coils in freezers but would a 1.1 mini freezer cooling element adapt well to a 10 cubic foot space?

I guess I'm just trying to see if anybody else has had a similar issue that they fixed. And to clarify, it is very well insulated, top to bottom. It has around 1/2 to 3/4 inch foam insulation all around, including on the bottom stand. The door has been insulated and is kept tight with rubber seals as well so we're not gonna make up the ground that way.

 

[Homercidal]

First, I think that with proper insulation a whiskey barrel should easily get down to beer temp.

You may need to also adjust the thermostat or add a fan to create an even airflow while the compressor is running.

I think what really makes a freezer get so darn cold is that they are better insulated and they are set to a lower temperature.
I know others who have increased the size of their kegerator/fermentation chamber by adding more cubic feet to a mini-fridge. They built additions to the side out of wood and foam insulation.

 

[green_giant43]

First, I think that with proper insulation a whiskey barrel should easily get down to beer temp.

You may need to also adjust the thermostat or add a fan to create an even airflow while the compressor is running.

I think what really makes a freezer get so darn cold is that they are better insulated and they are set to a lower temperature.
I know others who have increased the size of their kegerator/fermentation chamber by adding more cubic feet to a mini-fridge. They built additions to the side out of wood and foam insulation.

Forgot to mention, we have 3? yeah, I think 3 fans now. We had to remove the stock thermostat because it wouldn't work and we have it on an STC-1000 now. But the fans don't seem to be working. Our last ditch effort at this point is to put on on the top and point it down towards the element but so far they haven't helped that much.

Edit- apparently there is one or two fans in the nook below (separated from the cool area) that are cooling the compressor. The cooling element doesn't yet have a big fan up top blowing down on it. It will be done by two fans on top. We'll see if that works but I'd still like to investigate the freezer idea further.

So, if that doesn't work (which I don't hold out hope) I was hoping that a mini freezer cooling element would be different. I have to assume they are if they make both mini fridges and mini freezers in a 1 cubic foot space. I'm hoping it's not just better insulation that helps keep them that cool.

 

[Homercidal]

A picture would help.

Just checking, but do you have the compressor and heat exchanger separated from the barrel? That air needs to be blown away from where you want to chill. The evap is usually right next tot eh compressor on these things.

The coils should go on the inside of the barrel with a fan to blow the cold air around inside. In a chest freezer there isn't a fan because you want the cold air to SINK naturally. That's one advantage of a chest freezer. The cold air mostly stays inside and there aren't any easy avenues of escape.

Summary, chilling coils inside barrel, insulated from the outside. Compressor and evap outside the barrel, insulated from the chilling coils.

 

[green_giant43]

A picture would help.

Just checking, but do you have the compressor and heat exchanger separated from the barrel? That air needs to be blown away from where you want to chill. The evap is usually right next tot eh compressor on these things.

The coils should go on the inside of the barrel with a fan to blow the cold air around inside. In a chest freezer there isn't a fan because you want the cold air to SINK naturally. That's one advantage of a chest freezer. The cold air mostly stays inside and there aren't any easy avenues of escape.

Summary, chilling coils inside barrel, insulated from the outside. Compressor and evap outside the barrel, insulated from the chilling coils.

Those should show up. But basically, the compressor is underneath that stand there (this was before we insulated it all). There are vents on the bottom of the barrel for ventilation. So a fan in the bottom part blows hot air out the vents while, soon, a fan mounted up top above the cooling element will blow air down.

 

[Homercidal]

I'm not seeing any pics.

 

[green_giant43]

Should be up now. Put them in imgur as it never seems to fail.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, provided the two are separated, sealed and insulated, I don't see why this wouldn't work fine. Is there not enough room for some foam insulation? I don't think the cubic space inside is really any different from a mini fridge.

EDIT: I see the foam insulation now. It's painted black.

Can you verify the cooling coils are actually getting really cold? Maybe the freon leaked out.

 

[green_giant43]

The foam insulation has been sprayed all around it. We sealed it up but 51* is as low as we could get it after a full day of running it. If that fan doesn't work, I want to know if a freezer is inherently different from a fridge in terms of cooling elements.

 

[broadbill]

I would be surprised if a mini-fridge refrigerator manufacturer designed those compressors to cool 10 times the space of the cabinet they are built into. No reason to and it eats into the bottom line.

Most people building larger cabinets around them are using them for fermentation chambers . Even then, I only think they are getting ale fermentation temps out of them. For the money spent on materials they could have easier purchased a used fridge/freezer with the ability to ale and lager ferment, and lager condition, all in one unit.

 

[wilserbrewer]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=285887

This guy achieved 30 degrees F, he did insulate well.

 

[green_giant43]

I would be surprised if a mini-fridge refrigerator manufacturer designed those compressors to cool 10 times the space of the cabinet they are built into. No reason to and it eats into the bottom line.

Most people building larger cabinets around them are using them for fermentation chambers . Even then, I only think they are getting ale fermentation temps out of them. For the money spent on materials they could have easier purchased a used fridge/freezer with the ability to ale and lager ferment, and lager condition, all in one unit.

Believe me, I could've already had a keezer for cheaper than this. :cross:

The main reason we wanted this is that we live in the city (while I brew at my brother's) and have very, very limited space. This is gonna be our dining room table (table top goes on top of the barrel) and it has a draft tower coming out. Novel idea that saves a lot of space while looking pretty unique.

Just need to work out the kinks.

 

[green_giant43]

No go on the fridge fix. The cooling element is frosting over. I guess taking the original thermostat out (only way to make it work really) screwed up its defrost cycle.

Now onto plan b...whatever that might be.

 

[Homercidal]

I was offered a very small mini fridge from a guy at work. I have been thinking about what kind of cool (pun intended) kegerator device I could build, but the fact is, I REALLY don't need any more projects right now!

I'm surprised that a fan blowing across the cooling coils isn't helping to keep them defrosted and get the temp in there down to where you want it.

 

[green_giant43]

I was offered a very small mini fridge from a guy at work. I have been thinking about what kind of cool (pun intended) kegerator device I could build, but the fact is, I REALLY don't need any more projects right now!

I'm surprised that a fan blowing across the cooling coils isn't helping to keep them defrosted and get the temp in there down to where you want it.

Yeah, 2 fans and still no joy. I feel like it would stand a shot with the default thermostat but I don't know. Could give it a shot perhaps (though my brother would kill me as he spent some time wiring the temp controller in.)

Looking at a mini freezer as research shows they have better compressors so that might be the trick.