Planning First Attempt at Chest Freezer Kegerator Need Help

[BarrelMan]

Hey everyone,

New here, but kept coming back to links to this site through some searching. I've been brewing and bottling my own beer for about a year now and have gotten sick of bottling, so I want build my own kegerator. I've recently purchased a 7 cu ft Holiday chest freezer. I'm hoping to fit 3-4 corny kegs in here as well as a CO2 tank. Looking for some advice as to what specific parts I will need as well so places to look for them. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[boortzie]

First thing you'll want to do is figure out whether you want a collar or a coffin style keezer. I went with a collar because it was easier - I was able to do 95% of the work in one weekend. Coffin style keezers take a bit more work and woodworking skill (as I understand it - I'm just about the farthest thing from a carpenter).

Once you decide the style, search the forum for tips on what kind of hardware you'll need. After that, start looking at either your LHBS or online. I ended up purchasing the majority of my kegging equipment from AIH (www.homebrewing.org), but have mixed in Midwest Supplies and Northern Brewer depending on need, price, and availability. MoreBeer has some good deals from time to time as well.

Before you buy anything, though, make sure you decide whether you want Pin or Ball Lock. I went with pins because they were cheaper at the time, though they are harder to find used than ball locks. Pins tend to be shorter but wider, while ball locks are taller but thinner. If you go with a high enough collar and having that 4th keg is a must, you should probably consider ball locks.

Just my $0.02.

 

[kh54s10]

The sticky in the kegging forum shows that you can fit 4 on the floor and possibly a 5th on the hump or maybe the co2 bottle needs to go there.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/chest-freezer-specs-layouts-377518/

That is for ball locks.

 

[banks412]

Hope it's ok to bump this thread. I'm also new to the keezer world and have been exploring all day. My LHBS convinced me a chest freezer was the way to go, and boy was he right. I'm not ready for kegging just yet, but I did buy my first chest freezer today to use as a fermentation chamber. I hope to get a Johnson Controls digital thermostat controller soon for it and try it out. I think this is the biggest issue for me right now in homebrewing - maintaining consistent fermentation temps at the RIGHT temps. I've been fermenting in my closet with tile floor and struggle to maintain 77 degrees in there!

I bought a Holiday brand 7 cubic foot chest freezer from CL for $75. Cleaned it out real good with some bleach and soap/water and can't wait to brew up a batch and see how it does. I even got so lucky as to not need a collar, since I can put a 6.5g carboy in there with airlock and still have room to close the lid. Crazy!! I couldn't be more happy.

As for build, thanks to this tread I know understand the difference between coffin and collar keezers. I'm no carpenter, but a coffin sure does look nice. Good motivation to get kegging!

Thanks guys...
tb

 

[Hang Glider]

Welcome to HBT, BarrelMan

you will need shanks, faucets (save up for Perlicks, they don't stick), associated tubing and fittings. CO2 tank, regulator, distributor (for multiple tanks off one regulator), cornelius (corny) kegs, fittings for said kegs (one Gas [in], one Beer [out] per keg), a temperature controller for the freezer so you don't freeze your beer.

Coffin style keezers have the taps on top, in a box that you mount on the lid. Collar style have shanks & faucets through a collar you make between the lid and the freezer.
look at the thread Show us your Kegerator for various styles and ideas. Of course, this DIY forum is filled with awesome examples and photos of individual builds.

And - if you're not already doing this, Banks412 hit on a very important point - FERMENTATION TEMPS are more important than serving methods. Handle that first if you haven't.
Banks - if your closet was 77F, your beer was likely 85F !!! Good on you to go after that fix first. Keep within your yeast's recommended range for best results.