Kegerator Conversion (GE SMR04DASBCS)

[Walker]

I finally decided to attack the GE fridge that my mother-in-law gave me.

Ths fridge is in great shape (one small ding on the front), and that was part of what kept me from diving in. I was afraid I was going to totally destroy the fridge and would have spent the money on a tower that I then couldn't use. I have been very worried about the fact that this has a freezer compartment at the top. Getting the kegs into it looked like it would be an issue.

I decided to go ahead and start messing with it and if it started to get ugly I would just abort the mission. I haven't bought the tower yet, so the only thing to lose is a free fridge.

The first thing was the shelving on the door, which came off after removing a big handful of screws:

I'll need to purchase a panel of some sort to put in there so that the rubber magnetic seal can be put back on properly.

I already knew that a pin-lock keg would fit inside under the freezer compartment, but the thing was just a little too narrow to put to pin-locks in side-by side. I was either going to have to cut out the little plastic bumps from the inside of the fridge (where the shelves slide into) or bite the bullet and deal with the freezer and try to put two taller, but narrower, ball-lock kegs in it.

 

[Walker]

I first tried to just jam the two kegs up and under the freezer, bowing the freezer at the center. That actually worked, but made it nearly impossible to get at the tops of the kegs to attach lines.

I considered cutting the handles off the kegs so they one side of the keg would easily slide in, but wasn't thrilled about the idea of ruining a fridge AND my kegs.

After reading some stuff online, I found a few references for conversions of this kind of fridge (and other similar ones) where people had successfully bent the freezer compartment down to the back of the fridge. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing, but after getting a little buzz on tonight I had the courage to go out to the garage and bend the freezer down.

The thermostat also needs to be relocated deeper in the chest so that the two kegs can fit in.

It felt and looked dicey, but the line never kinked off or cracked.

I plugged it back in and let it sit for a while, and I was very happy to find that it was still getting cold. woohoo!

The two kegs slide in just fine now.

I'm ordering my tower tomorrow and will re-mount the thermostat properly and add the inside door panel while I wait for it to arrive.

I've got two beers in fermenters right now (actiually, I need to rack one now that I think about it), and it sure would be nice to have both of those come online in the new kegerator!

:rockin:

 

[Walker]

I was very fortunate to have started on my project about 1 week behind davidP (http://www.tracezero.net/Beer/gadgets/kegerator/) who was converting the pretty much the exact same fridge, so that removed a lot of my own concerns about where to drill in the top.

Anyway, my tower arrived in the mail on Friday, but I didn't get a chance to do anything about it until today.

Talk about smooth progress! I got almost everything done in a hour!

Following the idea of using copper pipes for heatsinks instead of a blowing fan to keep the lines in the tower cool, I cut two LONG lengths of 1/2" copper pipe and wrapped them in insulation.

Then I drilled a 1.5" hole in the fridge for this whole thing to go through. That was as small as I could make it and still get the pipes and insulation jammed through. (I had to wrap the pipe insulation with duct tape because it was tearing as I forced it through the hole... it was a pretty tight fit)

 

[Walker]

After cutting off the fittings that came attached to the tower's beer lines, I threaded them down through the two pipes. These pipe is not a snug fit over these lines, so this might not work ideally. But, these are the lines that came attached to the tower and the line I usually use (and will eventually replace these with) is larger in diameter and makes a very nice snug fit in the pipe.

Since the pipe insulation was sold in lenghts 6', I had plenty left over, so I wrapped another layer around the whole thing on the top. This worked out well, because it made the whole insulation tower fit snugly into the metal tower. I had to firmly press the tower down over the column of copper and insulation as I pulled the hoses from the inside the fridge.

Then I moved on to doing the work on the inside of the cabinet...

 

[Walker]

I want to put the CO2 tank inside the fridge, so I gorilla-glued a piece of painted poplar wood to the back wall of the fridge to which I attached the adjustable strap off an old torn-up backpack.

The CO2 tank sits nicely on the shelf of the fridge and can be secured pretty well to the fridge by tightening the strap up.

The thermostat had to moved back deeper into the fridge. I did not cut the wires and make them longer, because there was enough slack for me to push it back, rotate it down, and screw it into the plastic "rails" molded into the plastic that usually hold the shelves in place.

And here's the result:

This is the only picture I had that shows how long I actually made the copper pipes that come down from the tower. They extend a good foot into the fridge cabinet. I put a couple of CPVC elbows on the bottom of the pipes to prevent the beer lines from getting bent hard across the edge of the copper pipe because I was afraid the pipe edge would cut the line.

I marked and drilled the holes for the tower screws, and put some long bolts and washers on to attach it.

It's cozy in there, but everything fits in nicely.

 

[Walker]

I am waiting for a 1/16" sheet of HDPE to arrive in the mail to make my new door panel, because the thinnest piece of plywood I could find (5.2mm) was too thick and the door would not shut properly.

But, she's pretty much done!

 

[Yooper]

Wow- thanks for all the pictures! I have a fridge I'd like to do that to, but when I remove that "shelf" under the freezer, the beer freezes. Even on the highest setting, it's too cold from the freezer down. I'm going to try it with a different fridge, when I get it back from my daughter's dorm room.

It looks like you did a lot of work- how much time do you have invested? And, how much $$$$?

 

[Walker]

This actually wasn't that hard to do. I think I spent a total of 2 hours working on it. Though, I probably spent another 2 hours reading threads from others and thinking about exactly what I wanted to do. Careful planning, short task.

Cost wise I am at about $100, but that's necause the fridge was free (my mother-in-law used to have it at her work, but she retired and didn't need it any more). The tower was $85 brand new (ebay buy-it-now, free shipping). The copper pipe, insulation, bolts, and poplar back-board was about $15. I'm not counting the price of my Shirron faucets. I had those from my previous set-up,

The $85 tower came with generic faucets, and I'm going to try and sell them. I've got shanks and everything for two "through-door" taps. I pulled them off my big fridge when I started putting this together. I'm hoping to get back some of what I spent on the new tower.

 

[Walker]

\ I have a fridge I'd like to do that to, but when I remove that "shelf" under the freezer, the beer freezes. Even on the highest setting, it's too cold from the freezer down.

What about using an external temp controller instead of the fridge's thermostat?

 

[DavidP]

Oh man $85 is a hell of a deal for that tower.. wish I had though of checking eBay first.

 

[Walker]

Yeah, $85 was pretty good..

The tower is "chrome-plated metal" (not described any more specifically than that) and not stainless, but I can live with that.

There are two small "scruffy" looking spots, smaller than the head of a nail, on the tower near where the bolt holes are, but I'm not going to sweat that either.

If anyone is else is looking for a tower, here's who I got mine from: http://stores.ebay.com/qualitybeerequipment

 

[Yooper]

What about using an external temp controller instead of the fridge's thermostat?

Yeah, I thought of that. I'm just trying to do this on the ultra-cheap if I can. I have another dorm fridge, being used by my daughter at the moment, that may work better.

Without any mods at all, the current dorm fridge holds one 3 gallon keg with a picnic tap, and the 5# co2 tank. This is my "extra" kegerator, for out at the cottage. I just thought the tower and faucets would be nicer.

 

[Walker]

My big sheet of HDPE arrived yesterday (I forgot to add that to costs... it was about $7). The new door panel has now been cut, drilled, and installed.

DONE.

 

[the_bird]

Looks sweet, Walker. The copper's a real good idea, simplifies the design quite a bit.

 

[waazupdoc]

I was wondering if you still had that fridge and if you found it to still be working well? I got the same fridge yesterday and wondered if you may have any good tips?. I spoke with a buddy of mine who works refridgeration and he said it would be unwise to bend down the freezer plate to the back like that because the oil can build up in the lower section of that plate making it hard on the compressor over time. He mentioned that it could start sounding louder and the coolness of the fridge would be affected. I had these questions for you:
1. Have you found the loudness of the fridge to be affected?
2. Has it stayed cool for the time you have modified it?
3. Would you have anything to recommend?

Thanks for taking time to hopefully respond

 

[Walker]

I was wondering if you still had that fridge and if you found it to still be working well? I got the same fridge yesterday and wondered if you may have any good tips?. I spoke with a buddy of mine who works refridgeration and he said it would be unwise to bend down the freezer plate to the back like that because the oil can build up in the lower section of that plate making it hard on the compressor over time. He mentioned that it could start sounding louder and the coolness of the fridge would be affected. I had these questions for you:
1. Have you found the loudness of the fridge to be affected?
2. Has it stayed cool for the time you have modified it?
3. Would you have anything to recommend?

Thanks for taking time to hopefully respond

I just built this in October, so... Yes, I still have it.

I never used this fridge for anything other than the kegerator, so I don't really know if the thing is louder now, but I doubt that it is. I NEVER hear this thing running. If can't believe is was any quieter before.

It stays very cold inside the fridge. No problems there at all. I had it cold enough to form frost on the outside of the kegs at one time.

The only thing I am not happy with is the copper tubing set-up. The beer in my lines is not staying as cold as I had hoped, so I do get a lot more foam on the first pint. I am not upset enough to rip things back up and install a fan, but I were starting all over I would probably use a fan.

 

[waazupdoc]

So you haven't found that bending the freezer section down has caused you any issues? Also are you happy with the location you decided to put the thermostat? are there any other issues you could expound on that would be of help?


THanks

 

[Walker]

So you haven't found that bending the freezer section down has caused you any issues?

No problems at all at this point.

Also are you happy with the location you decided to put the thermostat?

Yes. I don't expect I will need to mess with it too much. I have it set to a temp I find pleasing for my ales (about 47*F) and have not yet had to make many adjustments. I am able to easily reach my hand over the top of the keg on the right and turn the thermostat knob if necessary. It's not hard to get to at all.

are there any other issues you could expound on that would be of help?

The only things I would do differently is to skip the copper pipe and use something else to keep the beer that is already in the lines cool (like a fan or something). Also, I would suggest cutting some wood or metal and putting it on the inside of the fridge where the bolts come through for the tower to halp brace the tower better. If I pull or push on my tower, I can see thetop of the fridge flexing, so having a plate to secure things to on the inside might help make it a little more stable. I will probably do something like this eventually, but I don't see it as a critical thing so I am not rushed.

Converting this thing was really simple and took very little time. It was frightening to bend that freezer down because I was afraid I would crack or kink the line, but the rest of the work was easy.

 

[BeerCrazy]

What about using an external temp controller instead of the fridge's thermostat?

You made of money or something? Just stick the right size rheostat in series or parallel with the thermister and adjust slowly.

But then again, I'm the guy that pumps his own septic and has pics to prove it.

 

[Walker]

You made of money or something? Just stick the right size rheostat in series or parallel with the thermister and adjust slowly.

But then again, I'm the guy that pumps his own septic and has pics to prove it.

Nope. Not made of money. Yooper has a lot of brewing gear and I would not be surprised if she had an external thermostat lying around, so that's why I suggested it.

 

[gallagherman]

I am waiting for a 1/16" sheet of HDPE to arrive in the mail to make my new door panel, because the thinnest piece of plywood I could find (5.2mm) was too thick and the door would not shut properly.

I converted a very similar fridge this summer that I use for my fermentation fridge. I had to take off the door panel as you described. I needed to put the rubber seal back on too, so I got a piece of plexiglass to be exactly the right size, but that didn't work-door wouldn't really close near the hinge. The rubber seal didn't really seem to fit as well over the plexiglass as it originally did. Ultimately I gorilla glued the rubber seal in place right to the door frame - now it shuts perfectly!:rockin: Needed some clamps to glue it nicely in place. I then cut a smaller piece of poster board to just cover the ugly exposed foam on the door.

 

[dudasaj]

have you changed out the beer lines to fit snug inside the copper? What about stainless tubing from inside the fridge up the tower?

 

[mdzitter]

Thanks so much for the tutorial, it is definitely going to help on my conversion of a fridge quite similar to yours.

My question is in regards to the reattachment of the seal. Mine seems to be attached by being wedged into a groove molded into the existing door panel. Was that the case in yours? If so, how did you reattach it? If not, any thoughts on how to reattach mine?

EDIT:

Also, how much clearance is needed above the top of the keg for the pin lock connectors? Thanks!

 

[Walker]

I got a piece of plexiglass to be exactly the right size, but that didn't work-door wouldn't really close near the hinge. The rubber seal didn't really seem to fit as well over the plexiglass as it originally did. Ultimately I gorilla glued the rubber seal in place right to the door frame - now it shuts perfectly!:rockin:

I had checked out plexiglass when I was trying to find a suitable door panel, but that stuff was MUHC more expesive than I was willing to pay. One thing that seemed like it would have worked was the cheap/thin wall panel that you see inside of mobile homes. Unfortunately, that was only sold in sheets that measured 8 foot by 6 foot (or something like that) and I had no real way to transport it.

I tried "thin" plywood, but it was too thick and I had the same problems you had with plexiglass; the rubber seal didn't fit over it quite right and it was too thick and would not allow the door to shut properly.)

The sheet of HDPE I bought worked out great and was pretty cheap.

 

[Walker]

have you changed out the beer lines to fit snug inside the copper? What about stainless tubing from inside the fridge up the tower?

I have no changed the beer lines yet, but I honestly don't think it will make much difference. The top end of the copper tube that I can reach from the top of the tower is NOT cold.

I don't think steel would be any better.

At any rate, I only get an inch more foam on the first pint pulled, so it's not a big deal and I can live with it.

 

[Walker]

My question is in regards to the reattachment of the seal. Mine seems to be attached by being wedged into a groove molded into the existing door panel. Was that the case in yours? If so, how did you reattach it? If not, any thoughts on how to reattach mine?

Mine was not like this. When I removed the screws shown in the second picture I posted here, the plastic shelving and rubber seal both came off together. The rubber seal is basically like a collar that wraps around the plastic shelving.

Also, how much clearance is needed above the top of the keg for the pin lock connectors? Thanks!

If you are really talking about pin-lock kegs you might have some issues here. Pin-lock kegs (firestone) are a couple inches shorter than the ball-lock kegs (cornelius), but they are also a little bit larger in diameter. I am almost positive that I could not get two pin-lock kegs into this thing at the same time because I would be limited by the width of the thing. Maybe one pin-lock and one ball-lock, but probably not two pin-locks.

I could check for you if you want. I have a few pin-lock kegs in my garage, but unless you have the exact same fridge as me my measurements won't really matter.

Height-wise: You can see in the picture below that there is ample space above the kegs... probably a little over 4 inches. The BALL-LOCK quick-connects only stick up a little but above the keg tops, so there is plenty of clearance. PIN-LOCK quick-connects are taller than ball-locks, but the kegs are shorter, so it probably evens out. There should be plenty of space height-wise for pin-locks. I would just be worried about the width of the thing with pin-lock kegs.

-walker

 

[Newguy4817]

I am waiting for a 1/16" sheet of HDPE to arrive in the mail to make my new door panel, because the thinnest piece of plywood I could find (5.2mm) was too thick and the door would not shut properly.

But, she's pretty much done!

Where did you order the HDPE from and what size did you order. Thanks for your help. Im about to convert a GE over and wanted to know where you got the HDPE from.

 

[Walker]

Where did you order the HDPE from and what size did you order. Thanks for your help. Im about to convert a GE over and wanted to know where you got the HDPE from.

I bought it from US Plastics based in Lima, OH (http://www.usplastic.com).

They had several different materials in sheet form, but the HDPE was the cheapest bu a few $s.

I had to buy it thin so that it would not interfere with the door's operation.

It was thin enough that you could see through it a tiny bit, so I lightly covered one side with white spraypaint to make it opaque and mounted it with the painted side facing the foam insulation of the door.

Here's a link to the list of all HDPE sheets they sell: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23869&catid=705
I bought a 24" x 28" x 1/16" sheet and cut it down to size (I needed a little less than 2" x 3").

 

[Newguy4817]

I bought it from US Plastics based in Lima, OH (http://www.usplastic.com).

They had several different materials in sheet form, but the HDPE was the cheapest bu a few $s.

I had to buy it thin so that it would not interfere with the door's operation.

It was thin enough that you could see through it a tiny bit, so I lightly covered one side with white spraypaint to make it opaque and mounted it with the painted side facing the foam insulation of the door.

Here's a link to the list of all HDPE sheets they sell: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23869&catid=705
I bought a 24" x 28" x 1/16" sheet and cut it down to size (I needed a little less than 2" x 3").

Thanks for the info. I take it you bought the 24X48 inch size?

 

[DavidP]

Last night, after getting about half a glass of foam on my first pour I examined my copper cooling lines. They run all the way up to the top of the lines and do feel cold, but the rest of the shank is warm. Currently my shank insulation is pretty lame, it's just a thin sheet of styrofoam wrapped around them. I'd like to try encapsulating the shanks in Great Stuff but I don't want to glom up inside of the tower too badly.

 

[Walker]

Last night, after getting about half a glass of foam on my first pour I examined my copper cooling lines. They run all the way up to the top of the lines and do feel cold, but the rest of the shank is warm.

At first, I thought my copper was also cold... it felt cold to the touch... but then I touched the tower itself and found that it also felt the same. Basically, the top of the copper and the tower are both at 70*F room temp, but felt cool to my 98.6*F hand.

 

[Walker]

Thanks for the info. I take it you bought the 24X48 inch size?

Whoops. Yeah, that was a typo. I bought 24" x 48" x 1/16" and cut it down to size.

 

[blakelock]

hey there,
great looking kegerator. i'm drooling.... and trying to build my own.

i bought the same model fridge (GE 4.5 cu. ft.) and am testing it out before cutting it up. the refrigerator has been on and empty for 24hrs. it's cold but it clicks on every 20minutes. this seems like a lot. does yours go on that often? it's not that loud but it's a bit annoying if it'll be that often.

cheers,
blakelock

 

[Walker]

hey there,
great looking kegerator. i'm drooling.... and trying to build my own.

i bought the same model fridge (GE 4.5 cu. ft.) and am testing it out before cutting it up. the refrigerator has been on and empty for 24hrs. it's cold but it clicks on every 20minutes. this seems like a lot. does yours go on that often? it's not that loud but it's a bit annoying if it'll be that often.

cheers,
blakelock

I really don't ever hear mine running unless I am right there beside it, but I think you will probably notice a huge drop in the cycling of the compressor once you have kegs in that thing. There is a lot of thermal mass in 10 gallons of beer, so the fridge won't warm up very fast.

 

[Walker]

Also, how much clearance is needed above the top of the keg for the pin lock connectors? Thanks!

If you are really talking about pin-lock kegs you might have some issues here. Pin-lock kegs (firestone) are a couple inches shorter than the ball-lock kegs (cornelius), but they are also a little bit larger in diameter. I am almost positive that I could not get two pin-lock kegs into this thing at the same time because I would be limited by the width of the thing. Maybe one pin-lock and one ball-lock, but probably not two pin-locks.

Following up on an old question here, but I tried last week to put 1 pin-lock and 1 ball-lock into my kegerator.

It doesn't fit. The pin-lock is just fat enough that it sticks out past the front of the fridge and the door will not close.

 

[JonGoku]

Following up on an old question here, but I tried last week to put 1 pin-lock and 1 ball-lock into my kegerator.

It doesn't fit. The pin-lock is just fat enough that it sticks out past the front of the fridge and the door will not close.

I suppose desperate people could make a "collar" for the door similar to a chest keezer so that there is room enough for ball locks, but that seems like a lot of work for little reward. Better yet you could convert the mini fridge into a chest fridge add a collar and get maybe 3 kegs in there

 

[Walker]

I suppose desperate people could make a "collar" for the door similar to a chest keezer so that there is room enough for ball locks, but that seems like a lot of work for little reward. Better yet you could convert the mini fridge into a chest fridge add a collar and get maybe 3 kegs in there

Ball locks already fit. It's trying to put two pin-locks in that has a problem.


I checked out that chest fridge link out of curiosity. You would have to make a "collar" bigger than the fridge for that to work!

 

[JonGoku]

Ball locks already fit. It's trying to put two pin-locks in that has a problem.


I checked out that chest fridge link out of curiosity. You would have to make a "collar" bigger than the fridge for that to work!

Hahahaha, wouldn't that be funny though! My bad on the ball-locks, meant to say pin-locks.

 

[kennethm]

Anybody try to cut the freezer line and crimp and solder it closed? any thoughts?

 

[Walker]

Well, I'm pretty sure this would leave you with a fridge that wouldn't cool at all. The plate that makes up the freezer compartment is what gets cold in this thing.